BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha, in collaboration with the Permanent Mission of India to the United Nations, hosted a cultural and commemorative Diwali celebration at the United Nations Office in Vienna on Wednesday 12 November 2025.
Alongside Diwali, the special gathering also celebrated two historic milestones – 30 years of BAPS’s partnership with the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), including 25 years of General Consultative Status, and 25 years since His Holiness Pramukh Swami Maharaj’s landmark address at the Millennium World Peace Summit at the United Nations headquarters in New York City, USA.
Diplomats and dignitaries from the Permanent Missions of Afghanistan, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand, and the United States of America joined officials from the United Nations and representatives of interfaith and community organisations to celebrate light, peace, and partnership. The event also welcomed BAPS representatives from Australia, Austria, France, Germany, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Portugal, Sweden, and the United Kingdom, reflecting the fellowship’s global reach and its continuing partnership with the UN family.
BAPS swamis and youths opened the programme with traditional Vedic prayers for universal peace and well-being. A short video introduced Diwali’s timeless message of the triumph of good over evil. Guests and dignitaries then joined in lighting the ceremonial lamp, symbolising a shared commitment to hope, harmony, and renewal.
The commemorative segment recalled the historic moment in August 2000 when
Pramukh Swami Maharaj addressed the Millennium World Peace Summit in the General Assembly Hall – the first Gujarati address delivered at the United Nations. A specially prepared video revisited his call for peace built upon mutual respect and personal responsibility, inspiring all present to renew that vision.
Dr Markand Patel, a leading volunteer of BAPS UK & Europe’s healthcare services, systematically reflected on BAPS’s work over the last three decades in advancing the various objectives of the United Nations. He explained: “Powered by volunteers rooted in their local communities, this partnership exemplifies what the UN calls ‘localisation of the Sustainable Development Goals’ – transforming compassion into measurable, lasting change.”
Mr Vikram Jeet Duggal, Counsellor at the Permanent Mission of India, delivered the keynote address, commending the shared ethos of Diwali, BAPS and the UN. “Let us be inspired by BAPS’s example and reaffirm our shared resolve to work for peace, sustainability, and the upliftment of all.” He particularly appreciated the leadership of Mahant Swami Maharaj in “continuing [Pramukh Swami Maharaj’s] legacy of peace-building and harmony,” before going on to say, “[Mahant Swami Maharaj] serves as an exemplar and true Ambassador of Love, Peace, and Harmony in our world today.”
Among the distinguished guests, Ms Peri Lynne Johnson, Assistant Director General and Legal Adviser of the UN’s International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), highlighted the need for moral clarity and human responsibility in shaping peaceful and secure societies. A lawyer and expert in international law with more than two decades of multilateral experience, Ms Johnson leads the IAEA’s legal office and advises on the peaceful uses of atomic energy worldwide. She particularly appreciated the “uplifting themes of Diwali,” adding, “it’s fitting that BAPS celebrates Diwali here, bringing together the UN community in Vienna.” She also appreciated BAPS’s work in serving the refugees of the Ukraine humanitarian crisis, while also noting its work in the United States, saying, “Hearing the work of BAPS feels like home again.”
Mr Yuko Yasunaga, a highly distinguished and respected UN official with several responsibilities – including as Deputy Director General and Managing Director of the UN’s Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), and the Director General’s Special Representative for Asia – underlined the importance of partnership between public institutions and civil society in driving sustainable and inclusive change. A former senior Japanese government official with decades of experience in economic policy and international cooperation, Mr Yasunaga congratulated BAPS on its 25 years of General Consultative Status with ECOSOC, and reiterated BAPS’s commitment to “work together… as good neighbours, hand in hand.”
In a recorded message, Mr Yann Dubosc, Mayor of Bussy-Saint-Georges in Paris, celebrated BAPS’s growing role in promoting intercultural understanding in Europe through the forthcoming BAPS Swaminarayan Hindu Mandir in Paris. He shared: “BAPS’s work across countless local communities shows that spirituality and service can go hand in hand. Through its various partnerships, BAPS reminds us that lasting peace begins not in grand declarations, but in small acts of kindness and cooperation.”
Brahmaviharidas Swami, Head of BAPS Hindu Mandir Abu Dhabi and BAPS International Relations, delivered a plenary address on the theme “Peace through Partnership”, encouraging collaboration grounded in shared values, selfless service, and open-heartedness. He explained, “Just as partnering with sunlight gives us solar energy, and partnering with water gives us hydro energy, partnering with one another gives rise to greater human energy…. Ultimately, when we partner with all the forces of humanity and nature, we generate genuine, lasting peace.”
The programme concluded with a short video presentation of His Holiness Mahant Swami Maharaj, the spiritual leader of BAPS, who offered his blessings and words of inspiration. He encouraged everyone to “become a lamp of goodness that brightens the world around us,” before praying: “May God bless us to see divinity in all and to find joy in serving others, so that a more compassionate world may grow.”
Rena Amin, Head of BAPS External Relations (UK & Europe), concluded the proceedings by thanking the delegates and adding, “We, as volunteers of BAPS, look forward to everyone’s continued goodwill, support, and partnership so that we may continue to grow together in serving humanity – with sincerity, humility, and integrity.”
Before departing, guest viewed the annakut – a devotional offering of vegetarian food artistically arranged to express gratitude and harmony – and shared Diwali delicacies in a spirit of fellowship.