‘Hindus and Muslims also contributed generously’: Pune’s Guru Nanak Darbar Gurdwara sends flood relief to Punjab

The gurdwara sent Rs 21 lakh to the NGO Akal Purkh Ki Fauj to purchase boats and provide food and water as a part of immediate rescue operations in inundated areas. On Wednesday, a truck loaded with relief material worth Rs 35 lakh also left for Punjab. It carried 2.5 tonnes of milk powder, 2 lakh water purification sachets, sanitary napkins, adult diapers, solar torches, stationery items like notebooks, crepe bandages, and medicines for fever, cough, cold, and vomiting, as well as eye and ear drops.

To address the urgent need for healthcare, the gurdwara has also collaborated with the NGO Borderless World Foundation. On Thursday, a Mobile Medical Clinic Bus, equipped with doctors, helpers, and essential medicines were dispatched. The bus will remain stationed in Punjab for three months, providing healthcare to people stranded in remote and inaccessible areas.

“The Mobile Medical Clinic will help the villages where regular healthcare cannot reach,” said Hardeep Singh Bhalla, Pune coordinator for the Borderless World Foundation.

“It has always been Sikh philosophy to help the needy, irrespective of community,” said Surinder Singh Dhupar, trustee of the Guru Nanak Darbar Gurdwara. “People are stepping up to provide help, they are giving us the required material at lesser rates and in fact, not just Sikhs but Hindus and Muslims in Pune have also contributed generously to this campaign.”

The floods have devastated vast tracts of farmland in Punjab, leaving families without homes, crops, and livestock. Agriculture has been particularly hard hit, prompting relief agencies to look beyond immediate rescue.

Various NGOs have been working towards providing relief and rehabilitation.

“We are also going to be providing funds for rehabilitation—rebuilding houses and helping farmers by buying fertilisers and also animals for dairy farming,” Dhupar added.

Dhupar also emphasised that this is not a one-time initiative but an ongoing campaign. “We need to spread awareness not for our publicity but to encourage people to join our campaign. This campaign doesn’t end today—it continues,” he said.

(Ruta Patil is an intern with The Indian Express)

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