On Sunday, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Indian-origin British Home Secretary Priti Patel joined followers at the BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, London – also known as the ‘Neasden Temple’ – to celebrate Diwali and the Hindu New Year.
Johnson was welcomed with auspicious gestures of welcome and goodwill at the north London temple before being led on a quick tour of the stone temple complex in the customary Hindu style.
The Home Secretary, clad in a gorgeous pink lehenga, was similarly greeted upon her arrival and joined the Prime Minister in presenting a fruit basket at the temple’s inner sanctum’s central shrine, where they spent several minutes taking in the tranquilly and complex construction.
They also saw the annakut, or ‘mountain of food’, which was beautifully placed in front of the deities as the first meal of the New Year, presented in appreciation for God’s benevolent providence and afterwards divided among devotees.
They then conducted the abhishek of Shri Nilkanth Varni, the youthful form of Bhagwan Swaminarayan, a prominent Hindu deity.
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They next saw exhibits on Neasden Temple’s Covid-19 relief efforts, which were inspired by His Holiness Mahant Swami Maharaj, the spiritual leader of the BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha. During the pandemic, the worldwide Hindu head made a call for all BAPS volunteers to aid the aged, underprivileged, and vulnerable in local areas.
Inspiring to see community spirit in action @NeasdenTemple today. @PritiPatel and I saw the incredible contribution Hindus make to the UK, from serving in our police and NHS to rolling out the Covid vaccine.
Happy New Year and Shubh Diwali to our wonderful Hindu community! pic.twitter.com/yNlnAewmBo
— Boris Johnson (@BorisJohnson) November 7, 2021
They subsequently met members of the Indian-origin BAPS devotees who had worked as crucial workers as well as volunteers preparing and distributing meals to the underprivileged, as well as the team that kept communities linked and informed through internet services.
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