Singh hands over some money and hums the gurbani, while the
sewadar at the counter passes him the prasad, some flowers, and an IBM
desktop-generated receipt for Rs 21. Perhaps yes, but that is exactly what the
Delhi Sikh Gurudwara Management Committee (DSGMC) has done. In a bid to
centralize the workings of gurudwaras under its purview, the committee has
implemented an ambitious project to integrate Delhi’s four major gurudwaras—Bangla
Sahib, Rakab Ganj, Sis Ganj, and Nanak Piao.
"With IT influencing every sphere of life, I had this
dream—a computer network that would streamline all our functions and bring in
transparency," says DSGMC president, Avtar Singh Hit.
It was this endeavor to integrate all functions at Bangla
Sahib that saw Multiple Zones and Webuzz Software entering the picture. Webuzz,
a Delhi-based startup, which provided computer education at Guru Harkishan
Public School in New Delhi, was approached by the DSGMC. "We conducted
extensive studies, consulted with management firms and devised an ERP package—the
Integrated Gurudwara Management System (IGMS)—with 14 modules. These modules
are targeted at integrating all transactions including prasad parchi system,
langar donation, accounting, payroll, inventory management, credit card
donation."
Under the IGMS model, two high-capacity central servers have
been installed at Gurudwara Rakab Ganj, where the DSGMC has its head office. The
servers are to be linked on a wide area network to local servers in the other
three gurudwaras.
The network has been designed for expandability and
reliability. About 60 IBM desktops and six IBM Netfinity servers have been used
to wire up the gurudwaras. Apart from developing and implementing the ERP
package, Webuzz and Multiple Zones also took up the task of training the DSGMC
employees, the entire process taking up around six months. "The DSGMC was
very particular that their own employees be trained and able to adapt to the
system," says Kapoor. While at present representatives from Webuzz and
Multiple Zone are maintaining the network, the DSGMC is in the process of hiring
its own team of computer professionals.
Next on the Committee’s agenda are plans to webcast the
festive gurudwara ceremonies. "No," says Kapoor, "This is not
ahead of time; it is the right idea at the right time."
