London, 2 June 2002
I had just dropped in for a few minutes at the Hindu Council Office in Brent to pick up some mail, when a lady from the FCO called me. She promptly informed me that the Foreign Secretary wanted to meet Hindu and Muslim leaders on 30 May to brief them on his visit to India and Pakistan.
As soon as I entered the FCO’s premises in Charles Street the next day, an official of the Indian Muslim Federation spotted me, and said, “We are very concerned about some militant Hindu organisations in the UK.”
I was a bit irritated – this was certainly not a conciliatory tone to start a meeting where we hoped to extend a hand of friendship. But not to be browbeaten, I reminded my esteemed colleague that the Hindu community was equally, if not more concerned about certain Muslim organisations, but that the FCO may not be the ideal place to discuss these issues. He immediately retorted by saying that he wished to conduct a debate at a later date. My irritation turned to mirth. Surely, I queried, did he not feel that dialogue was far better than debate? His silent reply weighed heavily in the air.
Ten minutes later, Jack Straw, the Foreign Secretary joined us. Mike O'Brien, Foreign Office Minister covering the region, and Lord Filkin, Parliamentary Under Secretary for Race Equality, Community Policy and European and International Policy at the Home Office also took part in the discussions.
The Foreign Secretary suggested that the Kashmir conflict could only be solved by dialogue. However, he clearly mentioned that the pre-condition for dialogue was for Pakistan to stop cross border terrorism. His remarks were a clear diplomatic victory for India.
In an important step towards peace in the UK, leaders from both communities decided at the meeting that they would openly come out and condemn any future incidents of violence. They agreed that the politics of the subcontinent should not adversely affect the domestics of the UK.
Barry Gardiner, MP for Brent North, who was present at the meeting alongside the Secretary of State made some very clear and concise points in support of India. He described himself as “a representative of the Indians in Brent”, thereby sending clear messages of goodwill to those present.
Speaking after the meeting Jack Straw said, "I was pleased to have the opportunity to brief parliamentarians and community leaders so soon after my return from the region. I was heartened by their support for the international effort to try to avert conflict between India and Pakistan, and by their determination to ensure that if conflict does start it is not allowed to spread to the communities in the UK. I undertook to keep them regularly informed as the situation develops."
I am sure most people will appreciate his role as an envoy of peace, but it remains to be seen whether his voice of reason will prevail in the sub-continent. Hope is a wonderful thing though.
Queen's gesture of faith
Mr Selvathurai, Chairman of the Murugan Temple in Archway sports a beaming face nowadays. And why not? Theirs is the first Hindu temple the Queen is visiting as part of her Golden Jubilee celebrations
“She is visiting the Borough on 6th June, and the local councillors selected our temple as an ideal place for her to meet and mix with her Hindu subjects,” explained Vairava Moorthy, a Trustee of the temple.
The Temple has organised a cultural programme to greet the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh. Dr Narayan Rao, from the Balaji temple near Birmingham will be escorting the Queen, and Sada Anand, Editor of the Tamil daily London Murasu, will be escorting the Duke.
“Due to the high level of security, only 300 people have been allowed inside the temple during the visit,” said Vairava Moorthy.
“Only 300?” I asked him. “Didn’t you get thousands of people clamouring to get through your gates?”
“Oh, we decided to be fair to everyone,” he replied. “So we sent application forms to 2000 of our members, and selected 200 people by drawing lots. The rest are dignitaries and guests.”
A lottery invitation? And I thought gambling was not allowed on temple premises. Hmmmmmm………