By Balwant Sanghera
The current developments around the globe have increased the overall stress level of people. This calls for more empathy, understanding and awareness. Religion can play an important role in this regard. Richmond’s #5 Road, aka Highway to Heaven (H2H) has been doing this for several years. Gurdwara Nanak Niwas was one of the first places of worship to be built on # 5 Road. It has taken a commendable lead in promoting intercultural and interreligious harmony amongst various communities. . In this context, India Cultural Centre of Canada Gurdwara Nanak Niwas, 8600 #5 Road Richmond is a favourite place of worship for students and adults alike to visit and learn about intercultural/interreligious harmony, Sikhism and the South Asian community. Every week at least two or three groups visit the Gurdwara for this purpose. On Thursday, January 9, about 30 students and their teachers from Lynden Christian High School, in Washington State visited theGurdwara. This visit was part of their studies on World religions. These learners were keen to learn about various religions. Richmond’s Highway to Heaven is an excellent place to do this. As part of their visit they had planned to visit various other places of worship in addition to the Gurdwara. The group enjoyed a talk on Sikhism and the South Asian community.
It goes without saying that developing an awareness of various ways of understanding our world is a critical part of a healthy education. Before departing, the students and their teachers enjoyed a delicious langar. The students and their teachers were very thankful to the Gurdwara ManagementCommittee for a very warm welcome.They also thanked President Balbir Singh Jawanda and Secretary Balwant Singh Sanghera for their hospitality.
Then, on Monday, January 13, a group of ten university studentteachers from Life Teams School’s Youth Outreach Program in Abbotsford and their instructor Brian Brown dropped by to learn more about Sikhism and the Indo-Canadian community. One of the visiting teachers wrote: “… I am interested in getting our students out of the classroom, offcampus, and into visiting places of worshipfor many faiths. As such, Richmond’s Highway to Heaven seems like the obvious choice.” From the comments by students and teachers it was obvious that these visitsare extremely beneficial for them. Visits like these go a long way in promoting inter-cultural and inter-religious harmony in our communities.India Cultural Centre of Canada Gurdwara Nanak Niwas is pleased to be a part of this process.
Balwant Sanghera is a retired School Psychologist and Community Activist. He is a member of the Gurdwara Management Committee.
