Keeping Leicester awake till midnight

Over fifty people from thirty East Midlands organisations attended a meeting organised for the Commission of Integration and Cohesion in Leicester by the Hindu Forum of Britain, the National Council of Hindu Temples UK and the Vishwa Hindu Parishad UK on 18th February.

Raman Barber, President of the Shree Sanatan Mandir, picked me up from the station.

He is the kind of man who just can’t stop being hospitable. As soon as I entered the temple, he asked me if I wanted some ‘prasad’. I thought that ‘prasad’ would probably be a small bowl of sheera or a laddu.

I bumped into Kamal Nandha, an eighteen year student from Leicester, who has undertaken a part-time sabbatical at the Hindu Forum of Britain. He had come in early to help me set up the audio-visual equipment for the meeting.

A few minutes later, a volunteer from the temple walked in with two large plates of food – it contained everything from rice and roti to dal and shaak.

“Er – Ramanbhai, I thought you said you were going to serve me some prasad, not a whole meal,” I exclaimed, pleasantly surprised. The journey from London had made me quite hungry and this was a welcome distraction from the meeting that was to follow.

Raman Barber, Kamal Nandha and I crowded into a small room in the temple and ate the delicious meal that had been brought for us.

“This has come straight from the plate offered to the Deities of Radha and Krishna,” beamed Raman Barber.

We came out of the room after our meal only to find that ten of our guests had already arrived. They were all relishing plates of spicy bhajiyas (not the screaming hot variety I am afraid) and cups of piping hot masala tea. The hospitality does not stop flowing!

Later, he confided to me, “We want to organise a Janmashtrami celebration till midnight this year with a proper abhishek at the stroke of twelve. No one in Leicester has ever organised a midnight Janmashtami celebration for Lord Krishna in a temple. This will be the first time.”

I am sure that with his organising skills and committed team of volunteers, he will be able to conduct a spectacular festival that will keep all of Leicester awake till midnight on Janmashtami.

Watch this space.