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Diwali & Annakut Celebrations 2023, London, UK

12 Nov 2023 to 13 Nov 2023

BAPS trustees and senior volunteers, along with other community leaders, were invited by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and his wife, Akshata Murty, to 10 Downing Street for a special Diwali reception

Mrs Akshata Murty and BAPS volunteers reminisced their <a href="https://www.baps.org/News/2023/UK-Prime-Minister-Rishi-Sunak-Visits-BAPS-Swaminarayan-Akshardham-24059.aspx" target="blank" style="text-decoration:underline; color:blue;">recent visit to Swaminarayan Akshardham</a> in Delhi

Mrs Akshata Murty and BAPS volunteers reminisced their recent visit to Swaminarayan Akshardham in Delhi

BAPS was also part of the Diwali celebrations organised by the Mayor of London on Trafalgar Square

‘Diwali on Trafalgar Square’ was attended by around 30,000 people throughout the day

The rain could hardly dampen the vibrant Diwali spirit of the performers and audience

Neasden Temple was joined by longstanding partners The Felix Project, to raise awareness about food waste and hunger in and around London

Visitors enjoyed learning about the annakut offering and the value of gratitude

Many visitors showed an interest in learning more about Neasden Temple

BAPS volunteers on stage at the ‘Diwali on Trafalgar Square’ celebrations

Neasden Temple was also invited to present Diwali celebrations at Great Ormond Street Hospital, one of the oldest and most renowned specialist children’s hospitals in the world

Youths from Neasden Temple performed a Diwali-themed cultural dance for patients, their families, and staff

Performers and presenters from Neasden Temple entertained and educated the young patients as well as their families and the hospital staff

The hospital staff were greatly appreciative of the presentations

The Hospital expressed their gratitude for Neasden Temple volunteers in social media posts across various platforms<br> See their LinkedIn posts <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/posts/great-ormond-street-hospital-for-children-nhs-trust_traditional-dancing-to-celebrate-diwali-at-activity-7126485893728624640-gYnR/" target="blank" style="text-decoration:underline; color:blue;">here</a> and <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/posts/great-ormond-street-hospital-for-children-nhs-trust_diwali-celebrations-at-gosh-activity-7129468062180728832-bvm3/" target="blank" style="text-decoration:underline; color:blue;">here</a>

The Hospital expressed their gratitude for Neasden Temple volunteers in social media posts across various platforms
See their LinkedIn posts here and here

John Lewis, a leading British brand of department stores, hosted Diwali celebrations for ten days at one of their flagship stores, in Westfield London, the largest shopping centre in Europe

Celebrations included various decorative displays, including a rangoli floor design

Youths from Neasden Temple performed a Diwali-themed cultural dance

Shoppers and passers-by enjoyed the cultural performance

The vibrant dance performances became a major attraction at the heart of the shopping centre

Diwali at Westfield London shopping centre

During Diwali, Neasden Temple continued its long-running partnership with The Felix Project to collect non-perishable food items to support local food banks that can help families adversely impacted by the cost-of-living crisis

To date, Neasden Temple has provided more than 12,000 items of food for the needy through The Felix Project

In turn, The Felix Project has also generously supported Neasden Temple’s community feeding programme

Diwali at British Airways Head Office, Waterside

Talented youths from Neasden Temple performed traditional Hindu bhajans in a Diwali event at Citi Group’s EMEA head office in Canary Wharf

Citi expressed their appreciation for Neasden Temple in a social media post (see <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/posts/citi_last-week-we-celebrated-diwali-the-hindu-activity-7132464515773841408-P8jV/" target="blank" style="text-decoration:underline; color:blue;">here</a>)

Citi expressed their appreciation for Neasden Temple in a social media post (see here)