Gurdwaras: Reviewed in The Tribune

"Holding this very weighty book, both metaphorically and physically, I felt as though I had in my hands an important aspect of living history of a community, its belief system, and the enduring values embedded within it." — Neelam Mansingh Chowdhry

We are delighted to share a wonderful review of Gurdwaras: Abodes of the Guru, published on 31 May 2026, in The Sunday Tribune Spectrum.  

In a deeply moving piece, distinguished theatre personality Neelam Mansingh Chowdhry reviews the book not just as a historical and architectural archive, but as a sensory experience that "stirs the soul." She explores the book’s curation of 51 unique global shrines, the brilliant, atmospheric watercolour illustrations by Roman Catholic artist Allan Jay Quesada, and the interfaith harmony that shaped the project’s creation.  

We invite you to read the full review, explore the evocative reflections on communal heritage, and join us on this journey of faith, culture, and shared humanity.

Gurdwaras: Abodes of the Guru, review published in The Tribune, Chandigarh.

The following is the text of the review:

Global spread of Sikh diaspora & gurdwaras

NEELAM MANSINGH CHOWDHRY

THIS is a gift to the world of literature and spirituality by Roopinder Singh, the writer and researcher behind this much-awaited book. Its cover design in inky blue with gold embellishment, evoking the luminous relief work at the entrance of Harmandir Sahib in Amritsar, is indeed stunning. More than a meticulously researched document, it is a labour of love.

Holding this very weighty book, both metaphorically and physically, I felt as though I had in my hands an important aspect of the living history of a community, its belief system, and the enduring values embedded within it. Leafing through this collection creates a sense of reverence, akin to holding an ancient handwritten granth.

It is staggering to realise that from the tens of thousands of gurdwaras scattered across the world, just 51 unique shrines were identified and profiled. From a gurdwara in Glenwood, New South Wales, to one in Johannesburg or Rockville, Maryland, with local architectural features creeping in subtly. The most noticeable is the gurdwara at Stockton, California, with its brick entrance that does not conform to a typical gurdwara template.

This curation maps the global spread of the Sikh diaspora, anchoring each gurdwara by its location to a singular historical, spiritual, or communal significance. In doing so, the book illustrates how the community's spiritual DNA remains identical worldwide, seamlessly binding spiritual life with community service through the three essential qualities ingrained in the Sikh psyche: spiritual singing kirtan, selfless service sewa, and the community kitchen-langar.

A work of this monumental scale could easily have devolved into a dry encyclopaedic catalogue, but a creative partnership prevented that. Roopinder Singh's text illuminates the narrative with personalised reflections, injecting a human pulse by blending historical facts with insightful details and keeping the description of each gurdwara accurate and informative, but never dry. Complimenting this text are exquisite paintings by Allan Jay Quesada, who, with his magical paintbrush, captures the serene, atmospheric silence of these holy shrines with a depth and warmth that perhaps a camera lens may have skipped.

The shimmering play of light and movement on the sarovar, the intricacy of the geometric design on the ceiling of the Harmandir Sahib, embedded with precious stones and gold leaf, the frescoes, mirrored pieces, the intricate patterning of the cool marble floor, all combine together to create a sensory experience that transforms a massive historical archive into an intimate handwritten treasure.

Ultimately, this lusciously produced book achieves the highest purpose any literature can aspire for. It does not merely teach history or catalogue architecture from a detached distance; it stirs the soul and awakens personal memory. By bridging the grand scale of global heritage with the quiet comfort of personal roots, it reminds us that the true abode of the divine is found wherever community, faith and selfless love converge.

The foreword by the late Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh captures the anthology's tone: "The gurdwara is a material expression of the spiritual, devotional and social aspects of the Sikh way of life."

The publisher's note amplifies and observes that "in a world where race, religion, and ideology often divide us, gurdwaras, abodes of the Guru, stand as quiet yet powerful reminders of our shared humanity, faith, while sometimes misused to separate, can also bind people together in unity".

This book is a homage to the spirit of collaboration that is symbolised in the conceptual framework of Sikhism. Its secular values are manifested in the fact that the writer, Roopinder Singh, is a Sikh and the illustrator is a Roman Catholic and the publisher a Hindu, becoming a symbol of affirmation of shared respect and reverence, especially to be emphasised in trying times. This book is a reminder of the syncretic richness that exists in most religions and particularly in the Sikh ethos.

For anyone who grew up within the embrace of this culture, reading this book is like being catapulted into a time machine. It triggered memories of how, during summer vacations, my family would pile into the battered Fiat car to drive across the plains of Punjab, visiting grand historical gurdwaras and humble village shrines alike. In today's age of hyper-simulation and digital distractions, it may sound weird, but spending summer holidays listening to kirtan, washing dishes and eating on the floor of a community kitchen might sound unusual, but to a child of my generation, born into a Sikh family, it was entirely natural.

The rhythmic routine of the gurdwara, the comforting clatter of steel plates during langar, the warmth of shared labour in sewa, and the soothing cadence of kirtan all created a profound sense of safety, structure, and belonging.

—The reviewer is a theatre director.

This review was published in the Spectrum section of The Tribune on May 31, 2026