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DIASPORA NEWS
FAITH ABOUND
Gurunanak Darbar, Dubai’s first Gurdwara, is a heady mix
of spirituality, tradition, modernity and opulence — and the
determination of one man, Surender Singh Kandhari,
writes Malavika Vettath
Ornate 24-carat gold
canopies for the
Guru Granth
Sahib, the religious
text of Sikhism, Italian marble
on the walls and floor, stunning
chandeliers and a five-star
kitchen — Dubai’s first gurdwara
is a grand realisation of
the aspirations of 50,000 Sikhs
in the UAE.
Gurunanak Darbar is a
heady mix of spirituality, tradition,
modernity, opulence and
the determination of one man.
On entering the building,
one is in awe of its sheer
grandeur and the attention to
detail. A sense of calm descends
as strains of ‘Tu Prabh
Daata’, a popular kirtan or devotional
chant, fill the air.
As the ambience sinks in,
NRI businessman Surender
Singh Kandhari, the man behind
the Sikh temple, walks in,
urging devotees to use the lift
instead of taking the stairs to
the main prayer hall.
Sheikh Mohammed bin
Rashid Al Maktoum, the ruler
of Dubai, who donated a piece
of land in the Jebel Ali area for
the gurdwara about six years
ago, wanted it to be iconic.
The opulent building is worth
every bit of the 65 million
Dirhams ($17.6 million) spent
on it — a large part of it contributed
by Kandhari himself.
“We didn’t want to compromise
on anything. It has the
latest Italian marble and best
lights. I told the contractor I
want a 100-year guarantee for
the building so that our future
generations are able to utilise
it,” Kandhari told IANS.
“I told the ruler, ‘Well, one
can’t surpass the Golden Temple.’
But what we have is the
most modern gurdwara in the
world,” said Kandhari, chairman
of the Al Dobowi Group
that manufactures and distrib-
utes automotive batteries and
tyres. The idea of the building
was born 11 years ago with the
growing need of a proper place
of worship for the Sikhs, who,
until January this year, shared
space in the cramped temple
premises in Bur Dubai.
The permission came
through six years ago when the
ruler of Dubai gave 25,400 sq
(Left) Gurunanak Darbar Gurdwara in Dubai. (Inset) Main Palkhi in the
Darbar hall. (Above) devotees inside the gurdwara hall.
feet of land to build the temple,
said Kandhari.
On the grand opening of the
gurdwara on January 17,
Kandhari compared Sheikh
Mohammed, also the vice
president of the UAE, to Muslim
saint Hazrat Mian Mir,
who had laid the foundation
stone of the Golden Temple in
Amritsar, the holiest shrine for
Sikhs. Six months on, as many
as 10,000 people visit the temple
with three floors of parking
space on Fridays.
“On Baisakhi, we served
food to around 40,000 people
visiting the gurdwara,” Kandhari
said, adding that several
Pakistani Sikhs also come to
offer prayers besides Sindhis
and Hindu Punjabis.
The state-of-the-art kitchen
churns out food for devotees
through the day, every day. It
is complete with a doughkneader,
a chappati-maker and
large dishwashers. Along with
the rest of the building, the
kitchen too is spotless.
Apart from a large carpeted
prayer hall, there are three
smaller rooms for private functions,
a meditation room, a
library and the spacious langar,
or common kitchen hall.
Gurunanak Darbar is
modelled on both the Golden
Temple and the gurdwara in
Southall, London. Interior
designer Paul Bishop was sent
to both these shrines “to get
the feel” of gurdwaras.
To develop religious values
among the next generation of
NRIs, special three-hour sessions
are held for children on
Saturdays at the temple where
they are taught Punjabi,
kirtans, and how to behave in
places of worship.
“There are already 55
children attending these
classes. All four of my grandchildren,
one of them just two
years old, go there,” he said.
“The women are keen on
sending their children to learn
kirtans. When you are out of
India, your desire to connect to
your roots becomes stronger,”
he said.
Having grown up in Andhra
Pradesh and later studying in
Chennai’s Loyola College,
Kandhari admitted that he
learned about his language and
religion when he came to
Dubai in 1976. Kandhari says
the gurdwara now attracts visitors
from across the world. “We
have visitors from the UK, the
U.S., France and Canada...
They get surprised that in an Islamic
country, we have the
most modern gurdwara.”
20 Pravasi Bharatiya | June 2012 June 2012 | Pravasi Bharatiya 21