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The Sikh community gathered at Gurdwara Sahib Petaling Tin in Taman Medan, Petaling Jaya, on Sunday (March 1) for the final prayers and the relocation of the gurdwara's six Guru Granth Sahib Ji (Sikh holy scriptures) to a temporary site.

The gurdwara's closure followed government instructions to vacate the land, which had been gazetted to the Selangor Islamic Religious Department as a burial ground since 2008.

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Transcript
00:00As evening settled over Petaling Jaya on March 1, 2026,
00:04a large Sikh congregation gathered inside Godwara Sahib Petaling Tin
00:09for what would be its final prayer.
00:17Yanni Manpreet Singh stood before the Guru Granth Sahib Ji,
00:21the Sikh Holy Scripture.
00:24His voice steady, yet trembling with emotion
00:27as he led the final adhas.
00:33The congregation joined in a united murmur of supplication and gratitude
00:38for the years they had shared within this waltz.
00:44That Sunday, prayers and high tea marked the last gathering
00:48before the Godwara's doors closed for good.
00:56A cheerful mood gave way to quiet reverence as volunteers lowered the temple flag,
01:02signalling the dismantling of a home built on faith and service.
01:13The day concluded in the transfer of the Guru Granth Sahib Ji's to a temporary house in Klana Jaya,
01:19a careful passage of light and memory from one place to the next.
01:24Godwara Sahib Petaling Tin earned its name from its origins near the Tin Binds that drew workers to the area.
01:32Founded in 1972 by Sikhs who laboured there,
01:36it grew to meet the spiritual and communal needs of a rising congregation.
01:40But on March 15, the land beneath the Godwara would be handed over to the Selangor government,
01:47gathered for development.
01:48In line with the government's instruction,
01:51the Gudwarasi's operations as the land was re-designated in 2008
01:56for use as a Muslim burial ground.
01:59He already gave us a new land.
02:00The new land is around 150 metres away from here.
02:04Today we will shift our Guru Maharaj to another centre,
02:07a praying centre in Klana Jaya.
02:10Tomorrow we will do our cleaning and collecting our things,
02:14balance what necessary we need to use, what we don't need to use.
02:18Then only we will do our proper plan, follow the government rules
02:21and meet up with majlis for the architect plans.
02:25We are okay to go to the new place.
02:27Sometimes when we listen to the oldest people there,
02:30they feel more bad than that, of course.
02:34The assessment here is daily because they are not working.
02:37So daily they come to the Godwara to do sewa.
02:39I feel bad too because last year only I became the president
02:42and I didn't have chance for one year also to do sewa here.
02:46They feel very bad and very sad for all the sunburns here.
02:49But we are trying to do our best for them in future
02:53to make the new Godwara as soon as possible for them.
02:58We have no choice.
02:59We have to shift to the new temporary Godwara and the new land.
03:03So we decided to move on peacefully on this land, you know,
03:06because the land belongs to the government.
03:09Sarinda explained that after Kelananjaya,
03:12the Holy Scriptures would find a new home in PJS 3-23,
03:17Taman Buana Perdana, once the space is ready to welcome prayers and family gatherings.
03:23Meanwhile, the Godwara's secretary, Balvin Dejit Kaur,
03:27shared that the new building is expected to cost around RM4 million,
03:31prompting a heartfelt appeal for public donations.
03:34We are definitely going to go to not just Sikhs because we are a community.
03:39Sikhs is a community where we have been giving to everybody from day one.
03:45When there was floods in Sri Muda, we also went in and we helped to give a lot of donations
03:54and also food to the flood relief places.
03:59And then we are always have, I mean, Sikhs has always been a community where we are always giving, right?
04:06So it's our turn now to ask for help.
04:09I will definitely want, prefer if even the non-Sikhs come and come move forward to give us some donations.
04:17You see, we are looking at bigger organizations.
04:19So to build the Godwara is not a small thing, right?
04:22So I know a lot of big organizations, they have CRS programs.
04:26So if this kind of people can come forward to help us, this will be a big deal for us.
04:32So because we are a community, we always give.
04:34So it's our turn now to get something.
04:37Balvin Dejit emphasized that unlike some Godwara's that ran away,
04:40this community must build anew and invite public support to make it a reality.
04:46You're helping to build a place where people are going to gather and pray.
04:50What else do you want in life?
04:52I mean, that is a life soul fulfillment thing.
04:55We want everyone to be involved and help us to make sure we can build a better place than this
05:01one for the next one.
05:02Our forefathers, our grandfathers have done a good job to keeping the community together.
05:07The 467-year-old retiree, Hadjit Singh, walking through these gates stirs deep nostalgic and sorrow.
05:15A devoted member for 54 years, he has spent most of his life here, making the goodbye even harder.
05:22It's around 1969 to that year, my first person came to this place was my father.
05:31Then slowly, slowly our relation started coming, you know.
05:35So the community already started growing.
05:38So our community, Sikh community, then they decided, why not we build a temple here, Godwara said.
05:45There he became named Pataling Tin.
05:49It's a lot of settlers.
05:52Because now I can say I was second generation.
05:58Now we got fourth generation.
05:59My grandchildren already coming here.
06:04But I think some family have already fifth generation coming here.
06:07So, but thanks to the state government of Selengor, they already give proper land with documents, proper documents.
06:18And we are very thanks to the government.
06:21These sentiments were echoed by a 62-year-old retiree, Panjian Corp, who visits daily to join the senior women
06:28in prayer and fellowship.
06:30That is for me like my first house.
06:33I will come and do seva here.
06:35I used to find my friends or, so we try to make a program every day.
06:42So if one day, if I don't come to the temple, I feel like so emboring.
06:48I feel very sad.
06:50Very sad.
06:51Not sad.
06:52It's very sad.
06:58Because very heavy heart for me.
07:00I can't fall.
07:02I can't take it.
07:0727-year-old Gurjit Singh Randhawar spoke of lineage and resilience from great-grandparents to the current generation and of
07:15the youth's enduring energy.
07:17Even though we will be relocating, so I hope our spirit of youth will be stronger than ever.
07:24And we are more than ready, I would say.
07:26In a February 6 Facebook post, Selangor Committee Chairman, Wee Papa Raidu, said the decision to gather the PJS 4
07:35Cemetery land was fair.
07:37Three houses of worship, including Gudwara Sahid Petalintin, have agreed to relocate to preserve inter-communal harmony.
07:45As the final Vahiguru Jika Khalsa, Vahiguru Jiki Fateh echoed through the hall, memories and generations fused into one last
07:55lingering note.
08:03Though the doors may close, the Gudwara's legacy lives on, in the hearts of the congregation and in the stories
08:11passed down.
08:13Thank you very much.
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