HOW SIKH COMMUNITY WORK TO HELP THEIR CITY:
Members of a city community spend hours each week teaching people about their religion and feeding the homeless. Lewis Smith found out more...
AT the heart of the Welsh capital there is a community of people you may not have heard much about.
Situated in Copper Street in Adamsdown, between a church and a row of terraced houses, they are a group who have thrived here since the late 1940s.
These are the Sikhs of Cardiff, a group based in the Gurdwara Nanak Darbar Sikh Temple, where they attend weekly prayers in the building formerly used as a synagogue.
From feeding and clothing the homeless, to helping those in times of need, they have worked hard to aid the less fortunate inhabitants of Cardiff over the years.
And now they want to do more. People of all faiths are welcomed in a Sikh gurdwara and the group who attend are eager to make that known.
They believe that by opening their doors to the public they will not only be able to offer those in need a hot meal but also help them find out what life is like for this proud Welsh minority.
Amerpreet Singh Khalsa, 43, is the secretary of the temple in Adamsdown and has spent the majority of his life living in Cardiff after moving from London as a child.
He now says he wouldn’t want to live anywhere else after falling in love with Wales during those years.
He said: “I was born in London but have lived here for over 40 years and I honestly feel I am Welsh through and through.
“What’s life like for a Sikh living in Cardiff? It’s pretty normal I’d say and nothing out of the ordinary from any other Welsh person. I work most days, spend time with my family, and help out at the gurdwara as much as I can.
“I love it here and am proud for this to be my home. I want people to know that the gurdwara in Adamsdown is here for Sikhs to come for prayer but also for others to come and learn about us as well.
“We love to talk and have always had a positive response from local people. As a result they are becoming more knowledgeable about us all the time.
“I am very grateful for what I have though part of our belief is that we have to give back to the community as well.
“That’s a core value for us Sikhs and wherever you see poverty or disasters in the world you will see us there helping out.”
The softly-spoken Amerpreet currently balances his duties at the gurdwara with his full-time role as a taxi driver near the city centre.
He also spends hours of his free time every weekend on the streets of Cardiff giving out free food to the homeless.
“As Sikhs we believe in tolerance and getting involved in the community as much as we can,” he said.
“That’s a big part of our religion and most weekends we’ll be out around Cardiff feeding the homeless in different parts of the city.
“There’s definitely a growing problem here with homelessness and it really is sad to see. I’m not sure what the overall solution is but we’ll do what we can as it’s our duty to help.
“Teaching is also a big part of my role and bringing people from the outer communities of Wales in to the gurdwara and letting them know what we do is incredibly important for breaking down cultural barriers.
“When people see us they do sometimes think we are Muslims because of what we wear but that’s just a common misconception and something we’ve learned to deal with.
“It is getting better now though and more people are starting to recognise that we are Sikhs and it’s something completely different.”
The Sikh religion was founded by Guru Nanak in the Punjab region of northern India and Pakistan in the year 1469 and promotes the belief that all people are equal regardless of their race or religion.
Sikhism is currently the world’s fifth most popular religion with around 25m followers worldwide.
Around half a million of these are currently believed to be living in the UK, with the majority of Welsh Sikhs living in Cardiff.
Sukchian Kaur Taak has lived in
Cardiff for more than 40 years after moving from London with her husband in the late 1970s and she says she has seen drastic changes in the city over the years, most of which have been positive.
She said: “Life for Sikhs in Wales has definitely got better over the years and there really is a great community feel here now. The people are very friendly and welcoming so it’s nice.
“When we first came down from London there were some language barriers. Particularly as a lot of people couldn’t understand our accent and we couldn’t understand theirs either.
“We’ve settled in now though and integrated into the wider community so we’re very happy for that.
“The Sikh community in Cardiff is a pretty average size for the UK, with the biggest being up in London or Birmingham, but we are very tight-knit.
“When people come in to the gurdwara they often have a lot of questions but we are more than happy to give them answers.
“For us it’s a good life to live as part of a community, living honestly, and caring for others. We teach this to our children and always make sure they have respect for others around them.”
Aspiring architect Arunveer Singh Taak, 14, studies at Whitchurch High School in Cardiff and says that multiculturalism is just a normal way of life for the children here.
He said: “Life as a Sikh in Cardiff is great and as a teenager I really do love growing up here.
“I do all the same things that any other child would do really and I don’t get treated differently from any of my friends.
“To be honest Cardiff is a very multicultural city and everyone at my school is very respectful towards each other.
“I study with a wide variety of people, from other Sikhs to Christians and Muslims, and we all get along well.
“When I grow up I want to be an architect but either way I’m happy to live in a place where I can follow my dreams.”
‘I want people to know that the gurdwara in Adamsdown is here for Sikhs to come for prayer but also for others to come and learn about us as well’ Amerpreet Singh Khalsa