Et tu, Brute? Mr Vipul Desai Opposes Gurdwara Dome
by KIMBERLY POHL
The lack of support from both neighbors and officials apparent, the Sikh Religious Society Gurdwara in Palatine (Chicago, Illinois, U.S.A.) on Tuesday, September 7, 2010 withdrew a more grandiose plan to construct an illuminated gold dome towering more than 46 feet above the adjacent residential area.
Instead, the proposed dome at 1280 Winnetka St. will stand at 40 feet tall - the height permitted under village ordinance.
It was a minor victory for the handful of residents who attended the council meeting to voice opposition to the design, but the group remained upset a dome will be allowed to exist at all given the single-family homes that surround the 10-acre temple plot.
"They're nice people. I don't have a problem with the Sikh Temple. I just don't want a huge ... dome in my neighborhood. I'm sorry, I don't want that at all," neighbor John Siegmeier said.
Added Vipul Desai: "I have issues with seeing something of that nature. If I ever move out, how am I going to be able to sell?"
The village doesn't have any say-so in the type of architecture an organization chooses to pursue, according to Village Manager Reid Ottesen.
That restriction prompted another resident to suggest that the ordinance needs to be overhauled.
In addition to not wanting the dome, opponents pointed to a bevy of other aesthetic issues they say the temple needs to address including overgrown weeds, construction debris and pond maintenance.
Councilman Aaron Del Mar said he's received 11 e-mails of complaint.
Representative Sarbar Sarang said the Sikh Religious Society Gurdwara is a well-established, peaceful group that simply wants to beautify the temple.
He said aesthetic issues are being addressed and put responsibility on the village for the unsightly pond, which is covered in algae and a green layer of duckweed.
Ottesen responded that the pond is on private property and therefore the temple's responsibility, adding that the Sikhs recently removed aerators to dredge the pond but had to stop because they didn't have an Army Corps of Engineers permit.
"People bought homes in the area knowing there was a [gurdwara]," said Sarang, pointing out the facility was built more than 30 years ago. "We're trying the educate the community and improve the neighborhood."
Temple President Satwant Singh said the dome would be illuminated no more than 21 times per year to mark special days. The level of light seen from the property line would have to be less than a full moon. The nearest home is about 300 feet away from the proposed dome.
[Courtesy: The Daily Herald]
September 12, 2010
Conversation about this article
1: Taran (London, United Kingdom), September 12, 2010, 1:25 PM.
I wonder if Mr. Desai would've said the same if it was a Hindu temple. Very typical. Obviously, if the gurdwara was built 30 years ago, then most of the locality has been aware of it since long.
2: Baljit Singh Pelia (Los Angeles, California, U.S.A.), September 12, 2010, 2:49 PM.
I attended a wedding at the said gurdwara in April and found the place to be serene and in pristine condition with the beautiful lake and geese in the water. I would have loved to live in the surrounding neighborhood. If anything, the gurdwara adds value to the surrounding real estate because Sikhs being one of the highest per capita earners in the USA tend to live closer to their gurdwaras thereby appreciating home values. The management must address the issues raised and beautify the facility further so the locals can take pride at having the gurdwara within their community.
3: Kalyan Singh (New Delhi, India), September 12, 2010, 3:25 PM.
I can understand - not justify or condone - the bigotry that rules the minds of some of the gurdwara's non-Indian neigbours. But Desai? I am afraid his head is ruled by something far worse and despicable than mere racism and ignorance. Sadly, I am not surprised. No wonder these desis have got nowhere in the world!
4: N.Singh (Canada), September 12, 2010, 3:26 PM.
If 1984 can happen after all the sacrifices made by the Sikhs for India's independence ... then why are we surprised by Vipul Desai's comments? Were no lessons learned?
5: Livleen Kaur (London, United Kingdom), September 12, 2010, 3:30 PM.
A pox on Vipul Desai and his ilk. I don't know why these beggars are allowed to crawl out of their holes in India and permitted to spread their badmaashi outside the sub-continent. They should put a fence around these people back home and keep them occupied in their local naalaas and gullees.
6: Gurjendra Singh Bedi (Maryland, U.S.A.), September 12, 2010, 4:54 PM.
Vipul Desai might be unfamiliar with the sacrifices of Sikhs as is the rest of India and the world, because all the history books used in the Indian schools do not have any chapter on Sikhs. Even for the Mughal period, the books do not mention anything about the Sikh Gurus. It is a shame that even Guru Teg Bahadar who sacrificed his life to save the Hindus is not even mentioned. Books are written by non-Sikhs without mentioning any Sikh contribution towards India's freedom. Sikh leadership does not even talk about this. They only look for short-term gains and power.
7: Satinder Singh (New Jersey, U.S.A.), September 12, 2010, 10:08 PM.
He's most likely an ABCD (American-Born Confused Desi),I presume. :)
8: Harsimran Singh (Union City, California, United States), September 13, 2010, 2:00 PM.
I think putting so much focus on Mr. Desai's two-line statement is like making a mountain of a molehill.
9: Gursharan Kaur (Missouri, U.S.A.), September 13, 2010, 2:17 PM.
I don't think anyone is going after Vipul Desai personally. He serves as a metaphor for all that has gone wrong and warped within the Indian mindset vis-a-vis decency and basic human values. Through his simple, two-line statement, Mr. Desai represents all that is ignorant and ugly about India today. It's as if India has played out the great Spartacus story - except, in the case of India, it's not the brave and historically-wronged slaves who have taken over, but the idiots of the land. Thank you, Mr Desai, for reminding us of what goes on in the average Indian mind today - (although, I will readily acknowledge that there are a few exceptions, as always. But I haven't come across any yet. Have you?)
10: Harsimran Singh (California, United States), September 14, 2010, 12:22 AM.
What Mr. Desai said could have resulted from ignorance, a desire to avoid financial loss regarding the resale of his home, the inability to stand up to his other neighbors, bigotry, etc.