Not Just Places Of Worship

Not Just Places Of Worship

India’s urban landscape is more than its high rises, toasty residential areas and jhuggi-jhopris; it includes places of worship that double up as community centres, with their life-affirming services to residents.

Gurdwara As Haven

Gurdwaras are no longer places where Sikhs go just to mattha teko or bow their head in submission. For Lakhveer Singh, a middle-aged contractor, it’s where he sits undisturbed and scans the morning newspapers after paying obeisance to the Granth Sahib. “It’s been my routine for years. It’s a place of peace, away from the shor sharaba of the congested Sangam Vihar where I live,” he says.

When Mandeep Narang’s father suddenly passed away and relatives poured in to offer condolences, he didn’t have to worry about keeping them warm on that cold, wintry night. Quilts and mattresses were despatched by the gurdwara down the road. It also offers economical boarding and lodging facilities for outstation visitors of all faiths who come to Delhi for admissions, checkups and interviews.

Priya Sood, a working mom, was recently at her wit’s end thinking of ways to keep her nine-year-old gainfully occupied, till she found that the neighbourhood gurdwara offered Gurmukhi classes and Sukhmani Saheb Paath every morning. She promptly enrolled Arnab for it. Gurmat camps abroad teach children Sikh history and a way of life that might otherwise be lost forever in their adopted countries.

The langar brings the congregation together in seva. Larger gurdwaras offer 24X7 langars, while smaller ones host them weekly. Noida’s sector 37 gurdwara, for instance, keeps bagsful of wheat flour and raw material that come in as donations and asks the devout to return with cooked rotis or prasadam. Volunteers chop, cook, serve and wash up — all in the spirit of seva.

Om Namah Shivay.