Heritage, Conservation & Masterplanning

Nishkam Heritage and Conservation remains a major facet of service for GNNSJ.

It embodies the values of shared responsibility and the close knitting together of people who believe that there is considerable strength in unity. Drawing on the ideals of ‘nishkam sewa’ – selfless service, GNNSJ’s members have embraced a Sikh faith based ethos that has at its core the principles of ‘sarbat da bhala’ – “may everyone prosper”. In this way, the agenda of a ‘shared society’ is highly resonant with our ethos and values.

Its contribution to the development and regeneration of Handsworth, an inner-city area in Birmingham – through the infrastructure development of a total of 31 properties over 13 acres of inner city land, over a period of approx. 36 years – remains on-going.

Alongside this, the conservation and restoration of all five supreme historic Sikh shrines, including Sri Harmandir Sahib (known as the Golden Temple), has been completed. These esteemed service projects, known as a ‘kar sewa’ projects, were each unique in their requirements, in terms of raising funding and resources as well as their time scales and complexity. The extensive delivery of financial and resource management, architectural and civil engineering, galvanised GNNSJ’s track record for exemplary leadership through to responsible and timely completion.