A Good Dream Comes True

July 2, 2007

Author: Don Mayhew

Source: The Fresno Bee

http://www.fresnobee.com/263/story/74997.html

KERMAN -- Sandeep Sidhu of Kerman was all smiles Sunday afternoon at the new Sikh temple where her family will worship.

The mother of three, a nurse at Kaiser Permanente in Fresno, stood in the shade next to the stroller where her year-old daughter, Amreet, sat quietly. Sidhu's 8-year-old daughter, Simarta, peered up from a mat nearby, as her 5-year-old brother, Rajan, busily ran around with friends.

Sidhu described the temple's official opening as a dream.

"You know how when you wake up, and you've had a good dream about something?" she said. "It's like that. We pray together. It's very peaceful."

The $1.2 million temple, which drew more than 1,000 visitors Sunday, was one of two Sikh temples in the Valley to open during the weekend. A larger, $3.6 million temple was unveiled Saturday night in Fresno, drawing at least 2,500 people, according to organizers.