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Celebrating British Hindu Contributions, London, UK

19 May 2023

Guests and friends arriving at Neasden Temple

Guests were warmly welcomed by children and volunteers

Guests doing darshan of Shri Sita-Rama Bhagwan

Guests doing darshan of Shri Ganeshji

Guests doing darshan of Shri Nilkanth Varni Maharaj

Dr Mit Dattani MBChB FRCS, a colorectal surgeon and BAPS volunteer from Birmingham, opened the proceedings

Bhaktas from ISKCON commenced the assembly by chanting the ‘Hare Krishna’ mantra

Members of the Telugu Association of London sang a kirtan by Tyagaraja in a classical Carnatic (South Indian) composition

Friends from the Chinmay Mission delivered a moving rendition of the Hanuman Chalisa by Goswami Tulsidas

British Hindu women shared inspiring stories of how their faith guides their professional, family and personal lives

Children sang the Shanti-Path, an ancient Vedic peace prayer, and other Hindu prayers to auspiciously commence the assembly

Children from BAPS led the singing of Hindu prayers in Sanskrit

Senior BAPS swami visiting from India, Sadguru Pujya Tyagvallabhdas Swami, led the <i>deep pragatya</i> ceremony

Senior BAPS swami visiting from India, Sadguru Pujya Tyagvallabhdas Swami, led the deep pragatya ceremony

Esteemed guests from leading Hindu organisations joined in lighting the sacred lamp – L to R: Rahul Prakash (Isha Foundation), Cllr Rajni Khiroya (President of Shree Jalaram Mandir, Greenford), Deepak Naik (Shri Balaji Mandir, Birmingham), Anuttama Dasa (Global Director of Communications for ISKCON)

L to R: Shaunaka Rishi Dasa (Director, Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies); Praful Patel (Shree Sattavis Gaam Patidar Samaj); Chandrakant Sharma (Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh UK); Kamalkant Parekh (Gujarat Hindu Society, Preston)

L to R: Cllr Ramji Chauhan (Mayor of Harrow), Rajnish Kashyap (General Secretary, Hindu Council UK), Ramesh Pattni OBE (Vice-President, Chinmaya Mission UK & Secretary General, Hindu Forum of Britain), Dr Mehool Sanghrajka MBE (Trustee, One Jain)

Visakha Devi Dasi (Temple President, Bhaktivedanta Manor, ISKCON, Watford)

Sudesh Didi (European Director, Brahma Kumaris)

Jessica Schibli (Trustee, Chinmaya Mission UK)

L to R: Swati Natekar (acclaimed Indian classical vocalist), Avanti Pethe (Isha Foundation), Dr Lakshmi Vyas (President, Hindu Forum of Europe), Meena Jasani (President, Lohana Community North London)

L to R: Naina Patel (Patel Samaj of Preston), Rashmita Patel (Trustee, Shree Sattavis Gam Patidar Samaj), Madhvi Haria (Founding Trustee, Yog-Kulam)

Yogvivekdas Swami, Head Swami for BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha in UK & Europe, welcomed the guests to the assembly

More than 1,600 friends and guests from over 110 temples, organisations and communities had gathered for this special evening

Kaushal Patel, a BAPS volunteer, outlined the journey of Hindus in Britain with a multimedia presentation

Paramtattvadas Swami shared some background to the event and outlined the five key themes of British Hindu contributions being presented in the programme

Nilesh Solanki, Assistant General Secretary of Sewa UK, spoke about the contributions of British Hindus in the field of <strong>Charity & Social Work</strong>

Nilesh Solanki, Assistant General Secretary of Sewa UK, spoke about the contributions of British Hindus in the field of Charity & Social Work

Bhavya Shah, President of National Hindu Students Forum UK, outlined the contributions of British Hindus in the field of <strong>Child & Youth Development</strong>

Bhavya Shah, President of National Hindu Students Forum UK, outlined the contributions of British Hindus in the field of Child & Youth Development

Professor Manoj Ladwa, Chairman and Chief Executive of India Inc., spoke about <strong>Public Service</strong> by Hindus in Britain

Professor Manoj Ladwa, Chairman and Chief Executive of India Inc., spoke about Public Service by Hindus in Britain

Professor Ladwa paid tribute to, among others, the thousands of British Hindu doctors, nurses and care workers who serve tirelessly in the NHS (National Health Service)

His Holiness Mahant Swami Maharaj arrived in the assembly

The audience respectfully greeted His Holiness Mahant Swami Maharaj

Mahant Swami Maharaj greeted the audience with folded hands

Sadhu Paramtattvadas paid tribute to the foundational contributions of British Hindu temples and groups through their <strong>Faith & Worship</strong>

Sadhu Paramtattvadas paid tribute to the foundational contributions of British Hindu temples and groups through their Faith & Worship

His Holiness Mahant Swami Maharaj performed the arti of Shri Akshar-Purushottam Maharaj

The guests participated in the arti ceremony

A cultural folk dance welcomed His Holiness and the guests to the assembly

Amish Tripathi, acclaimed author and Minister of Culture & Education at the High Commission of India to the UK, spoke about British Hindu contributions in the field of Arts & Culture

Amish Tripathi emphasised that it is “dharma” that has driven Hindu art for millennia and what continues to drive British Hindu artists today

Lord Jitesh Gadhia summarised the contributions of Hindus in Britain in a keynote address

Lord Gadhia: “By bringing us all together today, and for his visionary pursuit of the mission to expand the circle of unity, we owe a huge debt of gratitude to Pujya Mahant Swami Maharaj.”

Anandswarupdas Swami honoured His Excellency Vikram Doraiswami, the High Commissioner of India to the UK, with a flower garland

His Excellency commended the “remarkable contribution that BAPS has provided” in celebrating the role and services of the British Hindu community in the United Kingdom

High Commissioner: “If we celebrate the inner unity that connects us all, we serve the larger purpose of our civilisation and all of humankind.”

His Holiness Mahant Swami Maharaj listened attentively to the addresses by the esteemed speakers

Mahamahopadhyay Bhadreshdas Swami introduced His Holiness Mahant Swami Maharaj by drawing upon Hindu scriptures such as the Bhagavad Gita and the Upanishads

His Holiness Mahant Swami Maharaj began his blessings by thanking everyone for attending and saying how delighted he was upon seeing so many coming together

His Holiness Mahant Swami Maharaj drew upon the life motto of His Holiness Pramukh Swami Maharaj – “In the joy of others lies our own” – as a guiding force to contribute not only to the UK, but the whole world

The guests listened attentively to His Holiness Mahant Swami Maharaj’s wisdom and inspiration

The evening concluded with a collective prayer for peace, harmony, strength and wisdom

Guests enjoyed a traditional Indian vegetarian meal after the assembly

Guests received a gift bag before departing