By Kartik Bharadia
Vice President NHSF (UK)
On 19th October 2011, NHSF (UK) was invited to celebrate Diwali 2011 at The Houses of Parliament in Westminster, London. The event on its 10th Anniversary saw various high profile parliamentarians attend and share a few words with the attending delegates. Amongst those present were Leader of the opposition party Ed Miliband, Eric Pickles Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, Sayeeda Warsi Co-Chairman of the Conservative party and Yvette Cooper Shadow Home Secretary, only to name a few.
A number of speakers on the night recognised Diwali as a celebration that was all inclusive. The success of Diwali as a universal celebration was credit to the open mindedness of Hindus. There was unanimous acknowledgment of the British Hindu community for their huge wealth of positive contributions.
The event was hosted by cross party representatives Keith Vaz, Labour MP of Leicester East; Lord Dholakia, a Liberal Democrat Peer; and Paul Uppal, Conservative MP of Wolverhampton South West. Hindu Forum of Britain (HFB) kindly organised the event, providing great food and cultural entertainment on the evening.
Present also on the night were Leaders of various Hindu organizations and committees such as the President of Hindu Council of Africa, Muljibhai Pindolia and Gauridas ji from ISKCON.
NHSF (UK) was grateful to be a part of a remarkable Diwali celebration to kick start the 2011 festivities. With only a month to go before Arise Arjuna – our National Event, celebrating 20 years of NHSF (UK) – we undoubtedly extended personal invitations to as many guests as possible on the night. Everyone that we approached, including Lords, Ladies, MPs, and prominent members of the Hindu community expressed great enthusiasm and support for our Arise Arjuana National Celebration and we hope to welcome them to our celebrations next month.