BRIDGING FAITHS: SIKHISM'S UAE ODYSSEY

Surender Singh Kandhari, Chairman, Al Dobowi Group and his wife, Bubbles Kandhari are the pioneers of Sikhism in the UAE.

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Their journey began with a childhood promise and a palm reader’s prophecy, leading to the establishment of Gurudwaras in the Middle East. Through challenges and triumphs, their dedication to community service and interfaith harmony shines brightly.

What inspired you both to embark on the journey of establishing gurudwaras in the UAE?

It all started more than 58 years ago when my grandfather Atma Singh, who himself had helped build a Gurudwara in Vijayawada, in the south Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, in 1956, told his eight-year-old grandson Surender Singh Kandhari, that one day he too must help build a Gurudwara when he grew up.

I was just eight-years-old at that time and it struck me as a bit odd that my grandfather should ask me to do something as huge as that.

A Gurudwara is not just the house of God for us, it is the life force that ties the whole Sikh community together and our lives revolve around it. That was missing here