Hounslow Gurdware & Something Else

Gurdwara Guru Nanak Nishkam Sewak Jatha
134-142 Martindale Road
Hounslow, Middlesex TW4 7HQ

There are only two Gurdware in Hounslow, in spite of it having a substantial Sikh population. Many Hounslow Sikhs go to the Southall Gurdware. The Hounslow Singh Sabha is a purpose build Gurdwara, the Martindale Road is a house with extensions.

On my Flickr account are pictures of the divans of these Gurdware.

  http://www.flickr.com/photos/12445197@N05/sets/72157611278213681/

Sri Guru Singh Sabha
Khalsa Way off Hanworth Road,
Hounslow, Middlesex TW3 3UA

What is this and where in Hounslow is it ?

Email your answers to
harjindersingh.amritsar@yahoo.co.uk

 

361.Nám

The Man in Blue

Cháchrí Chhand Tav Prasád

GubindéMukandé Udáré Apáré (94)

Haríang Karíang Nirnámé Akámé (95)

 

 

Many Sikhs think that they are the followers of a God called Vahiguru. In reality our eternal Guru teaches that God has no name and that the many names of God are given by humans who speak different languages and who are of different faith and cultural traditions.

 

The God of the Jews (Jhvh) is the same as the God called Allah by the Muslims, or by the 99 names of God discussed in Al Qur’an. The names of God mentioned in the Guru Granth Sahib, in the Hindu tradition or in any other religion or language are all names for The One.

 

In the Guru Granth Sahib God is often called Har or Rám but also Aláh and every possible other name you can think of from the South Asian tradition. God, Aláh and Jehovah (or Yahweh) are generic words for God without a specific meaning. In our tradition, in the tradition of the Guru Granth, most of the ‘Names’ used are descriptions of aspects of God.

 

Vahiguru is the Wonderful Bringer of Light into Darkness, Har the One who makes things bloom, and if we look at verse 94 and 95 of Jáp Sahib (see above) Gubindé is the World Nourisher, Mukandé the Liberator, Udáré the Biggest Giver, Apáré the Limitless One, Haríang the Destroyer, Karíang the Creator, Nirnámé the One without Name, Akámé the One without Lust.

 

All these are names for God, all are valid and all try to describe God.

 

Nám as in Nám Simran is what confuses especially many AKJ followers most. As the Jáp Sahib says, God is Nirnámé, without a name, so what is it that we are meditating on ?

 

As a theological concept Nám is similar to the ancient Greek concept of ‘Word’ (Logos) which is also used in the Gospel of John in the New Testament of the Bible and by the Dutch Jewish philosopher Baruch de Spinoza who calls it ‘Substance’. What I think it stands for is the essence of God, or possibly all the qualities of God put together.

 

And that links it to the sort of Nám that you find in the ‘Gurmantr’, the ‘Mulmantr’ or in Jáp Sahib. All these manmade Names trying to describe aspects of God, qualities (guné) of God, put together might just get near the essence of God.

 

That makes Nám simran the thinking about aspects of God, and through the simran understanding the multi-faceted and indescribable nature of God, understanding that God is the cause of all and present in all.

 

 

 

 

 

Small Heath, ex Church now Gurdwara next to Ghamkol Sharif Masjid

Ramgarhia Sikh Temple
25-29 Waverley Road,
Small Heath, Birmingham B10 0EG

What was previously a Church and is now a ‘temple’.
Is a Gurdwara a temple ? 
Why not call a Gurdwara a Gurdwara ?

Behind the ‘temple’ you can just see the minaret belonging to the huge Ghamkol Sharif Masjid.

In the 15 minutes I was in the area (on a Sunday) I saw nobody going in or out of the Gurdwara and plenty of people going in and out of the Masjid. 

Ghamkol Sharif Masjid
150 Golden Hillock Road
Small Heath, Birmingham B10 0DX
  

The Ten Gurus, Board in the Slough Singh Sabha

The Ten Gurus, their dates and their qualities on a beautiful wooden board in the Slough Singh Sabha.

Sri Guru Singh Sabha
Sheehy Way
Slough SL2 5SS

If you go to my flickr account using the link underneath, you can see the same picture and you will be able to enlarge it. 

 http://www.flickr.com/photos/12445197@N05/3162713636/sizes/l/in/set-72157611278213681/

 

 

Gurdwara Guru Har Rai Sahib, Kingston upon Thames

Guru Har Rai Gurdwara, Kingston upon Thames
Divan on Sunday Morning 15/02/09 with the Swindon Singh

I know that many people attend the Divans of this Swindon Singh, and as I cannot understand him I do not know whether what he says is in line with Gurmat. He does do very unimpressive kirtan and I wonder why so many people follow him, instead of trying to read the Guru Granth Sahib and apply its teachings in their lives.  

Too much Sangat, Too many shoes …

Gurdwara Guru Har Rai Sahib
58 Lower Marsh Road
Kingston upon Thames KT1 3BJ
 

 

 

The East London Line III

On the left work goes on to connect the East London Line to the Croydon bound tracks south of New Cross Road

The new London Overground East London Line to be opened in 2010 will include a northern extension from Shoreditch to Dalston Junction and a southern connection from New Cross Gate to both Crystal Palace and Croydon West. The original East London line ended with a single track at New Cross Gate, so now works go on to double the track and to connect these to the southbound tracks.       

The East London Line used to have two southern terminals : New Cross and New Cross Gate. On the picture you see two new tracks being constructed at New Cross Gate to connect with the south bound tracks to Croydon.

Gurdwara Guru Nanak Bhatra Singh Sabha, High Gate, Birmingham

Gurdwara Guru Nanak Bhatra Singh Sabha
248-250 Moseley Road
High Gate, Birmingham B13 0DG

Another example of a Gurdwara serving a particular community, of which there are too many in the UK. If I am right (and correct me if am wrong) the Bhatra community were traders in Panjab, and many of them had to move from West to East Panjab during partition in 1947 and from there many moved to the UK before the main group of East African and Panjabi Sikhs came to this country.

Underneath two links two pictures of Gurdware in Bow (East London) and a picture of a Gurdwara in Leyton (East London) serving the same community.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/12445197@N05/3162712442/in/set-72157611278213681/

This is the second oldest Gurdwara in the UK

Gurdwara Sikh Sangat
1a Campbell Road,
Bow, London E3 4DS

http://www.flickr.com/photos/12445197@N05/3161878831/in/set-72157611278213681/

Gurdwara Sikh Sangat
Harley Grove
Bow, London E3 2AT

Gurdwara Sikh Sanghat
71 Francis Road
Leyton, London E10 6PL

Nishan Sahibs II

Gurdwara Miri Piri Sahib
253/263 The Broadway
Southall UB1 1NF

Two Nishan Sahibs representing Guru Hargobind’s Miri & Piri 

Gurdwara London Sikh Centre
Sawyers Lawn, Drayton Bridge Road
Ealing W13 0JP

A fine picture of a Nishan Sahib and trees in their winter garb

Sri Guru Teg Bahadur Gurdwara
8 Upper Villiers Street WV2 4NP
Blakenhill, Wolverhampton WV1

A Nishan Sahib on a balcony !

London Overground – London rail link gets green light

Last link of the London Overground Orbital Railway gets the Green Light
From the BBC Website 

An orbital rail network for London has come a step closer after a £75m rail project was given the green light by ministers.

 

Approval for the extension of the East London Line from Surrey Quays to Clapham Junction was announced by Transport Secretary Geoff Hoon. It constitutes phase two of the expansion of the East London Line as part of a £1bn project.

 

The expansion is expected to be completed in time for the 2012 Games. Once completed, the new line will connect Highbury in the north to West Croydon and Clapham Junction in the south.

 

‘Tremendous news’

 

Mr Hoon said: “The East London Line extension will deliver a key rail link south of the river and improve local transport for Londoners by providing more choice and better access to other parts of the capital.”

 

London’s mayor Boris Johnson said it was “tremendous news, we can finally get cracking on a vital section of track that will orbitise our Overground rail services,” he said.

 

“I promised Londoners that where funds were made available we would build the improvements they need.”

 

The phase two extension will connect commuters in Peckham and Denmark Hill, south-east London through to Clapham Junction. Phase one of the project has already seen work begin on extending the line run from Dalston Junction in north London to West Croydon in south London and is due to open next year.

 

End of the BBC website news item

 

London Overground Lines

• London Euston to Watford via Willesden Junction
• Richmond to Stratford via Willesden Junction, Highbury and Islington and Dalston Kingsland
• Clapham Junction to Willesden Junction
• Gospal Oak to Barking
• East London Line Extensions :
  - West Croydon & Crystal Palace to Dalston Junction via New Cross Gate
  - New Cross to Dalston Junction and by 2012 to Highbury and Islington
  - Clapham Junction to Dalston Junction via Surrey Quays

Map of the Dalston Junction to Crystal Palace and West Croydon via New Cross Gate
East London Line extension

Underneath a link to my Overground pictures on Flickr
http://www.flickr.com/photos/12445197@N05/sets/72157614139538921/

 

360.The Man in Blue – Yatra to the West Midlands II

Walsall, Lozells, Sparkbrook, Small Heath, Highgate and Balsall Heath

On the second day of my yatra I got up later than normal as I got to bed later than normal too. But although I was up later than some, I was up earlier than most. After breakfast I walked to the Guru Nanak Gurdwara on West Bromwich Street, where I liked the new building and liked listening to the Akhand Path, but was shocked to find a table and chairs langar.

 

After that I was met by the nephew of my friend and we went to the Nanaksar Gurdwara in Pleck. This is the only Walsall Gurdwara that I visited before. Since my first visit it has acquired an impressive new entry although mostly the sangat uses the old entry. Here the Akhand Path had progressed a bit more and we listened to the bhog.

 

I got a lift to Wheeler Street in Lozells, paid a quick visit to the divan of the  Dasmesh Sikh Temple, took pictures of it, the Panjabi school and the Prajapati Sabha. Does anybody have more info about this community ?

 

I walked from there to Constitution Hill where I got a bus to Digbeth and from Digbeth a bus to Stratford Road and Showell Green Lane. Sangat was still in the dismal divan and langar at the back of the old building but the new Gurdwara on Stratford Road seems to be almost finished.

 

I part walked and part bussed from there to Small Heath where I soon discovered the third Ramgarhia Gurdwara of my two day yatra, housed in an old church and right behind the Central Jamia Masjid. As I was running out of time I just had enough time to take pictures of the Gurdwara, the community hall and the neighbouring Masjid and to take a bus to Moseley Road.

 

I first walked north to see the Gurdwara Guru Nanak Bhatra Singh Sabha in High Gate. From there a frequent bus took me south down Moseley Road to Balsall Heath and the two last Gurdwaré on my list for the day.

 

I first walked (carefully due to snow and ice) to the Guru Gobind Singh Gurdwara Mary Street, where I was just in time for ardás but too early for langar. I took pictures inside and outside and walked (carefully) back to Moseley Street to photograph the last Gurdwara of the day.

 

Guru Ram Das Singh Sabha is in a converted private house. I have no further information about this Gurdwara, does it serve a particular community ?  

 

Many of the pictures of this trip are already on my blog, and pictures of all the Gurdwaré visited will appear on my Flicker account from the 1^st of March. If you have any additional information on Gurdwaré mentioned or not mentioned, please contact me !  

 

Please click on the link underneath
to visit my Flickr account
for more Gurdwara pictures

http://www.flickr.com/photos/12445197@N05/3115632920/in/set-72157611278213681/