ROAD IN LONDON TO BE RENAMED AFTER GURU NANAK FOUNDER OF THE SIKH FAITH

Mon 30 November 2020:

A west London council said that it has been agreed to rename a road in its heavily Punjabi suburb of Southall as Guru Nanak Road, with the announcement coinciding with Guru Nanak’s 551st birth anniversary being marked as Gurpurab across the world on Monday.

Southall is home a significant Punjabi population, most of whom are Sikh.

The Sri Guru Singh Sabha on Havelock Road, the largest Gurdwara organisation outside of India, is located on Havelock Road, according to the temple’s website.

Havelock Road is believed to be named after Major-General Sir Henry Havelock, a man who became a British military official for his role suppressing the Indian Mutiny of 1857.

The anti-colonial revolt saw Indian soldiers and thousands of citizens rise up against British commanders to end colonial rule.

The proposal to rename Havelock Road after the founder of the Sikh faith came to the fore in the wake of London Mayor Sadiq Khan’s new Commission for Diversity in the Public Realm to review the UK capital’s landmarks in response to the Black Lives Matter protests, which have targeted memorials to historical figures with links to slavery and colonialism.

Havelock Road is named after Major General Sir Henry Havelock, the British general behind the quashing the Indian rebellion against the East India Company in 1857, referred to as the first war of Indian independence.

Ealing Council said the part of Havelock Road to be renamed lies between King Street and Merrick Road, and includes the location of the Gurdwara Sri Guru Singh Sabha Southall, one of the UK’s most well-known and largest gurdwaras.

The name change will come into effect in early 2021 as the council is in the process of writing to households, businesses and organisations impacted in advance of the change.

“I welcome this change. Ealing’s diversity is our strength and we have to make sure that the places we live reflect that diversity through our street names and buildings,” said Councillor Kamaljit Dhindsa, Ealing Council’s cabinet member for business and community services.

The road naming decision follows a consultation process launched in June and the council said it has been taken in accordance with the Street Naming Protocol, which confirms that any change proposal should “respect and balance cultural and historical identities, sensitivities, and heritage”.

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