yes, it's true that vaisakhi is next sunday, but the big old marching and procesions and stuff happen normally 2 weekends before the event, but for some reason they were held this past weekend

there are some families that can trace their anscestors back to the initial gathering but there were loads of places where the locals were "ordained" into sikhism

i've got some pics at home that i'll put up later (broken internet last couple of days) but there were that many people there in southall that, from the time the first vehicle passed us outside the police station, to when the last vehicle passed us it had taken nearly and hour and a half

and i've also got a picture and an elderly white couple who sat on a wall enjoying the events too

next sunday is going to be a bit less hectic, but i'd still avoid places such as southall because you know that there is going to be loads of congestion, even more than there normally is on a sunday