USA TODAY International Edition
Five years after Sikh Temple attack, sense of serenity stirs togetherness
Strong bonds formed between congregants and Wisconsin town
It is the one scar from that terrible day that remains raw and visible, a bullet hole by a door hinge leading to the main hall.
A gold plaque beneath the bullet hole reads: “We Are One,” with the date, 8- 5- 12.
It is five years since the attack on the Sikh Temple of Wisconsin, when the quiet calm of a Sunday in August was shattered by a gunman who burst into the building, killed six people and wounded four others.
The gunman, a white supremacist, killed himself after being wounded by an Oak Creek police officer.
In the years since, the members of the temple diligently restored the sense of serenity that is a hallmark of this place of worship. Something else happened, too. According to Pardeep Kaleka, whose father was killed in the attack, a strong relationship was established between the temple’s congregation and the wider Oak Creek community.
Kaleka said that through words and actions, Oak Creek’s community showed the Sikh Temple: “We will embrace them, love them and fight for them.”
Walk through the temple today, and you’ll find a bustling place, living out a vision of its founders, who include Kaleka’s father, Satwant Singh Kaleka.
Satwant Singh Kaleka came from India to the United States in 1982. He owned and operated gas stations, helped found the temple and at the time of his death was its president.
Satwant Singh Kaleka tried to fend off the gunman with a kitchen knife.
His son said the pain of his father’s death remains. But there are other memories, too.
“He was funny,” Kaleka said. “He had a way of making the best of a bad situation.”
Kaleka recalled that his father years ago drove through a car wash with four Sikh priests who had just arrived from India. There was only one problem: The vehicle’s sun roof was open. Everyone got soaked.
“Man, everything is automatic in America,” Kaleka’s father told the priests. “Even baths.”
Kaleka wasn’t inside the temple with his father on the day of the attack because his daughter forgot her notebook and they had to return home.
A former police officer turned mental health professional, Kaleka said he and others struggled to come to grips with the tragedy. For months, he would be out in public, in places like a shopping mall, and try to locate the nearest exit. With time, came acceptance. “I thank God for ghosts,” he said, recalling those who died.
Kaleka told this story while sitting in the temple’s library with Holly Sennett, a speech language pathologist. Their friendship was forged by the tragedy.
On the walls were photographs of the six people killed in the attack.
And there was another photo, that of Punjab Singh, an internationally known Sikh priest who had been in Milwaukee for only a few days when he was grievously wounded in the attack.
Singh, who was shot in the right cheek, spent months recovering in a hospital and has been in a long- term care facility ever since. On Aug. 11, he turns 70.
Unable to speak, Singh can communicate by blinking his eyes, Sennett said.
She worked with Singh for 15 months, continues to visit him regularly, and has remained in close contact with his family and the temple.
“He is awake, particularly when the family is there, when visitors come to speak with him,” she said. “As time progresses, his condition has weakened. But that does not mean his mind is weak.”
Sennett has become a voice for Singh, learning of his life story through his two sons.
Singh was born in Pakistan and moved with his family to the Punjab state in northern India. As a teen, he found divine guidance that set him on his path to becoming a priest.
Through her relationship with Singh and his family, Sennett has gained an appreciation of Sikhism, a monotheistic religion followed by more than 20 million people. And she has grasped the idea of charhdi kala, a state of optimism and joy.
“He’s still teaching by the strength and grace of his example,” Sennett said. “From the time I’ve met him until now, every time I have asked or the family has asked, is your mind elevated and in a state of hope and optimism, every time with no hesitation, there’s a double blink of his eyes, which means yes.”
For Sennett, this anniversary is especially important, a chance to remember what happened and to reach out to others. “In our frenzied world, we need to grab the hand of another, consider them as our extended family and pull together,” she said.
For Kaleka, the fifth anniversary is about optimism and commitment. Problems remain in the world, he said, “and we need to be part of the solution.”
The temple will commemorate the fifth anniversary of the Aug. 5, 2012, attack this weekend.
“Your presence would show that this is not only a Sikh tragedy, but also an American tragedy,” the temple said on an invitation. “We must fight this violence not with more violence but by coming together with kindness and love.”
“In our frenzied world, we need to grab the hand of another, consider them as our extended family and pull together.” Holly Sennett, a speech language pathologist