After losing temple, library, Sikhs determined to rebuild

NEW YORK -- The stench of smoke lingered for weeks after the Sikh Cultural Society was gutted by fire -- an early morning blaze that destroyed the first Sikh temple on the East Coast, home to a congregation of thousands.

Half of the two-story building that housed the temple collapsed, leaving a gaping hole in the ground and debris all around.

In the other half, where the roof caved in, one of the most extensive library collections documenting Sikh culture was decimated. Some of those books among the 15,000 to 20,000 there were virtually irreplaceable.

At least two years of construction and up to $10 million will be needed before the congregation can return to a new temple. But the leadership of the cultural society is determined to rebuild -- and philosophical about the task ahead.

"It's part of the Sikh religion, you have to move on," said Joginder Singh Malhi, who ran educational programs at the temple, or gurdwara, as it is called by Sikhs. "Change is always there."

He said the reconstruction also provides an opportunity for "seva," or religious work. "Whoever gives service," he said, "gets the grace of God."

The gurdwara was destroyed March 8 in the early morning fire, and authorities are still investigating the cause -- though they don't believe it was arson. One man, a visitor from India, died from smoke inhalation in the blaze.

The temple would have marked its 30th anniversary this summer.

When it opened its doors in June 1972, the temple quickly became a focal point for Sikhs, who had no other religious institutions in the region. At the time, Sikhs in America lived primarily on the West Coast.

The faithful journeyed to the Queens gurdwara from nearby states and beyond. To this day, said Harpreet Singh Toor, chairman of the cultural society, "everybody knows of this place."