About us
Who we are, what we are here to do, and how the charity is run.
- A registered Canadian charity since 1986
- Everything we do is free, for anyone
- Run entirely by community volunteers
Who we are
Dashmesh Darbar is a Sikh Gurdwara in Winnipeg, Manitoba. A Gurdwara is a Sikh place of worship, and the word means the doorway to the Guru. It is also, in every Sikh community, the kitchen, the classroom and the meeting hall.
The Gurdwara is owned and run by RAMGARHIA ASSOCIATION OF MANITOBA INC, which was incorporated in Manitoba on 18 January 1985 and is a registered Canadian charity. The Association is a membership body. It is directed by an elected executive, and the work on the ground is carried out by volunteers from the community.
Our mission
Dashmesh Darbar exists for the betterment of the community in the areas of social, cultural, education and religion. That is the purpose the charity is registered under, and it is what the Gurdwara does every week.
The registered purpose of the charity, in the words filed with the Canada Revenue Agency, is the betterment of the community in the areas of social, cultural, education and religion.
Our vision
A Winnipeg where anybody can walk through an open door and be fed, be welcomed and be helped, without being asked who they are.
We want the next generation of Sikh children in this city to know their faith, their language and their history, and to grow up seeing service as something ordinary rather than something special. We want every new family arriving from overseas to have one place they can go on their first week here.
What we believe
Three ideas from the Sikh faith shape everything the Gurdwara does.
Seva, service without reward
Nobody is paid to cook, serve, clean or teach here. The work is the offering.
Langar, the open kitchen
A free meal for all, served to everyone sitting together as equals. This is a Sikh practice that is more than five hundred years old.
Sarbat da bhala, the good of all
Our work is not only for Sikhs. It is for the whole city.
How we are funded and governed
The Gurdwara is funded by donations from the community it serves. It receives no fee for any of its programs. As a registered Canadian charity, the Association files an annual information return with the Canada Revenue Agency, and that return is published on the CRA's public List of Charities.
Our full legal and registration details are set out on the charity information page.
Where we are
566 Archibald Street
Winnipeg, Manitoba R2J 0X4
Canada