BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha in West London brought together hundreds of members of the community for an inspiring celebration on Sunday 15 May 2022 to commemorate the birth centenary of His Holiness Pramukh Swami Maharaj.
Pramukh Swami Maharaj was one of the world’s great spiritual leaders, serving as a global ambassador of peace, harmony and selfless service, working tirelessly for the greater good of humanity. His life embodied his timeless, universal teaching: “In the joy of others lies our own.”
Throughout 2022, hundreds of thousands around the world have been honouring and celebrating his inspiring life of selfless service, devotion and spirituality through a series of uplifting programmes for the whole family.
The event in West London included insightful talks, video shows, a panel discussion, traditional Indian folk dancing and devotional singing. Swamis from India and the UK, performers of various ages from across the country as well as members of the local community all came together to deliver this inspiring two-hour programme.
Various charity partners, faith representatives and civic leaders also shared their personal experiences on how the work of BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha inspired by Pramukh Swami Maharaj has supported individuals, families and the wider community in their local region.
Distinguished guests who joined the local congregation for this devotional celebratory event included Virendra Sharma MP (Ealing Southall) and Representative Deputy Lieutenants Bruce Houlder and Randeep Lall (Hillingdon and Hounslow, respectively).
Also present were Cllr Jagdish Sharma and Cllr Shantanu Rajawat (Hounslow), who spoke about the unity and friendship that such events foster within the community whilst providing a platform for young children to shine. Cllr Sharma shared his personal interactions and memories of Pramukh Swami Maharaj when the world-renowned Neasden Temple first opened in 1995. Randeep Lall encouraged everyone to “look at the values of your guru [Pramukh Swami Maharaj] and take one of these values home and implement it with your family.”
Neha Patel, one of the volunteers who helped organise the event, added, “Pramukh Swami Maharaj has done so much for me and my family personally, so it was a real honour to pay tribute to him and share his values and far-reaching work with the local community here in West London. I truly believe: imbibing even one lesson from the life of Pramukh Swami Maharaj can make our world a better place for us and our children.”