On
Sunday 19 October, for the third year running, Diwali celebrations
were held at Trafalgar Square, in the heart of central London.
The event was open to all nationalities, races and religions,
to come and enjoy the sights, tastes and spectacles. It was
organised by Ken Livingstone, The Mayor of London, who was represented
by Deputy Mayor Ms. Jenny Jones who paid tribute to London's
multi cultural society and re-emphasised the value of "
the light of Diwali removing the darkness of ignorance".
The children (balaks) of BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha took an active
part in proceedings as part of the Suvarna Sandesh project.
The occasion was opened by two of our balaks, aptly singing
the Shanti Path – a prayer for peace. There was also an
exhibition on anti-addiction, and bal karyakars were there to
guide all. There were many who brought their children to view
the exhibition to make them aware of the dangers of addiction.
People from all kinds of backgrounds came to view the exhibition
and many went away with intentions to visit our Mandir having
heard about the activities that take place there.
The BAPS Swaminarayan Mandir, Neasden, had also set up an exhibition
on ‘Understanding Hinduism’ and this brought about
much interest.
There were also many food stalls and the Mandir contributed
by handing out free samosas.
BAPS had its very own exhibition set up which was entitled 'Towards
Better Living', an anti-addiction exhibition highlighting the
dangers of smoking and alcohol along with the mind-wrecking
hazards of television.
What grabbed the audience’s attention the most was our
social work.
The Diwali event was truly one for the books. With lots of free
food and a family atmosphere, along with great traditional music,
the day was a success for Hindus & all. More than 10,000
participated in the Diwali celebrations. It also emphasized
the great values of Hinduism, anti-addiction, vegetarianism
and Ayurveda.
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