Please Help Building World's First Bamboo Gurdwara

Dr Karandeep Singh is organizing this fundraiser.

Donation protected

Background: Ever imagine travelling for 3-4 hours to do darshan of Guru Granth Sahib Jee? Ever imagine a place where there's no gurdwara within the radius of 60-70 kilometers ? The answer is yes! Pali, Raigad, Maharashtra is a place which doesn't have any nearby Gurughar and Sikh sangat living around the place have to travel very far which is time consuming and very heavy on pockets. These reasons usually discouraged Sikh sangat and others to go to Gurdwara Sahib on regular basis, making them feel sad, upset and many times ended up disconnecting them with Guru sahib jee, their blessings and teachings. They are waiting from many years and doing ardas to Guru Maharaj Jee to bless them with a Gurdwara sahib.

I am helping to set up the first ever gurdwara sahib in the region. The local sikh community has recently received land piece in donation to develop Gurdwara Sahib. This land piece is situated in the lush green hills of Pali and to maintain the beauty of the nearby areas and hilly environment, local sikh sangat decided to make this as World's First Bamboo Gurudwara Sahib.

Bamboo is a sustainable material with many benefits. It has higher tensile strength than steel because its fibres run axially. The capability of bamboo to resist fire is very high. It can withstand temperatures up to 4000°c, due to its high value of silicate acid and water. Bamboo is widely preferred in earthquake prone regions for its elasticity. Due to its lightweight nature, it is easy to transport. It is also a cost effective construction material.

Gurdwara Guru Nanak Dwaar will be set in the majestic, historical surroundings of Pali hills. This rugged, natural landscape will provide the perfect environment for spiritual upliftment and healing. The Gurdwara will feature bamboo construction, natural beautification, a Sikh training centre for Granthis, Gianis and Ragis to become jewels of knowledge, free Langar, conference halls, function rooms and annual Smagam celebrations throughout the year. The Gurdwara will spread the universality of Guru Nanak Dev Jee’s blessings and teachings.

Main features of this scholarship based Gurbani learning centre are as follows:

- Free giani (katha) training

- Free granthi training

- Free kirtan classes

- Multi-lingual sessions

- Free self-defence, fitness and martial arts classes

- Free meals (langar) for all

Other activities in the lap of nature include:

- Weekly women’s empowerment workshops

- Regular weekend kids’ Sikhi camps

- Weekly youth bonfire kirtan sessions

- Daily early morning Waheguru simran sessions

How Can You help: You can help in various ways including by becoming brand advocates to make this unique home of Guru Granth Sahib Jee, by helping us raise funds for its development and by offering your expertise in any of the related fields.

We are aiming to complete the first phase of construction by Nov, 2024. The first phase includes a darbar hall (40ft x 25ft high cube container cladded with 360 degree Bamboo), 5 en-suite rooms (18ftx16ft), 1 kitchen for sewadars, full Bamboo Dome/Gumbad/roof (110ft x 110ft), open plan fully fitted stainless steel langar kitchen, landscaping, boundary fencing (covering 3 acre of area), entrance gate, 12 public toilets (6 male, 6 female), solar power plant (20KVA), parking for 25 cars, 80 solar street lights, 18 solar water heaters and a Nishan sahib 70ft tall.

The budget to complete the first phase is around $473,000.

The raised funds will be used:

1. for buying Bamboo sticks and related raw materials from North-East India and Indonesia

2. for buying all building material including solar, electrical, plumbing, wooden, iron, flooring, roofing, etc

3. for paying the labour resources and manpower costs including their boarding and lodging on site

4. for arranging fuel for gensets and heavy building machinery

5. for paying for water tankers and landscaping

6. to cover all other building and development related costs as per above plan.

So, what are you waiting for ? Your timely help will give a new Gurughar to those who don't have one! What would be a bigger gift for the Sikh community of Pali and nearby areas ?

These are the simple ways in which you can get involved:

- you can offer your expertise, time and skills and join the team

- you can donate your daswandh right now

- you can help spread the word by sharing this campaign with your friends, families, colleagues, etc

- you can get local gurdwaras involved and set up local stalls to raise funds

- you can reach out to an influencer and ask them share this amazing one of its kind project

- you can take this campaign at your work and get matched funding from your employer

- you can raise funds in your own possible ways

We hope you will join this moment to build much needed Guru's house in Pali, Maharashtra and take eternal blessings of Guru Granth Sahib Jee Maharaj.

Ongoing Kar Sewa (construction):