A key purpose for langar was to challenge the prevailing caste system — people of all castes would be equalized by sitting together and sharing a community meal, a revolutionary concept.
Exactly. This is in common with Gaudiya Vaishnavism of Bengal, where people has to sit on the floor and eat along with people of 36 castes- (so called) low and high, at the same level at festivals.
Yes Sikhism was a result of/was heavily influenced by the Bhakti movement that started in the south of India around 1000 years ago and then rapidly spread through central and northern Indian. It’s akin to the Protestant movement in that it de emphasized the role of Brahmins and interlocutors and emphasized a personal relationship with god.
It's still revolutionary to sit down with people you don't know and share a delicious meal. Sitting on the floor is something we don't do all that often in the West, so IMO, that also opens one's eyes to a different perspective. Langar was and still is revolutionary!
> still revolutionary to sit down with people you don't know and share a delicious meal
The revolutionary part isn't sitting with strangers. It's sitting with strangers across classes. The equivalent to a langar in the West would be everyone in a community dining at the soup kitchen.
