This is the room where 10,000 free meals every day are eaten. Volunteers of all ages, called sewadars, quickly prepare the bright airy room for the next communal meal. The marble floor is swept and mopped after each serving before long, skinny mats are rolled out in neat rows separated by aisles wide enough for volunteers to proceed down, doling-out shiny stainless steel trays and spoons to each person seated.Meal sharing is a vital component of Sikhism, perhaps best conveyed through the common prayer, “Loh langar tapde rahin,” or “May the hot plates of the langars remain ever in service.” Every gurudwara from Delhi to London to Wisconsin offers free meals in its langar, and they should not be confused with a charity soup kitchen. Middle class families, who make up the majority of those gathered at the Bangla Sahib, sit on the floor alongside the elderly, students, doctors, teachers, working class folks, and beggars.