Stranded French family finds refuge in gurudwara
As rains left the city paralysed, Mumbaikars showed their large-heartedness by opening up and providing food and shelter to thousands affected by the floods.
One of the locations where many sought for succour was the Shri Guru Singh Sabha Gurudwara at Dadar. And a French family which took shelter there from incessant rains has expressed its gratitude. The family – a couple (Arie and Sophie Boleslawski) and three daughters aged 11, 13 & 15 – arrived in Mumbai from Udaipur on Tuesday. They were scheduled to leave the next day, but not having booked a hotel in advance were finding it impossible to get any accommodation in Mumbai.
“We took shelter in a restaurant but could not sleep there and the landlord directed us to the Gurudwara saying it was the only safe option. We went there reluctantly, to be frank, as I was expecting a crowded place. My wife and my youngest daughter had a bad experience walking at night in a manonly crowd,” Arie, deputy head of trading, Societe Generale Corporate and Investment Banking, Paris, told the Free Press Journal.
“But we were warmly welcomed, put in a separate office and slept very well. It was quite an interesting experience to learn about Sikhism, what these guys are doing in their charity and how they are connected to the world. We also met different people who were trapped like us (although we were the only foreigners),” he said.
“As the India tourist Bureau in Paris puts it on the Paris Metro walls: Incredible India!” Arie added.
The vice-president of Gurudwara, Kulwant Singh, said the French family had been brought to Gurudwara by two local boys who saw them in a distressed situation.
“After having lunch, the family was roaming in search of a hotel. They looked distressed unable to find an accommodation when two local boys found and brought them to the gurudwara,” Singh said.
At the Gurudwara, the French tourists mingled with 800 people who had also sought refuge from the heavy rains which flooded the city.
On Thursday, as they bid adieu they clicked pictures and left behind a note which says, “Our worst experience turned into best”.
“Dear friends, we were lost in the rain and your gurudwara appeared like a lighthouse in the dark. Not only did you provide us with a shelter but you welcomed us with extreme kindness. One of our worst experience in India turned to one of the best and we learned a lot from you,” they also wrote on the note.