The begining of Sikh Gurduaras in the UK-Part One

[Simran9]

Subject: The begining of Sikh Gurduaras in the UK-Part One

A Sikh Gurduara is the abode of the Guru.Wherever Sikhs have gone,

one of

their first act for the community is to establish a Gurduara for their

spiritual needs.This was started by Guru Nanak ji when he settled in

Kartarpur and

built a small kutia for himself in the fields.This is where all

shardhaloos

went to have his darshan.Sometimes,they would just have his darshan as

he

ploughed his fields, and be content with the blessings of his sight.

Then two houses were built in Sri Goindwal sahib and Khaddoor sahib

from

where the parchar of Sikhi was propogated.Guru Amardas then built a

house of

Guru and propogated Sikhi from that home.Hence started the first Sikh

Gurduaras.Then came the langger halls and place to stay over night in

Khadoor sahib

and Sri Goindwal sahib.Hence the first Gurduaras commenced during the

time of

the 3rd Guru sahib.

Although,the first Sikh to be on record to have come to UK was

Maharajah

Dalip Singh. There are references that there were a number Sikh butlers

who had

accompanied their officers to England in the later half of the 18th

century

and lived here.

The first Sikh gurduara in Britain came up in 1898 supported by by

Maharajah Patiala-Maharajah Bhupinder Singh ji,on the instigation of a

saintly figure

Teja Singh to accomodate the needs of Sikh students and the small

group of

Sikh travellers, who were mostly petty traders, and more rarely as

visitors to

London.

Maharaja Bhupinder Singh began his visits to London on official and

unoffical basis.He is said to have bought a few rolls Royces for

himself.

Though no ordinary Sikh was rich enough to travel to England, some

Sikhs

from the princely Sikh states did come here as students, and sometimes

on

official and sometimes on private visits.

Among them were the reknowned Sardar Kapur Singh ji;the famous writer

Khuswant SinghJi;the prince heirs to the Nabha and Kapurthala states,

and later

Sardar Harnam Singh Shan,Sr Jagtar Singh Grewal among many others.

The first building was bought in Putney,South London, in 1912, and

later in

1954 shifted to the the present site at Queensdale Road W11,

the

'Sikh Gurdwara'in London was at 79 sinclair road w14 (shepherds bush)

from

either 1913 or 1917. The rate register for 79 Sinclair rd shows a D

Singh as

occupier from 1.7.1913 followed by an occupier in subsequent years as

Singh

Balivant until Kelly's directory of 1917 shows that property described

as Bhupindra

Dharamshala Society(Khalsa Jatha). But sadly, how it exists in the climate

that has

been created in the last few years ,by individuals arguing over

Gurduara

committees and funds, and spending thousands of Gurduara monies on

litigations

against each other is another story.

It is worthy to note that when the Gurduara sahib opened its doors in

1912,only about a dozen Sikhs were present,representing almost about

half the Sikh

population resident in UK at that time.This place then became the hub

of

Sikh gatherings and meetings, and held a prime place of importance for

Sikhs in

UK.Its open door policy and free langger for anyone,saw many thousands

of

Sikhs passing through,or comming to pray,or rest,for a few days, or a

month ,or

even longer over the years.

Dr Harnam Singh Ji Shan has described the Putney Gurduara as the

most

important meeting place for the few Sikhs in those days.he while

studying for

his doctorate, used to come here to meet fellow sikhs and find

solace.There

were indeed very few Sikhs around London then.

However by the 1930s large numbers of Bhatra Sikh brothers arrived

mostly

settling around the port cities of Cardiff, Southampton ,Liverpool,and

Gravesend.These Sikhs were mainly engaged in petty business.

At first many of these Sikhs began to organise their path pooja within

their

own homes,later renting out halls nearby.In fact it was very

difficult for

a non white person to buy a house in those days.But these Sikhs must

be

commended for the fact they preserved their identity and Sikh roop in

very trying

and difficult situations, which were often hostile and bullying.They

stoodfast in their faith, and mostly have maintained that faith to

this day proudly,

even among their young generations.

By 1950s the numbers of Sikhs in London increased to hundereds, the

building

in Putney became too small to cater for their needs, and the present

building at Sheppards Bush was bought in 1954.This is a very central

place in

London.It can be reached by central and metropolitan lines from any

part of

London.Then a brisk 5 minutes walk under the pass takes straight to

the

Gurduara.Parking is very limited and can incur the wrath of traffic

wardens.

Being a Sikh Malaysian,I recall the Sheppards Bush Gurduara to be the

first

port of call for Sikh Malaysian students studying in London and UK.On

Sundays,and Wednesdays large numbers of Malaysian Sikh students would

converge

upon this Gurduara to 'feel at home,partake sewa. in Path,kirtan and

taste

"home food"-langger eagerly!Over the years, I have lost count the

number of Sikh

Malaysian students I used to meet when I myself used to attend this

Gurduara

up until about 10 years ago.

However, by 1960s the numbers of Sikhs increased dramatically.The

hundereds

Sikhs changed into thousands of Sikhs.It was not just Students

students now

comming from India, but Sikh students from Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda

Malaysia,

Singapore ,Myanmar and Fiji islands and Addis Ababa and Iran , where

large

communities of Sikhs had settled were finding their way into UK.Some

settled

here after their studies,others went back for a short time and returend

withe

their familes.Other Sikhs came to work and settle permanently.First

there

was trickle, this then errupted into a flood in the 1960s, as labour

shortage

in UK increased the demand for workers.Ex Sikh policemen from

Singapore, Fiji

and Burma joined in.Thousands of Sikhs from India comntinued theri

trek, with

began to abandon the idea of earning a few pounds and returning

home,they

began to call whole families in.The rush was confined to two doaba

districts

of Punjab-Jalandhar and Hoshiarpur.

There was need for semi -skilled and unskilled labour in the booming

Midland factories, London warehouses/factories and Chatam and

Southampton

dockyards.These early sikhs though had mostly agricultural background,

soon became

used to engineering/steel works and quickly proved to be willing

learners and

workers.

Gurcharan SINGH Kulim

PS I will continue if members wish me to.

[Simran9]

The begining of Sikh Gurduaras in the UK - Part Two

continued...

PART TWO

Many on landing at Heathrow headed to Southall, where there was large

rubber factory.There were already some Sikhs working in this

factory.The owner and

manager of this factory was an English officer who has served with Sikh

regiments, and held them in high esteem and understood the Sikh

identity.he would

offer them jobs without any hinderance or raising issues about their

turbans.

In many other places where Sikhs arrived white Englishmen would often

offer

Sikhs money to get a hair cut, and a shave as they did not understand

the Sikh

religion( a verbal account from an old timer).

Interestingly among the first arrivals in the early sixties, most of

the

Sikhs comming from Doaba were of communist inclined mentality.As they

arrived

here, they discarded their turbans to become more closer to the

international

communist movement, and also be accepted more readily into the local

society.

Hence, any of their relatives and friends arriving here were first

and

formost herded to a barber shop - so that it became easier to be

"accepted and

get a job"!This was repeated up and down the country, many wept and

refused,some went back,but most complied and discarded their turbans,

often unwillingly

and more often under pressure from their earlier arrived comrade

brothers,

who were their guides to life in UK.but this was to chnage soon with

the Sikh

arrivals from the former colonies.

By 1965 nearly eighty thousand Sikh immigrants had landed at

Southampton

via ships.The rush was due to the fact new immigration rules were

being

considered, and many were trying to beat the deadlines.

As the government tried to enact the 1965 Act, there was another rush

to get

family members in.Whole villages of beautiful Doaba evacuated to

England,

settling in the Midlands, Southall, Gravesend, Southampton,

Manchester,East

London etc.Smaller numbers of Sikhs came from the other regions of

Punjab like

Malwa and Majha.But later the numbers of Sikhs from these two regions

increased

too, though on the scale as in Doaba.

Around this time Sikhs from Burma, Kenya and Tanzania began to

trickle into

UK because of the forseen situations political developing in their own

countries.

In mid 60s many thousands of Sikhs arrived from Singapore.Just from the

Naval Base Singapore about three thousand Sikh families came, as the

British

handed Singapore its independance.As these Sikhs started ariving, along

with east

African Sikhs the turban became more visible.Many of the Singaporean

Sikhs

were senior officers, and well educated as their east african counter

parts.

They understood the British better than the Indian Sikhs.Their

proficiency

in English was another plus factor.They had lesser fear of the

English,they

were lesser likely to be intimidated as their command of English was

excellent, and often better in grammer than the local english.

They also sought better positions and got them.They were also

financially

well off than the indians when they arrived here..They were more

assertive of

their identity .Soon turbans became more visble on the streets in

UK.Many of

the Indian Sikhs who had discarded their turbans, saw a sign of hope

in the

colonies Sikhs, and many reverted to their Sikh saroop.many also began

arriving from Malaysia.A rough guide estimates upwards of 10,000 Sikh

families have

settled into UK over the years, mostly London, and in larger cities.

Then more arrived from East Africa in 1972, with the expulsion of

Asians

from Uganda.It is estimated at the least 30 thousand Sikhs were part

of the

direct expulsions.These Sikhs settled into areas of London and many

moved

north to Birmingham and other cities.Many were very highly skilled in

professions

and business, and they along with earlier Sikh arrivals from Singapore

and

many from Malaysia began to move into english heartlands and settle in

smaller

towns where there were no Sikhs previously..They felt less threatened

by the

English than the indians who mainly created almost small

colonies(initially

ghettos) within the large cities and towns of UK.

By 1957, the second Gurduara in England came about in the

Midlands-Gurduara

Sahib Bhatra Samparda, Balsall Heath,Birmingham .This was originally on

another site from its present position.There was a lot of opposition to

this

Gurduara,because it was in a residential area, but the Sikhs persisted

and

eventually won their right to establish the gurduara.

Gurcharan SINGH Kulim

PS I shall continue it ,if members want me to.

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I guess theres more to this, so when it comes I'll post it.

[GurSa Singh]

Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa Waheguru Ji Ki Fateh!

Very interesting Veerji, please can you continue with the research.

GurFateh!