Wolverhampton City Council Report Highlights Issues of Disabled Access

An inspection was carried out by Wolverhampton City Council on Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara regarding the access for disabled members of the Sangat.  Paula Lewis (Access Officer) has voiced her concerns after the inspection and has recommended improvements to be made to facilitate the needs of disabled members of the Sangat.  She strongly feels that the current layout of the Gurdwara Sahib segregates the disabled from the rest of the Sangat, which is a key issue that the Sikh Forum have been trying to address with the management committee but to no avail. Full story can be read from link below.

Wolverhampton City Council Report Highlights Issues of Disabled Access

The Sangat Demands Open General Body Meeting

After failed attempts of trying to get answers from this committee with diplomacy there is no other option left as per the Gurdwara Sahibs Constitution but call for an open General Body Meeting where all of the members of the Gurdwara Sahibs Congregation (sangat) will be welcome to give their views and ask questions of the committee, which they will have no choice but to answer publicly in the open meeting.

The full article and the letter requesting the meeting and the letters of reply from the Board of Trustees can be found from the link below.

Issues

The Significance of the Lotus Flower In Sikhi

There is much confusion even amongst Sikhs about the significance of the lotus flower within Sikhi as it's symbolism, its is rarely used by Sikh's in these modern times due its use or misuse by political, extremist and even fascist organisations in India.

Its is that seldom used these days that Sikhs do not even recognise its use and symbolism when they see it or when they have it, 'unbeknown' to them hanging on their living room walls. Rather in this day and age people have started to slander and label any body that uses the lotus as their insignia due to their own ignorance and pride.

Just as the Swastika is vilified in the west for its association with Nazi Germany due to it being hijacked by Hitler from the Vedic Traditions, even though its use is thousands of years old and spanned the globe, being used by many various different cultures and traditions. So just because of Hitler and his Nazi's should all the people that used the Swastika in their traditions stop using it because peoples ignorance?  

Nazi 

Hindu

Just as after 9/11 Sikhs were shot and killed in America for having turbans, because some American's thought Sikhs were Taliban due to the turbans. Should Sikhs in America stop tying turbans because it makes us look too similar to the Taliban for certain people to differentiate?

Taliban Supporter

WWII Sikh Vetrans

This is why I had to write a small piece on the significance of the Lotus Flower on www.sikhforumwolverhampton.com/The Lotus - to educate to those who have been misinformed, so please have a read by clicking on the link below.

The Lotus

Mis-management of Sedgely Street Gurdwara

The Sikh Forum has been working towards,  trying to get the GNSG management committee to become transparent and justly deal with several concerning incidents that have occurred at the Gurdwara Sahib over the past few months, by bringing these issues to their attention through letters to which we have never had any replies. You can read our letters and background of the incidents on the issues page of www.sikhforumwolverhampton.com

Issues