The Baisakhi, in 1969, fell on Sunday. The Sikh families in the mid-Hudson area, fewer than ten at the time, got together to plan for a celebration in a big way for an upcoming 500th parkash anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev Ji, in November. The plan required regular monthly meetings of the families for the necessary arrangements. Thus, the Mid-Hudson Sikh Cultural MHSCS, NY was formed on this beautiful spring day of April 13, 1969.
The 500th anniversary was celebrated with great enthusiasm in the big hall of the famous Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, New York. Sangat from the tri-state area and Washington DC participated in the function that ran for over three hours. About two hundred strong Sikh sangat including American friends attended the function.
The success of this function gave such an impetus to the mid-Hudson Sikh families, though small in number, that they continued with the monthly programs without any professional help up until 1987 when the current building for the Gurdwara Sahib was purchased to accommodate the growing Sikh sangat of the mid-Hudson area. Now there are about two hundred Sikh families in the mid-Hudson area.
Freelance Ragi Jatha's and Katha Vachak Sikh professionals participate in the weekly programs.
The Gurdwara Sahib is situated in the middle region of the two hundred miles long picturesque valley of the Hudson River. It is about seventy miles from New York City. The trains have frequent runs from the Grand Central Station in New York City to Poughkeepsie, New York on the Hudson line. The Gurdwara Sahib is about three miles from the nearest railroad station, New Hamburg. New Hamburg is one station before Poughkeepsie.
