The policeman who escorted me into Buckingham Palace for the Faith Community Reception hosted by the Queen on 10th June assured me that being five minutes late was not a problem at all. “We usually have a few people walking in just as everyone else is getting ready to leave - so you are doing fine,” he said in a rather friendly voice.
Inside the Palace, I saw the Queen, the Prince of Wales and the Duke of Edinburgh mingling with the guests. Smart waiters floated in and out with champagnes and canapés. The Archbishop read out loyal greetings on behalf of the major faith communities and thanked the Queen for hosting the reception.
Saunaka Rsi Dasa from the Oxford Centre of Vaishnava and Hindu Studies came up to speak to me. “The Queen made enquiries about my experiences in following the Vaishnava Hindu tradition although I was born an Irish Catholic,” he said, looking rather resplendent in his crisply ironed dhoti and kurta. “And oh,” he added with a twinkle in his eye, “I managed to make the Prince of Wales laugh..”
“Prince Charles recognised me from the launch of the Respect project in Birmingham last month,” whispered Vinod Patel from the Swaminarayan Temple.
Dr Nandakumara from the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan spoke to the Prince about a long pending visit to their Centre in London. “His Secretary remembered that this visit has been due for a long time,” he told me later.
I looked at the long lines of people waiting to shake hands with the Royal family. Being Royalty is not such an easy job - especially when they are so good at it.
Mockery at the Altar
Sheetal Patel (he’s a boy, not a girl) will be married twice on the same day to Deena Solanki. In fact they will be married, but will not really be married. Confused? I was too – until Sheetal (the boy) told me that they were enacting a mock wedding for the Hindu Youth Festival North on 13th July 2002.
“I feel quite nervous,” said 21 year-old Sheetal. “I’ve never done it before you see,” he added with a mischievous grin.
Deena, the ‘bride’ is also organising a fashion show between the two mock ceremonies at the Festival. “Its every girl’s dream to be a bride. So I’ll consider this a practice session for the future,” she told me coyly over the phone.
“How long have you known Deena?” I asked Sheetal (and yes, he’s still a boy - in case you forgot).
“It’s a blind date. I’ve never met her,” he blurted out trying hard not to look embarrassed. Everyone else in the room tried hard to keep a straight face, while I tried hard not to look gleefully delighted.
“The Festival is an opportunity to celebrate Hindu dharma and raise awareness amongst our youth,” said Deena’s mother Sheela Solanki, who is one of the Co-ordinators. “Our youth are not so interested in our Hindu culture nowadays. The Festival hopes to change this by making the learning process an interactive experience full of fun.”
Kailash Parekh, the Operations Manager for the Festival explained that the venue was divided into nine zones. Activities included antakshari, costumes from India, workshops, seminars, questions and answers, interactive exhibits, cultural shows, dance, drama and a fashion show. “We have a dedicated team of more than 50 volunteers,” she mentioned. “And their enthusiasm and team spirit are inspiring.”
“The theme of the Festival is ‘to get connected.’ We want to connect youth so that they can have their questions answered and doubts cleared,” explained 26 year old Harsha Patel with unbridled passion. “We want to attract people to the principles of Hinduism by focussing on themes like architecture, culture, cookery, education, history and spirituality.”
I congratulated Kailash on the excellent team she had assembled for conducting the Festival. If you want to take part in the festival, give her a ring on 01772 225 538.
“Have you got a priest to conduct the mock wedding?” I asked as a matter of fact. “We were rather hoping it might be you,” she replied.
Me and my big mouth.