Students Visit from Simon Fraser University and a Coquitlam School to
Gurdwara  Nanak Niwas in Richmond 

Los Angeles, December 2, 2019
NRIpress.club/Ramesh/ A.Gary Singh/ Balwant Sanghera

These days one often hears about the rising incidents of racism and hate crimes. Ignorance about others and their cultures seems to be one of the reasons for this trend. In this context, our young people can play a very important role.   Learning about other cultures and communities is extremely important in this regard. Furthermore, our young people can play an important role in promoting these values. In this context, India Cultural Centre of Canada Gurdwara Nanak Niwas has been doing its part for a number of years.

                                Situated at the centre of #5 Road in Richmond, this Gurdwara is a favourite visiting place for students and adults alike. They come here to learn about intercultural harmony, Sikhism and the South Asian community. Every week at least two or three groups visit the Gurdwara for this purpose. On Monday, November 25, thirty students from Dr. Jason Brown’s Humanities 130 class at Simon Fraser University visited the Highway to Heaven to learn about different faiths. Gurdwara Nanak Niwas was their first stop. This visit was part of their studies on World Religions. These learners were keen to learn about various religions. Richmond’s Highway to Heaven (aka #5 Road) is an excellent place to do this. The students and Dr. Brown thoroughly enjoyed their visit to the Gurdwara. They took a lot of pictures and thanked the Gurdwara Management before moving next door to Az-Zahraa Islamic Centre.

                                The following day, on Tuesday, November 26, eighty grades 6, 7 and 8 students and their teachers from Coquitlam, after visiting Lingyen Mountain Temple, arrived at Guru Nanak Niwas Gurdwara to learn about the fifth most popular religion of the world. This year being the 550th Parkash Purb (Birth Anniversary) of Guru Nanak Dev, the founder of Sikhism provided an excellent opportunity to Gurdwara Secretary and tour guide Balwant Sanghera to emphasize Guru Nanak Sahib’s message of universal brotherhood, peace and equality. The group enjoyed the talk on Sikhism and the South Asian community. Their teachers stressed that developing an understanding of various ways of understanding our world is a critical part of a healthy education.

                 The students and their teachers were very thankful to the Gurdwara Management Committee for a very warm welcome. Before leaving for their next venue the students and their teachers enjoyed a delicious vegetarian Langar prepared by the Sukhmani Sahib Ladies’ group. Initiatives  like this go a long way in helping our youth in becoming proud and productive citizens not only of Canada but also of the world.

 Balwant Sanghera
(Balwant Sanghera is a retired School Psychologist and Community Activist. He is Secretary of the Gurdwara Nanak Niwas Management Committee)