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Dr Swamy Blesses Hindu Sikh Unity with Visit to London Gurudwara

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Published on Wednesday, 08 April 2015 15:28

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Dr Subramanian Swamy takes UK by Storm

Hindus come of "Political" Age in the UK

One of the most high profile Indian politicians, anti-Corruption crusader come champion of the people, Dr Subramanian Swamy, arrived in London flying on the winds of great expectations and anticipation. A series of events organised by the National Council of Hindu Temples (NCHTUK) called ‘Dharma Rising’, gave oxygen to the masses to engage in productive, positive debate reflecting upon issues ranging from interfaith dialogue, relationships between India and the UK, the British General Election and the Indian Diaspora.

The series of events took place at venues from London, Slough and Birmingham. In a dramatic gesture of goodwill between the Hindu and Sikh community, Dr Swamy became the first Indian politician to be welcomed in any Gurdwara in the West since 1984. This was a truly inspirational coming together of the Dharmic communities since the Congress governments' "Operation Blue Star" storming of the Sri Harmandar Sahib, also known as the ‘Golden Temple’.

Commenting on this momentous event one of the Sikh community leaders Jasdev Singh said, ‘It was an honour and a privilege to be the conduit to foster this incredible bridging dialogue between the British Hindu and Sikh communities. The discussions were frank and honest. Dr Swamy showed why he is known as a man of principle. He understood the concerns of the Sikh community and gave undertakings to take the matter up directly with the Indian Government. It was an icebreaker and in one meeting Dr Swamy and the leaders of the Sikh Gurdwaras and Hindu Temples were able to achieve more progress than has happened in the past 30 years’.

Satish K Sharma the General Secretary of the NCHTUK added, ‘The events of 1984 have been traumatic for the people of India and all Dharmic faith communities, with completely innocent Hindu and Sikh lives lost. In what can be described as a gesture of fostering peace and harmony by the Sikh community in the UK, the visit of Dr Swamy to the Hounslow Gurudwara may well become the very foundation of moving forward on seeking justice and reparations for what took place in 1984. I applaud the British Sikh community for their openness and for taking this step no matter how hard, for the very welfare and well being of all Dharmic communities’.

The "Dharma Rising" events kicked off on 4^th April at the Sant Nirankari Bhavan Hall in Wednesbury. Dr Swamy was joined by Dr Gautam Sen a leading commentator on economics and international affairs, and ably supported by Dr Koenraad Elst a leading international Orientalist.

Shri Rajiv Malhotra, bestselling author of Breaking India, Being Different and Indra's Net, joined the event live from the USA via video conferencing to great excitement by the audience.

The main event was on 5^th April at the Dhamecha Hall in Harrow which was followed by the very first ‘Dharma Rakshak Awards’ VIP dinner. The ‘Dharma Rakshak’ awards are conferred on those individuals who courageously stand for human rights above all other rights, often facing challenges from within their own communities, and who also fearlessly confront their own prejudices and beliefs. The first recipients of these prestigious awards are:

Bob Blackman MP: Conservative British Politician who championed Hindu and Kashmiri issues fearlessly and is a confirmed friend of India.

Dr Sheikh Muhammad A Husseini: for fearless Religious Debate.

Dr Koenraad Elst: for excellence in Academic research.

Hindu Human Rights Team: for grassroots Activism in the UK.

Kapil Dudakia: for robust socio-political commentary in the Media.

The British Hindu Manifesto was also launched in collaboration with the Hindu Forum of Britain (HFB) and other leading organisations. In discussions with Dr Swamy, the Sikh community and the Hindu community, it became clear that the issue of the 'Caste Legislation’ will become the dividing line between the political parties in the coming elections. It was unanimously agreed by all taking part that the Caste legislation must be repealed and that every Party leader will be asked to confirm their position. The Hindu, Sikh & Jain communities denounce the legislation as divisive and regressive. The legislation is ill-conceived and not established in fact, sound research or evidence. It’s bad law, orchestrated and dogmatically pursued by the Labour Party. Trupti Patel the President of the HFB said ‘The NCHTUK have to be commended for this series of very informative and enlightening events. It has given impetus to the launch of the British Hindu Manifesto, in collaboration with the NCHT. The manifesto details ten points and we will ask every Party leader to confirm their exact positions. The Hindu community have come of age; they will make a difference in GE2015’.

In what was described as a scintillating, robust and informative presentation, Kapil Dudakia a lead Columnist and commentator on political issues talked about the ‘Political Hindu’. He left the audience in no doubt as the fundamentals of what affects the Hindu community were brought into sharp focus. Commenting after his talk he said, ‘It’s vitally important that the often double speak of the politician is exposed. The Westminster village often ignores the voters, but they all too often ignore our community completely. I wanted to bring out a few issues to distil fact from fiction with verifiable evidence. I am thrilled that so many in the audience picked up on the issues and one hopes this energy will spread’.

The last word goes to Dr Subramanian Swamy who said "Britain is a country which brings back for me pleasant memories of my six months stay during the Emergency in 1976, and I like to see the mix of cultures, faiths, languages and much much more.  My best wishes to the British Hindu people that they will further integrate into the very fabric of British democratic society.  The British Hindu community in particular has already adjusted in this very well and it is important that their contributions are fully recognised, as their capacity to enhance community cohesion by way of the value system they bring to the table.  I am very happy to be in the UK again and look forward to being back in the future."

For further details :=

Satish K Sharma

General Secretary

Tel:-     0208 123 8272,

Email:-   This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Web:-     www.nchtuk.org

Notes:

Dharma:   The concept of Dharma is not yet clear in the British Mind (Hindu or otherwise) and we wish for this to change. The concept of Dharma proposes that there is a natural order for all of life to co-exist which leads to the harmonious evolution of all creatures and all souls. This natural order permits all of life to grow and expand and live ebulliently and ecstatically whilst supporting all of the interconnections of all creatures. The cultural habits of Hindus have developed in accordance with this order and this is why Hindus the world over have no difficulty in integrating, being successful and thriving irrespective of which nation they live in.

Dharma Rakshak:    in the awards context means  ‘Protector of Righteousness and Civic Harmony’

British Hindu Manifesto:     Launched on 5^th April 2015. Further details on our website.

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