In 1968, when Baba Virsa Singh first came to what is now the Gobind Sadan campus, it was a barren, rocky wasteland with only one tree and a few scrubby, thorny plants. With very hard work and the blessings of God, he and his devotees have converted the area into a green paradise. In addition to its multi-faith spiritual wealth, it is so biologically rich that we call the land Gobind Sadan Bio-Diversity Park.
In Gobind Sadan Bio-Diversity Park there are vegetable fields and orchards as well as an afforested woodland area with nature trails and a variety of native trees. There are also parks with tended gardens, run-off ditches, and a seasonal pond. Around the year, many different kinds of birds visit this varied and rich environment, in addition to the permanent feathered residents. So far, 75 species have been identified.
Nirmal Kumar, one of the sevadars who live in Gobind Sadan, has captured wonderful pictures of some of the birds. Ann Dix, who visits every winter and has keen interest in birds, has combined her video clips with Nirmal’s photos to make a lovely short video of Gobind Sadan’s birdlife. Sarbjit Randhawa, son of Maharaj’s great sevadar IG Randhawa, is a world-class birdwatcher and is offering his expert knowledge to correctly identify the birds. Over time, information will be added about the trees and medicinal plants that also abound in Gobind Sadan Bio-Diversity Park.