Turramurra Guedwara

Turramurra Gurdwara Tour

Customer Group / Audience:

This is a two hour tour. The target audience is final year HSC Students. It is expected that the students will be from General Studies or Media Studies classes. The group will consist of 15-20 teenagers with a teacher. It is anticipated that the students will come from Sydney schools, but regional groups would also find the tour of relevance. The tour is designed to highlight Sikhism in Australia and Sydney's multicultural nature, and it will have direct use in HSC exam essays.

Location (Environment / Site):

Sikh Temple (Gurdwara) at Turramurra.

Key Features:

History, Flag, Wall Murals, Prayer Hall, Library, Dining Hall (Langar).

Accessibility / Customer Comfort Issues:

The Gurdwara has wheelchair access.

Heads must be covered, scarfs are supplied, and shoes must also be removed.

No smoking or alcohol on Gurdwara premises.

Facilities / Services:

15 minute easy walk from Turramurra railway station.

Separate male and female toilets.

Free food from the community kitchen.

Off street parking is available.

Health, Safety, and Security Issues:

The Gurdwara is set in gardens ringed by gums, rose, and wisteria lily in the main, and the pollen during the spring months may be an issue with asthmatics and allergy suffers.

The pathways through the gardens that surround the Gurdwara are formed from old house brick and are mossy, which can be slippery when damp, and are somewhat uneven.

Off street parking is available, so valuables may be left in cars without concern.

Theme:

Sikhs are an important part of multicultural Sydney.

Development of Theme:

Sikhs 'make a go of it' wherever they settle.
Work, community, and religion are interwoven into a vibrant whole.
Service, freely and cheerfully rendered, is second nature.

Objectives (Know, Do, Feel):

The students will:

...know something of Sydney's diverse Sikh community.

...understand Sikhism in broad terms.

...be ability to comfortably attend a Sikh religious service.

...have an appreciation of Sikh involvement in Sydney.,
- Transport (taxis, buses, trains, ferries, and road cargo),
- Markets (fruits and textiles),
- Hospitality (restaurants),
- Voluntary Services (bloodbank, hospital visits, community carers).

...have an appreciation of the spirit of Sikhism.

Activity Plan:

Specialist Knowledge Required / Resources / References:

Community (People):

- Sardar Gurjit Singh ji (9449 8253) (Turramurra Sahaaik Granthi)

- Sardar Sardool Singh ji (9617 2018) (Saturday School Music Teacher)

URL's:

Sikh Museum Online

The Sikhism Home Page

Books:

The Four Quarters of the Night, Tara Singh Bains and Hugh Johnston, McGill-Queen's University Press (1995).

Sikhism (Teach Yourself World Faiths), W. Owen Cole, NTC Publishing Group (1994).

India: An Introduction, Khushwant Singh, Vision Books Pvt. Ltd. (1990).

Handbook on Sikhism, Surinder Singh Johar, Blue Bird Printers (1979).

Type of Activity:

Site Tour with Practical Interactive Workshop.

Duration of Activity:

Two hours with a one hour site tour and a one hour workshop.

Route Plan and Timing Schedule:

The site tour will involve an approach to the site, observation, and discussion of the site in general terms. Then the tour will proceed to specific areas of the site (Flag, Wall Murals, Prayer Hall, Library, Dining Hall {Langar}). The tour will then conclude with an interactive workshop in the Gudwara's courtyard.

Delivery Method:

Introduction:

Welcome. Ground Rules (General). Ground Rules (Site Specific). Basic outline of Sikhism. This will be a fairly basic meet-&-greet and information session.

Body of Presentation:

Observation of the site as a whole and history of the site. We then move into specific areas (Flag, Wall Murals, Prayer Hall, Library, Dining Hall {Langar}) and present the information in a varied format with formal presentation of information interspersed with story telling, anecdotes, and visual arts. The students will also have the opportunity to sample foods from the community kitchen at this stage of the activity.

We will then move into the Gurdwara's courtyard. The area has been covered with traditional Indian seating mats and we will form a circle. In this learning circle the 5 K's will be discussed and students will be free to handle the objects. Then comes turban tying with everyone involved. Those who are comfortable with the idea can wear a turban. Then comes traditional music and a guest speaker from the Site Administrative Body.

Conclusion:

Still sitting in the learning circle, ask each student what is the key idea that they will take away with them. Expand upon this and turn it around to reinforce the theme. Sum up the whole experience. Give them further contact and resource details. Hand out information packs.

Customer Participation Strategies:

Site Tour.
Story Telling.
Anecdotes.
Visual Arts.
Food.
Learning Circle.
5 K's.
Turban Tying.
Music.
Guest Speaker.
Question-&-Answer.

Equipment Required:

Head Scarfs.
Seating Mats.
5 K's.
Various Turbans.
Free-Standing Mirror.
Musical Instruments.
Incense and Holder.

Liaison with Colleagues Required:

Site Administrative Body for Access and Talk.
Saturday School Music Teacher for Instruments.
Participating School Excursion Liaison.

© 1999 Gurfateh Singh