PM Lee expressed his gratitude during the inauguration of a new gurudwara.

By Ashima Sethi

At the recent inauguration of a new gurudwara in Singapore, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong donned a white turban and greeted members of the Sikh community with a well-pronounced ‘Sat Sri Akaal‘ to open the event. He then went on to thank the community for their many contributions, especially their efforts to help mitigate the effects of the pandemic as gurudwaras in Singapore were actively helping all who had been negatively affected by COVID-19, no matter their race, religion, or background.

This particular gurudwara, The Silat Road Sikh Temple, saw several renovations during the pandemic period but this didn’t stop Sikh leaders at the temple from helping the community. They introduced new technology that allowed for live-steaming services and introduced a new task force called ‘Project Akaal‘ that aimed to provide mental health support and services within the community. In his speech, PM Lee reiterated the importance of these initiatives as inspiration for the greater Singaporean community who are still battling the pandemic alongside the rest of the world.

The President of the Central Sikh Gurdwara Board (CSGB), Baljit Singh, said that “during this COVID period, we are distributing about 1,000-1,500 packets during the langar on the weekdays, and around 2,000 to 2,500 on the weekend, and it goes to anywhere around 5,000 during Gurpurab. This temple, so rich in history, has never failed to serve meals. The PM is struck by this fact and also that all this work is done voluntarily by Sangat members, Sikhs, as well as non-Sikhs who have also funded the renovation work. “

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