Soho Road Jatha to destroy another Gurdwara ?

[kurtas]

Saw the following on Tapoban. It is important that they are stopped from doing this. Firstly with the vast numbers of youth going astray in Punjab and falling victim to drugs etc this money could be better spent. Secondly the same jatha did the bodge up gold plating at the Darbar Sahib and refuses to accept the work is shoddy and destructive despite being told so by many experts.

Perhaps they are publicity crazy. I know that after they did the bodge up gold plating job on the Darbar Sahib that a few people who go to Soho Road were openly boasting about how first Maharaja Ranjit Singh Ji did the seva and now their Bhai Sahib had done it.

Only a few months ago we had the controversy over the gates they wanted to change at the Darshani Deori a story they later denied when the Sikh community spoke out against this.

Please can someone post a valid email contact for Soho Road Jatha as I am sure a few of us would like to make our views known and demand they put right the damaging work they did at the Darbar Sahib before the contemplate more gold plating jobs.

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Second Golden Temple in the making

Within the next three years, Gurdwara Sachkhand Shri Hazur Abchalnagar Sahib will be completely covered with gold -- making it the second Golden Temple of Sikhs, after Harmandir Sahib, in Amritsar.

``At an initial cost of Rs 65 crore, our Board has decided to add over 1000 kgs of gold to the gurUdwara,'' informed president of the Board, Sher Singh Fouji.

He said that a UK-based NRI Sikh, Bhai Mahendra Singh, is one of the chief donors who has already flown down to Nanded along with 122 international craftsmen for the `golden' job.

[Guest SScom]

if you would to express your concerns over this then i suggest you e-mail info@gnnsj.com

[Panth Da Nimana Nitana Sevadar]

Veer Ji,

You have been misinformed. Guru Nanak Nishkam Sewak Jatha has already completed the Kar Seva of Takhat Sachkhand Sri Hazur Sahib Ji. This seva was completed in 2003.

Have you recently been to Harimander Sahib Ji? What makes you think and say that they have done a 'bodge up gold plating' job?

Don't read comments made by architectures in India.

Bhull Chuk Di Khema Karni

[kurtas]

Veer Ji,

You have been misinformed. Guru Nanak Nishkam Sewak Jatha has already completed the Kar Seva of Takhat Sachkhand Sri Hazur Sahib Ji. This seva was completed in 2003.

Have you recently been to Harimander Sahib Ji? What makes you think and say that they have done a 'bodge up gold plating' job?

Don't read comments made by architectures in India.

Bhull Chuk Di Khema Karni

104630[/snapback]

Was that not the gold plating on the inside ? Even if it was on the outside did the Soho Road wale consult experts ?

Yes I have been to the Harmandir Sahib three times since March 2004. It is well known that the plating was bodged up. The traditional methods were discarded and not even followed. The new plates were stuck to the inner marble structure using a cement based mixture. The marble can no longer breathe (so to speak) so in the long term the inner structure will decay and then crumble.

Yes sure, dont read comments of Indian architects but lets follow the opinions of a former civil engineer. Well to be honest with you I have been reading comments by noted conservationists who are experts in this area with years of experience of preserving heritage.

Why do the Soho Road wale not prove they did a "proper" job rather than a "bodged" one. All they have to do is commission a report by experts. Rather than do this they go into denial. Is it not time this controversy was resolved and if the seva is bodged then they can look at ways of making amends before IT IS TOO LATE !

[aman_jee]

I dont think comments were just mad e by people in india, Amandep singh Madra from London who ash been doing excellent sewa of researching historical shrines in India, alos highlighted the problems with the karsewa baba's who seem intent on covering everything with marble and gold, rather than restoring. My chacha went to harmandir sahib during the sewa with Giani Amolak singh jee, and he saw with his oown eyes that the Sewadars were just pulling parts of the External wall off which was also damaging the Fresco's underneath.

I would expect the Indian Sikhs to do a botch job of it, but for GNNSJ to botch it, is a big shame especially as Bhai sahib is a Civil engineer.

[Panth Da Nimana Nitana Sevadar]

Brothers & Sisters,

For those of you who are concerned, why not pay Bhai Sahib JI a visit? I'm sure they will be willing to answer all your questions.

Remember - Harimander Sahib was destroyed and then built twice. Each time it was destroyed, it was rebuilt using the best materials etc.

[Nama Singh]

i agree with Panth Da Nimana Nitana Sevadar (wkd name by the way)

Bhai Sahib Jee (Mohinder Singh) can answer your concerns or questions if need be. Just go down Soho Road and ask for him or e-mail, as SScom said, info@gnnsj.com

Because if your gonna debate and discuss this issue so publicly on a forum, it'd be good to get views from the party involved so the topic can reach a fair conclusion. Doesnt that seem fair?

[kurtas]

Brothers & Sisters,

For those of you who are concerned, why not pay Bhai Sahib JI a visit? I'm sure they will be willing to answer all your questions.

Remember - Harimander Sahib was destroyed and then built twice. Each time it was destroyed, it was rebuilt using the best materials etc.

104648[/snapback]

I have sent an email but doubt the reply will be any different from the type of answers he gave on the BBC Radio program aired a while back on the gold plating fiasco. He is well aware of the allegations but goes into denial.

Yes the Harmandir Sahib has been rebuilt in the past but on each of the occassions it had been badly damaged and after Ahamad Shah Abdalis visit reduced to rubble. This time it was not damaged. There were bullet marks but they were not substantial so as to require a complete gold plating job. As for better materials what if next week the Soho Road wale decide the Harmandir Sahib should be pulled down and a multi storey glass fronted Gurdwara constructed in its place because the glass fronted building will make better use of newer "better" materials.

Fact remains that experts should have been consulted and more time taken to do the plating rather than trying to do a quick fix job.

[asmlondon]

Bhai Mohinder Singh wsa given the opportunity of a reply during teh BBC documentary and his repsonse was that the GNNSJ had doen a perfect job and nothing was to change.

These are not new questions, Patwant Singh & world class conservation architects have been pleading for years to have the GNNSJ put right the damage that has been done but to no avail. If you cant respond to the world's experts on early punjbai buildings then the penny isnt going to drop by sending him an email is it?

The damage that is done is done - that cant be reveresed now. but the issue of water ingress can be stopped and the original plates can be returned. These are the absolute minimum requirements.

Aman

[asmlondon]

I dont think comments were just mad e by people in india, Amandep singh Madra from London who ash been doing excellent sewa of researching historical shrines in India, alos highlighted the problems with the karsewa baba's who seem intent on covering everything with marble and gold,  rather than restoring. My chacha went to harmandir sahib during the sewa with Giani Amolak singh jee, and he saw with his oown eyes that the Sewadars were just pulling parts of the External wall off which was also damaging the Fresco's underneath.

I would expect the Indian Sikhs to do a botch job of it, but for GNNSJ to botch it, is a big shame especially as Bhai sahib is a Civil engineer.

104646[/snapback]

Hello Aman,

this is aman madra., did your chacha take any pics by any chance? I am keen to see what the frescoes under the godl work were before they were rendered over

aman