Collaboration helping to provide oxygen for India
A Black Country Sikh organisation has been helping people in India with accessing oxygen.
Global Sikh Vision has been working with an aid organisation in India to source oxygen tanks and provide a service for free from Gurdwaras in parts of the country.
The Oxygen Langar service has been run by Rummy Singh of Khalsa Help International and follows the same principle of Langar, where anyone can access food irrespective of caste, colour or creed.
Mr Singh has been supported by his cousin Ravinder Pal Singh Kohi, head of Global Sikh Vision, as a collaboration, with Global Sikh Vision helping to source donations from Gurdwaras to the Oxygen Langar in India.
Mr Singh Kohli explained the situation in India and how the Oxygen Langar idea came about.
He said: "Because of the poor infrastructure in a lot of places, there has been a black market of life-saving drugs and oxygen, who has been selling for hundreds of pounds.
"What happened was the Gurdwaras came up with the unique idea of offering the Oxygen Langar, which allows people to come and access a bed with oxygen.
Sharing
"People of all walks of life have been coming to the Gurdwaras and accessing the oxygen and it has helped thousands of people.
"Sikhism is about sharing resources with less fortunate and needy people, so Gurdwaras unanimously decided to release financial reserves to procure much-needed oxygen."
The Oxygen Langar started at Indirapuram Gurdwara in Ghaziabad and has become part of Gurdwaras across the country.
Mr Singh Kohli said he would continue to support his cousin wherever possible and said he hoped the idea was something which could take off across the world.
He said: "It can be something which can be used all over the world, if it needs to be.
"This is a noble idea and one which is getting more coverage across the world, so I think it can be replicated worldwide if it is needed."
