- Saturday, April 20, 2024
By: Shubham Ghosh
UK home secretary Priti Patel on Sunday (7) joined thousands to celebrate Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights, at Bhaktivedanta Manor Hare Krishna Temple near Watford, England.
Highlights of the festival included colourful dances, plays from ancient Indian history, and devotional music. Thousands of free vegetarian meals were served to the guests throughout the day. Volunteers numbering around 1,500 help prepare for the festival for more than five days.
Ajay Kumar, one of the organisers of the event, said, “We have continued to follow government Covid Guidelines and made this a ticketed event, preventing overcrowding and making this a safe festival for all the family, young and old.”
An honour to be back at @NeasdenTemple and @Iskcon_Manor for #Diwali blessings today. Thank you all for the wonderful welcome you gave myself and Prime Minister @BorisJohnson.
Wishing everyone a Happy New Year! pic.twitter.com/SsRFxx5FVB
— Priti Patel (@pritipatel) November 7, 2021
Patel, who sported a pink Indian lehenga, was given a warm welcome at the venue. She was also taken for an extensive tour of the venue, which includes the George Harrison Garden and the main temple shrine where she was blessed by the temple’s head priest.
The home secretary, who after visiting the rooms of ISKCON founder Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, was led to an exhibit representing the holy places of Vrindavan, India. She was also presented a book about numerous pilgrimage sites in and around Vrindavan.
Patel also went to the Manor’s New Gokula farm on site where she honoured the cows with a ceremony and then fed them carrots.
During her visit, Patel said, “It was an honour to be back at Bhaktivedanta Manor for Diwali blessings today. Thank you all for the wonderful welcome you gave me.”
“Diwali is a time for family and for prayers, sacrifice and charity,” said temple president Her Grace Visakha Dasi. “Millions of devotees around the world worship Lord Rama on this day by lighting lamps and sharing a sumptuous vegetarian feast with friends and neighbours,” she said.
