By Balwant Sanghera
RICHMOND – The COVID-19 Coronavirus Pandemic has severely affected our lives. Most of the activities were either curtailed or put on hold for almost two years. This included visits by students and other groups to our world famous Highway to Heaven in Richmond. Finally, things are getting back to normal. So are the activities that were taking place before the Pandemic hit us like a ton of bricks. Similarly, students and other visitors are coming back to visit this small stretch of Number Five Road in Richmond that has close to 25 places of worship of different denominations.
This famous road is home to India Cultural Centre of Canada Gurdwara Nanak Niwas and twenty plus other places of worship. In addition to the Gurdwara, it has a mosque, two Hindu Temples,Lingyen Mountain Temple, Tibetan Monastery and a number of Christian churches and religious schools. The Highway to Heaven has received wide coverage in the media. This has made it as a favourite place for visitors. This is more so in case of students who come here to learn about different religions and the intercultural and inter religious harmony this strip of Richmond’s Number Five Road represents.
On June 15, about fifty grade 8 students and their teachers from Point Grey Secondary School in Vancouver visited Gurdwara Nanak Niwas. They were interested in learning about Sikhism, South Asiancommunity, its history and culture as well as the Highway to Heaven. On behalf of our Gurdwara Management Committee, I had the privilege of welcoming them and talking about all of these subjects. The visitors showed a keen interest in broadening their horizons. They asked very inquisitive questions. Before leaving they thanked the Gurdwara Management for the warm welcome. Gestures like this go a long way in creating more pride in our community and the Highway to Heaven.
Balwant Sanghera is the General Secretary, Gurdwara Nanak Niwas, Richmond, BC.
