HINDUS PRAY FOR PRINCE'S HAPPY FUTURE

This article appears in today's Leicester Mercury:

Vinod Popat celebrates with Shraddha Seth, 10, and Shiv Aunarkat, 10

Hindus pray for prince's happy future

Hindus have prayed for a happy future for Prince George at a celebration of the royal baby's birth.

Dozens of members of the Hindu community were joined by the Lord Lieutenant of Leicestershire, Jennifer, Lady Gretton, who is the Queen's representative in the county.

It is traditional for prayers to be said on the sixth day of a new baby's life.

Vinod Popat, who organised the event in Belgrave, Leicester, on Saturday, said: "According to the Hindu teachings, the Lord of Destiny comes to bless the child on the sixth day.

"We were celebrating the birth of the prince with singing and drummers, and praying for the Lord of Destiny to write a beautiful destiny for the future king."

Lady Gretton said: "The Hindu community here has come together to celebrate and I think it's wonderful how everyone has joined in."

Among those enjoying the entertainment was 14-year-old Krishna Savadia.

She said: "We've been celebrating the birth of the new prince because we've been so excited about it and we've had so much fun."

BRITISH HINDU VOICE STATEMENT RE WOOLWICH INCIDENT

As you can imagine, faithful reader, many comments and statements will be made regarding the incident in Woolwich, Wednesday 22 May 2013. I'm posting a selection of these on the blog, limited to relevant organisations with which Leicester Council of Faiths is involved to some extent. Below is a statement by British Hindu Voice ("a think tank and a single voice for the Hindu and Jain Communities in Leicester and Leicestershire") issued today in the name of the Chair, Mr Vinod Popat:

The British Hindu Voice (BHV) today condemned the murder of a serving British Officer. The Chair of BHV Vinod Popat stated “I am shocked by the news of the murder that happened in  broad daylight on a British street. The gruesome nature of the murder and the gloating that followed should be condemned in the strongest terms. Our thoughts and prayers are with the brave British soldier’s family”BHV urges calm at these difficult times. It is now known that the perpetrators were both Muslims and whilst we support the Islamic community in their efforts to distance from the individuals, the worry is that faiths and religion could be confused and innocent communities could be targeted. BHV will continue to work with other faiths in Leicestershire to ensure that the good harmony is maintained.