INTER-FAITH PROJECT IN AWARD JOY

This article appears in today's Leicester Mercury:

Inter-faith project in award joy

An inter-faith project to improve a neighbourhood in Oadby has been given an award in the House of Commons.

In October, volunteers from Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist, Hindu, Jain and Sikh backgrounds took part in a project to plant bulbs and clear shrubs around Fludes Lane, in Oadby.

The project was organised by the St Philip's Centre in Evington, which works to bring the city's different religions together.

The work took part [sic] on Sewa Day, an international day of selfless giving and the organisers went to the House of Commons on Wednesday to pick up their Sewa Pioneers Award.

Riaz Ravat, deputy director of St Philip's Centre, said: "This award is a tribute to the many volunteers who put Leicester and Leicestershire on the map.

"Projects from across the globe were nominated for this important accolade and our volunteers showed once again that serving important causes can be done by working with people of all faith and belief backgrounds."

Rupa Kanabar, an Oadby resident who took part in the project, said: "Sewa Day has proved that by bringing all the communities together, we can really make the environment and our world a better place."

HELPERS GET HANDY AS PART OF SEWA DAY

This article appears in today's Leicester Mercury:

Helpers get handy as part of Sewa Day

Dozens of volunteers from Buddhist, Hindu, Jain and Sikh communities teamed up for a day of service to the community.

The came together with the St Philip's Centre in Evington, Leicester, to mark Sewa Day and helped clean up Fludes Lane, in Oadby, on Sunday.

The 40 volunteers cleared the area – a walk-through from the A6 to a group of houses – of litter and planted flower bulbs to spruce it up.

Rupa Kanabar, from Oadby, said: "Material things and money alone cannot bring groups together, so our project, as well as caring for the environemnt, aims to create inter faith understanding and friendships."

Riaz Ravat, deputy director at St Philip's Centre, said: "Sewa Day is a special time of the year when Buddhist, Hindu, Jain and Sikh communities work collectively for the good of all.

"These communities have a rich tradition of carrying out Sewa every day of the year, but Sewa Day is an event which co-ordinates charity efforts across the globe.

"We are delighted to be involved yet again in this important initiative."

Oadby and Wigston Borough Council provided jackets and equipment for the clean-up.

HOW OUR GOOD DEEDS BECOME A UNIFYING FORCE

Here's Riaz Ravat's First Person column from today's Leicester Mercury:

How our good deeds become a unifying force 

Riaz Ravat looks ahead to Mitzvah Day, a charity event which brings different faiths together 

In a few days' time, the Jewish community of Leicestershire will once again team up with St Philip's Centre and other faiths to mark Mitzvah Day, or as some call it, "good deed" day. The event coincides with the start of national Inter-Faith Week which this year marks its third anniversary. 

Last year's Mitzvah Day took all of us organisers by surprise. Barely a day after the national Children in Need appeal, the people of Leicestershire continued their unstinting generosity by donating toiletries to our cause. Our campaign was to help people who have escaped domestic violence and who were forced to live in safe houses as a result. Mitzvah Day is an expression of how a small community, the Jewish community, makes a big difference to those on the frontline of societal ills. 

Enshrined in the teachings of so many faiths, social action has become more pressing, particularly in light of the tough economic climate we are all living in. While dialogue creates the opening for good community relations, action helps to solidify it. We in Leicester have pioneered a new way of expressing commitment to each of our respective faiths while sharing a platform of co-operation with others. 

In September, Sewa Day or "service" day, which is rooted in Buddhist, Hindu, Jain and Sikh faiths, provided an opportunity for these faiths to work alongside Christians, Jews and Muslims to deliver a teatime treat for elderly folk from the West Indian Senior Citizens Project. Likewise Mitzvah Day with its Jewish origins will open the doors for other faiths to come on board to show that Leicester's contribution in both method and model, is original and distinctive. Already Christian, Hindu, Sikh and Muslim groups have pledged donations. 

Our Mitzvah Day effort does not collect money but bathroom items. We do not need £1 off you when a pair of toothbrushes costing 10p at the checkout will do for our collection. As with last year, however, the reality is very different with people donating over and above our expectations. Generosity is an attribute which is often missing in any discourse which attempts to define the meaning of "Britishness". Rather than some who are obsessed by the criteria of ethnicity, we should instead focus on ethics. By doing this we can have a proper assessment about the input made to advance life for all in the UK. 

The Jewish community offers a blueprint for other minorities as to how a small community, can make a sizeable contribution to wider society. The good deeds of the Jewish community in this city stretching back several centuries, reminds us that communities, however small, have been through many storms yet by remaining resilient and resolute, their efforts have generated rewards which everyone in society benefits from. 

Mitzvah Day is next Sunday. 

Riaz Ravat is based at St Philip's Centre, Leicester

SEWA DAY

Today is the second annual Sewa Day. Here's some information from the Sewa Day website. There's lots more of interest and inspiration to be found there.

Sewa is a universal concept, which involves performing an act of kindness without expectation of reward. It is performed selflessly and without ulterior motive.

As a concept, Sewa in embedded in Indian traditions, and is actively promoted by different cultures and faiths - as the core belief is the same - to sacrifice your time and resources for the benefit of others without wanting anything in return. 

On Sewa Day, thousands of good-hearted people across the world come together to perform Sewa and experience the joy of giving in its truest sense. By participating in this collective endeavour, we hope that the seeds of Sewa are watered so that acts of kindness and public service are performed more often. Sewa Day is a catalyst in making this happen. 

Previously, participating groups have organised Sewa Day volunteering projects in old people’s homes, homeless shelters, schools in disadvantaged areas, hospitals and hospices, country parks, conservation areas and city farms – all with an aim of making a positive difference to someone else’s happiness and prosperity. Join us this year to make our dream a reality.We’re all concerned about disadvantage, deprivation and ignorance. Sewa day provides an opportunity to do something positive that makes a meaningful difference to someone else’s quality of life. 

We discourage all projects that involve fund-raising; as the purpose is to give your time. So, let’s focus on that. 

It really doesn’t matter if you’re a pensioner or a young child, whether you’re physically able or not, or whether you black, brown or blue. 

All that matters is that you commit to doing a good deed on Sewa Day, which takes place on Sunday, 25th September 2011. 

Sewa UK is a secular, non-political UK registered charity.

While Leicester Council of Faiths is not, itself, participating in or promoting any particular activity for Sewa Day 2011, I couldn't let the occasion go by without reflecting on how selfless service is treated in the scripture or inspirational texts of our eight member faith communities.

In the extract from the Sewa Day website above, it states, "As a concept, Sewa in embedded in Indian traditions, and is actively promoted by different cultures and faiths - as the core belief is the same - to sacrifice your time and resources for the benefit of others without wanting anything in return." This does not suggest (indeed, it counters the suggestion) that such a concept and practice is the domain of the faiths, religions or philosophies of Indian origin alone. They can surely be said to be common to all religions, sometimes being expressed in more general terms as "The Golden Rule"). But whether it is called sewa, service, charity, caritas - or some other term - it is one of the core principles, central practices and essential virtues of the spiritual life. It may be expressed in a myriad forms and practices, but its presence enriches the world and its absence devalues religion itself.

Here are some quotations from each of our eight member faiths that I have found myself. No doubt you could come up with many more, faithful reader.

Bahá'í

"This is worship: to serve mankind and to minister to the needs of the people. Service is prayer." ('Abdu'l-Bahá)

Buddhist

"The greatest quality is seeking to serve others." (Atisha)

Christian

"Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms." (1 Peter 4:9-11)

Hindu

“Give. Give with faith. Do not give without faith. Give with sensitivity. Give with a feeling of abundance. Give with right understanding.” (Taittiriya Upanishad)

Jain

"In making a gift one gets over greed, which is a form of Himsa, and hence gifts made to the worthy recipients amount to a renunciation of Himsa (i.e., amount to observance of Ahimsa)." (Purusharthasiddhi-upaya)

Jewish

"He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the foreigner residing among you, giving them food and clothing." (Deuteronomy10:17-19)

Muslim

"Worship God, and join not aught with Him in worship. Be good to parents, and to kindred, and to orphans, and to the poor, and to a neighbour, whether kinsman or new-comer, and to a fellow traveller, and to the wayfarer, and to the slaves whom your right hands hold; verily, God loveth not the proud, the vain boaster" (Qur’án, 4:40)

Sikh

"A place in God's court can only be attained if we do service to others in this world." (Guru Granth Sahib)

WORSHIPPERS UNITE FOR TEATIME TREAT

This article is published in today's Leicester Mercury:

Worshippers unite for teatime treat 

Worshippers of different faiths united yesterday to give help to people in need. 

Volunteers from Buddhist, Hindu and Sikh organisations gave out food and spent time with members of the West Indian Senior Citizens' Project, in Highfields, Leicester. 

The event, Talk Over Tea, was held in the run-up to Sewa Day, an annual day of volunteering which sees thousands of people of different faiths around the world doing good deeds to help others. 

The group in Leicester was also joined by staff from Bobby's Restaurant, in Belgrave Road, who helped to give out food and refreshments. 

As well as giving help to people in need, Talk Over Tea aimed to build bridges between people of different faiths. 

St Philip's Centre, a charity in Evington which works to build bridges between people of different religions, helped to organise the event. 

Riaz Ravat, who works at the centre, said: "It has been a special day for us. The number of people of different faiths who have put a smile on the faces of those who came has been fantastic. 

"There was so much enthusiasm from all the volunteers." 

Volunteer Kartar Singh Bring, who is Sikh, said: "Working hand-in-hand with other faith communities in Leicester to celebrate our shared values is a great way to bring people closer together." 

Sewa Day itself takes place on Sunday.

In the photo: Stephenie Spiby and volunteer Vandana Patel share a joke and a cuppa at the West Indian Senior Citizens' Project, in Highfields, Leicester, during yesterday's Talk Over Tea event. Picture by Will Johnston

INTER-FAITH WORK SHOWS THE BIG SOCIETY IN ACTION

Suleman Nagdi has written the First Person column in today's Leicester Mercury:

Inter-faith work shows the Big Society in action 

Suleman Nagdi reflects on projects that help to make our city stand out from the rest 

Riaz Ravat's first person article (Mercury, September 15) was an excellent description of his efforts through St Philip's Centre at working with people of diverse backgrounds. I say this by virtue of my association with Riaz, whom I hold in high regard, and the article truly represents his honest views about how we can build a city which stands out from the rest. 

The Sewa Day effort to help elderly people from the African Caribbean community who are often forgotten and helped build key services we now take for granted, is a project which is rooted in the best traditions and values of Britain. 

There are those voices out there who may throw doubt on inter-faith work but we need to convince them that their doubts should be put aside so that they can witness the immense confidence-building work which communities do for vulnerable individuals every day of the week. This is the Big Society at its best. It is alive and kicking. Last year I had the pleasure of working with Riaz and our Jewish friends for Mitzvah Day. 

As a Muslim representing the Federation of Muslim Organisations (FMO) it was poignant for me to stand with volunteers from all faiths and none, outside supermarkets collecting toiletries for people suffering domestic violence. 

I fondly recall our gathering in the Jewish communal hall to assess our collections which were staggering. I am proud to say that already this year, even before the Mitzvah Day campaign has been launched, that the FMO and the Islamic Society of Britain whose "Eat n Meet" campaign was endorsed by the imams and Bishop of Leicester, have offered their support. 

Last October when our relations were tested, Hindus, Sikhs, Christians and those of other faiths and beliefs stood shoulder to shoulder with Muslims on a day when our city was challenged. The recent riots highlighted just how vital it is for us to renew our commitment to British values. In these most testing of economic times, when many members of our local community have fallen on hard times due to the cuts made by the Government, strong community and inter-faith work is needed more than ever so that we may all support each other to face the many and varied challenges that we all face in today's society. 

Let us take a page from Riaz's book to show how our young generation can be great visionaries for our nation. Riaz's vocation brings to mind the Qur'anic verse 49:13 which reads: "O mankind! We created you from a single (pair) of a male and a female and made you into nations and tribes that ye may know each other (not that ye may despise each other). Verily the most honoured of you in the sight of Allah is (he who is) the most righteous of you. And Allah has full knowledge and is well acquainted (with all things)." 

Suleman Nagdi is spokesman for the Federation of Muslim Organisations.

Suleman is a long-standing member of Leicester Council of Faiths. I'm sorry to see that he does not mention the Council of Faiths in this article.

FOCUSING ON OUR COMMITMENT TO EACH OTHER

Riaz Ravat has written the First Person column in today’s Leicester Mercury: 

Focusing on our commitment to each other 

Riaz Ravat looks at Sewa Day, an inter-faith charity event which brings people together 

In a few days, volunteers from a number Leicester's Indian-rooted faith communities, will come together for a special Sewa Day event. "Sewa" originates from the Indian language of Sanskrit and the concept invokes a spirit of community and selfless service for a just and fair society. It is promoted by different cultures and faiths but the core belief is the same – to sacrifice your time and resources for the benefit of others without wanting anything in return. In this age of the "Big Society", Sewa Day makes a key contribution. 

Leicester would not be Leicester unless we deliver Sewa Day in our own unique and cosmopolitan style. This is why for us the day is anchored in the wider inter-faith context of the city. It is all too easy to run campaigns for individual faiths, by individual faiths. Rather, we have established a special partnership which includes several Gurdwaras, Hindu groups, a Buddhist Temple, an Indian restaurant, as well as individual volunteers from the Buddhist, Hindu and Sikh communities. 

Our project, "Talk over Tea", will involve engaging and entertaining elderly members of the African Caribbean community. Not only are we sharing food and socialising with one of society's most isolated and vulnerable groups but we are also building relational bridges between people of different backgrounds. 

There will be so many conversations to explore, such as discovering each others' cultures, faiths, life experiences, traditions and, of course, diets! It seems like a simple idea, which it is, but it doesn't often happen very often. That's why we need a focus and Sewa Day gives us that opportunity to stop and think about our commitment to each other. 

Although Sewa Day is a relatively new initiative, it is nevertheless, a reminder about the long-standing efforts made by Buddhists, Hindus and Sikhs to the social fabric of the UK. 

Charity is part and parcel of these major faiths and is delivered in temples and communities every single day of the week. Sewa Day is just one of many faith-based social action initiatives run each year. In November, the Christian-Muslim Dialogue Group will run its 10th annual charity dinner. 

St Philip's Centre with its Christian heritage has co-ordinated the distinctive effort for Sewa Day. There is a precedent for how people of one faith can engineer charity efforts which are based in other traditions. Last year we launched Leicester's first-ever Mitzvah Day campaign. Mitzvah is a Hebrew word meaning "good deed" and our partnership with the Jewish community and other faiths of the city once again demonstrated our common endeavour, which is to utilise the best that each of our faiths offer to serve wider society. 

Sewa Day – next Thursday – will show that when Leicester contributes, it makes a difference by being different. 

Riaz Ravat is based at St Philip's Centre, Leicester.