DOZENS ENJOY PILGRIMAGE ROUND CITY VISITING DIFFERENT FAITH COMMUNITIES

This article appears in today's Leicester Mercury:

Dozens enjoy pilgrimage round city visiting different faith communities

More than 40 people took part in an annual inter-faith walking pilgrimage in Clarendon Park, Leicester, at the weekend.

The event, which took six hours to complete, visited seven sites where pilgrims were welcomed by a different faith community.

The tour began at noon, at Guru Amar Das Gurdwara, before moving on to the Quaker Meeting House, then St John the Baptist Church, before being hosted by Baha'is in the Octagon Room, attached to St John's.

The walkers then visited the Neve Shalom Progressive Synagogue, The Art of Living Centre, in Toller Road, finishing at the Geeta Bhavan Hindu Temple and Community Centre, in Clarendon Park Road.

At each stage, the group was welcomed with a talk about the community hosting them and the place of worship. They also joined in a short devotional activity.

Barbara Butler of Christians Aware, which organised the event, said: "We spent a little time with Sikhs, Quakers, Anglicans, Baha'is, Jews and Hindus. We're grateful to those who played host to our group."

ENJOY CELEBRATIONS IN SAFETY

This article appears in today's Leicester Mercury:

Enjoy celebrations in safety

Worshippers are being asked to follow simple safety tips to ensure a happy Diwali and Navratri.

Police, firefighters and the city council are teaming up to offer safety advice throughout the celebrations, with 10,000 greetings cards with safety messages being posted through letterboxes in the Belgrave, Latimer and Rushey Mead areas of the city.

Firefighters are urging Hindus and other devotees to take care when using candles and flames.

People attending celebrations and visiting friends are being asked to lock their homes and cover up expensive jewellery when out and about.

Chief Superintendent Rob Nixon said: "Each year, thousands of people take part in Diwali celebrations in Leicester.

"Our role is to ensure that they can enjoy this special time without fear of crime.

"Many people will be busy visiting friends and family in the coming weeks. We are urging them to take a few simple crime prevention measures – such as securing their windows and doors every time they leave their home, and being discreet with valuables, in particular expensive jewellery – when they are out and about.

"I would like to take this opportunity to wish everyone a safe and happy Navratri and Diwali."

Chief Superintendent Rob Nixon launched the campaign with colleagues from Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service yesterday.

Speaking at Belgrave Community Centre, in Rothley Street, police and fire officers advised people not to overfill oil lamps and to be vigilant when out during celebrations.

More than 35,000 people are expected to pack into the Golden Mile for the Diwali fireworks on Sunday, November 4.

Even more will take to the streets on Diwali day, on Tuesday, November 13, for one of the biggest celebrations of its kind outside India.

Assistant Chief Fire Officer Steve Lunn said: "Leicestershire has a very diverse population.

" The Navratri and Diwali celebrations are a cornerstone of our Hindu community, so we want to make sure everyone remains safe to enjoy every aspect this period has to offer.

"While the number of fires caused by Diva candles have remained low in recent years, it is through education and awareness campaigns, such as this, that we will ensure this remains the case."

Leicester City Council asked people not to bring fireworks to public celebrations. Diwali is also celebrated by Jains, Buddhists and Sikhs.

Navratri is a nine-day Hindu festival dedicated to the worship of Hindu deity Shakti, which starts today.

BBC RADIO LEICESTER'S UGANDA 40 SEASON: CLOSING RECEPTION

I've accepted an invitation to attend a reception at BBC Radio Leicester this evening, to celebrate the conclusion of their Uganda 40 season, that has been running for the past couple of months.

There are about 60 guests gathered in the foyer. I've not seen this used for such a purpose before, but its a very good setting for this kind of thing. For part of the reception, Kamlesh Purohit is broadcasting live from the foyer, interviewing some of the attendees. After all, this is taking place during his time slot.

Speakers include Jane Hill (Editor of BBC Radio Leicester), Rupal Rajani (BBC Radio Leicester presenter, who travelled to Uganda to record several programmes broadcast during this celebratory season) and Sir Peter Soulsby (City Mayor). Sir Peter offers a brief overview of the ways in which the arrival and settlement of Ugandan Asians has transformed the nature of Leicester in business, civic, commercial, culinary, cultural, demographic, economic, political, religious and social terms over the past four decades.

In the photo above, Jane Hill presents Rupal and her producer, Namrata Varia, with a gift expressing the station's thanks for the work they put into making the Uganda 40 season such a success.

As part of the entertainment this evening, Rishi Tavare plays tabla and there's a performance by Kesha Raithatha (photo above), from Leicester's Centre for Indian Classical Dance. There's an exhibition about the Centre on the first floor here, which I get an opportunity to look at (photo below).

It is announced this evening, to general acclaim, that the exhibition, "From Kampala to Leicester" which ran for three months at New Walk Museum and Art Gallery will be given a permanent home at Newarke Houses Museum. I've blogged a couple of times about that, particularly the closing reception (24 September) and about a lecture I heard there entitled, Ugandan Asians in Leicester: From Refugees to Citizens (7 August). I also took part in a live phone-in radio show, last in a week-long series with Jim Davis, entitled "Immigration and Integration: What is the Future for Leicester?"

This is a very congenial occasion which says good things about our city. I'm privileged to have been invited and glad to have attended.

Of the six photos included here, the first, second and fourth are courtesy of Dimple Patel, producer at BBC Radio Leicster. There's also a nice gallery of photos from this evening's event on the website of Pukaar News.

THIS WEEK'S VISITORS (2,282)

Regular update on the number of pageviews received from different parts of the world in the week just ending.

1. United Kingdom 791
2. United States 700
3. Russia 266
4. France 247
5. Germany 60
6. India 59
7. Ukraine 59
8. Ireland 36
9. Poland 33
10. Canada 31

This week's total: 2,282 (last week: 2,311). These are aggregates of figures from the top ten countries only. Blogger's analytics doesn't show the numbers of pageviews below the tenth-ranking country and they don’t show the cumulative total including those additional countries, which is undoubtedly larger than the number shown above.

The world map at the top of this post is the graphic that I see on the stats page. The darker the green, the more pageviews from that country. I can see different versions of that map for "now" (i.e. in the last two hours), "today", "this week", "this month" and "all time". They're updated each time I look at them.

MEET STEVIE-JADE HARDY, RESEARCHER FOR LEICESTER HATE CRIME PROJECT

This afternoon I'm at the Welcome Centre with Tony Nelson (representative of the Leicester HebrewCongregation on the Board of Leicester Council of Faiths, its Treasurer and my Line Manager). We're meeting Stevie-Jade Hardy, Research Associate at the University of Leicester Department of Criminology.

The Department of Criminology is home to the Leicester Hate Crime Project, a two-year funded project exploring the experiences of victims of hate crime – people who have been victimised simply because of who they are. The |Leicester Hate Crime Project wants to hear from anyone who has suffered from hate crime, including those who have been singled out because of their identity or because they were seen as especially vulnerable or somehow "different’" in the eyes of the person who targeted them. Throughout the duration of the project, the team will be working closely with criminal justice agencies and other service providers collectively to challenge hate and prejudice in Leicester.

In discussing how the Council of Faiths might assist the project, we offer the possibility of one of our Open Meetings early next year taking Hate Crime as its theme. This has definite potential but will need to be refined to make it workable. I'm sure we have not heard the last of this topic - or seen the last of Stevie-Jade!

DISCUSSING IMMIGRATION & INTEGRATION ON BBC RADIO LEICESTER

This morning I'm at BBC Radio Leicester, to take part in a live radio phone-in with Jim Davis. This is part of BBC Radio Leicester's Uganda 40 season, that has been running for the past couple of months. Jim has held a phone-in each morning this final week of the season. The topic for today's final programme is "Immigration and Integration: What is the Future for Leicester?"

Given the number of times I've appeared on BBC Radio Leicester, you might be surprised to learn, faithful reader, that this is my first live phone-in. I'm one member of a panel, the others being Richard Bonney (former Professor of Modern History at the University of Leicester) and Surinder Sharma (Chair of The Race Equality Centre). That's the panel in the photo below.

Those who call in during our hour on air offer their own reflections on the impact and significance of the influx of Ugandan Asians 40 years ago, as well as soliciting our comments.

• Jean (in Leicester) says she admires the drive to succeed in Asian communities, especially how parents want their children to make the most of their lives;
• John (in Birstall) asks for our responses to Ted Cantle who said in a recent talk at Secular Hall that multiculturalism is past its sell-by date;
• Bhupinder (in Rushey Mead) reminds us that those Asians who came from Uganda in 1972 weren't the first to come here. She says that her husband arrived in Leicester in 1959 (the year I was born!). In a nice analogy about immigration, she says that people tend not to mind a light drizzle or sun shower - perhaps they won't even put their umbrellas. But when there's a sudden downpour ... and we British do love to complain about the weather!
• Jean (in Oadby) says that she organised an English Teaching Scheme for new arrivals, which began in 1974 and ran to the mid-1990s;
• Lee (in Braunstone) is the only caller who takes a contrary position to the general tone of the show, and has to be cut off by Jim, mid-flow.

Whatever multiculturalism means, it is under attack as never before. Those who appreciate, celebrate, understand and value it are idealists and optimists in outlook and beliefs, pragmatic and practical in our work.

Certainly, a lively interest and involvement in multiculturalism, with its attendant topics of immigration and integration which we have discussed here today, require the challenging of stereotypes. Every ethnic, national and racial group suffers from stereotyping, my own included. In the end, I'm a member of the human race, a citizen of the world. I'm not a rabid Scot; I don't eat haggis or drink whisky (though I do drink Irn Bru). I never went on the march with Ally's Army nor can I condone the pointless resentful bashing of sassenachs. I lived the first half of my life in and around Glasgow, the second half in and around Leicester. I'd like to think I do my best to combine good elements from north and south of the border. Leicester is my home. I love the place and couldn't imagine living anywhere else now. I'll do whatever I can, in my life and work, to help make Leicester a better place for everyone who lives here.

LEICESTERSHIRE & RUTLAND PROBATION TRUST: DIVERSITY RECEPTION

This evening I'm attending Leicestershire & Rutland Probation Trust's annual Diversity Reception, which is being held in Harvest City Church, St Margaret's Business Centre.

The theme of this year's event is "Young Men & Women: Making the Transition from Offender to Responsible Citizen".

After the chance to eat and drink from the buffet provided by Green's Delicatessen and Outside Catering Service, from Loughborough (nice range of vegetarian food, all clearly marked) while enjoying live music from guitar and keyboard duo, The Untouchables, we take our seats for the welcome and introduction by Helen West LRPT's Chief Executive. We're given an overview of the Trust's 2012 diversity programme that looks at issues affecting the under-25 age group, as well as a brief review of the Trust's progress through last year's diversity programme, working with individuals with hidden disabilities, such as Autism and Asberger's Syndrome.

There are short, informative presentations from a panel of ten staff members, broken down into general topics relevant to this evening's theme: Relationships and Lifestyles; Education, Training and Employment; and Accommodation. As an introduction to each of these themes, we hear three dramatised monologues, based on real-life experiences of service users, delivered by members of Off the Fence Theatre Company.

I've been to several of the Trust's Diversity Receptions during my five years in post and I have to hand it to them: they really know how to mix it up and present something fresh each year.

At the end of the Q&A, I get a few minutes to plug the forthcoming Choice Unlimited event, since both that occasion and this reception focus on the same age group.

Despite the fact that the Leicestershire & Rutland Probation Trust is one of the most effective organisations at putting diversity close to the top of its agenda, there has never been any meaningful working relationship between it and Leicester Council of Faiths. I hope that can be rectified in the near future.

I'm also glad of the opportunity to do some positive networking with some of the other guests - particularly Cllr Sarah Russell, who is standing as the Labour Party candidate for the new post of elected Police and Crime Commissioner for Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland. We have an interesting chat about religiously motivated Hate Crime in the city and county and the relationship (such as it is) between Leicester Council of Faiths and agencies like the Safer Leicester Partnership.

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.

MUSIC, MANTRAS & MEDITATION FOR WORSHIPPERS

This article appears in today's Leicester Mercury:

Music, mantras and meditation for worshippers

Hundreds of people have enjoyed a weekend of music, mantras and meditation.

They were taking part in the Kirtan Fest, a two-day festival at the new Hare Krishna Centre in Granby Street, Leicester, which was the finale of 10 days of celebrations for worshippers.

The event involved chanting ancient Sanskrit mantras, accompanied by Eastern and Western instruments, said to uplift the soul and relax the mind.

Pradyumna Das, president of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness Leicester, (Iskcon) said: "This is the easiest form of meditation, because people like music, people like singing and people like dancing, and you can do all of this in mantra meditation."

Nimai Devi Dasi, of Iskcon, said: "It was a really nice event, we've had some lovely feedback.

"People were coming in off the streets to take part and we cooked for 500 on each of the two days.

"It's the first one we've done. It followed eight evenings chanting at venues in Leicester and this was the grand finale. It was good fun."

FAITH FOCUS ON MENTAL HEALTH

This article appears in today's Leicester Mercury:

Faith focus on mental health

More than 40 people were expected at a meeting of faith leaders today to mark World Mental Health Day.

The event, being hosted by Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust, was due to consider the role faith communities play in promoting mental well-being.

It was due to be held at the Bradgate Mental Health Unit, on the Glenfield Hospital site, starting at 6.45pm.