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Telegraph
15-06-2025
- General
- Telegraph
The London community hollowed out by Air India crash
When Air India flight 171 went down, it sent shock waves across the world, but the grief was particularly acute in a close-knit Hindu community of north-west London. At the International Siddhashram Shakti Centre in Harrow, at least 20 members of the Hindu ashram lost loved ones when the Air India flight hit a medical hostel just seconds after take-off from Ahmedabad airport on Thursday. Shri Rajrajeshwar Guruji, the temple's spiritual leader, led multi-faith prayers and a candlelit vigil in memory of the dead on Saturday. 'We all need to be united to support our community. It is very sad news,' he said, adding the prayer 'God, please do not give this kind of death to others. 'People, they are born, and their death is a normal cycle for the human being, but this type of death is unbelievable.' Representatives from Sikh, Christian, Muslim, Jewish and Zoroastrian communities also led prayers at the ceremony, where the Guruji and Cllr Anjana Patel, the newly elected mayor of Harrow, revealed their personal connections to the tragedy. Shri Rajrajeshwar Guruji recalled his recent encounter with the former Gujarat chief minister, Vijay Rupani, who had visited the temple for tea. 'I remember he was sitting in my office, having tea, and suddenly, on the 12th of June, I heard the message. The person who I know very well, he is no more,' he said. 'Two weeks ago, I was talking to one of the family members [who were on the flight], and he was travelling back to India. He said, 'Guruji when I will be back, we will get together'. Now, the day is never going to come back.' The spiritual leader said the 'big lesson' from this tragedy is 'please be kind with your family and friends'. Attendees became visibly emotional after Cllr Anjana Patel addressed the plight of two young girls from Harrow who were orphaned in the crash. 'The saddest incident we have got here in Harrow is that one parent had already died here because of cancer,' she said, as the crowd audibly gasped. Their father, Arjun Patoliya, 37, had flown to India to scatter his wife's ashes. Bharti Patel, 43, had died of cancer just three weeks earlier. 'The husband goes to do the rituals in India, and coming back on that flight, he also is obviously no more,' said the mayor. 'So he has left two very small little girls behind. The girls are now orphans. I really, really do pray and hope that those girls will be very well looked after by all of us.' The Mayor, whose family is from Gujarat, the Indian state where the crash occurred, revealed she had lost a relative. 'I myself know that my sister-in-law's cousin has passed away in this incident,' she told the congregation. Speaking to The Telegraph afterwards, she reflected on her own personal grief. 'Every life lost is obviously very important, and I feel very sad about it. But when somebody is close to you, if you know them, even from a distance, it makes you even more sad, and it really breaks your heart when it happens,' she said. A patron of the temple's charity, Simon Ovens, who also acts as the King's representative, read out a personal message from His Majesty to the congregation. Signed 'Charles R', it said: 'My wife and I have been desperately shocked by the terrible events in Ahmedabad. Our special prayers and deepest possible sympathies are with the families and friends of all those affected by this appalling, tragic incident across so many nations as they await news of their loved ones.' His Majesty also paid tribute to 'the heroic efforts of the emergency services and all those providing help and support at this most heartbreaking and traumatic time'. The MP for East Harrow Bob Blackman also addressed the congregation, remarking on the scale and brutal nature of the community's loss, the death of 53 British nationals, which he said was 'the highest level of deaths of British nationals in an air crash ever.' 'We come together in mourning. When someone dies of illness, or old age, we celebrate their lives, we mourn the fact that they died. But when an air crash happens, completely unpredictable, people are taken away from us immediately, just like that.' Mr Blackman added: 'And now of course we move onto why did it happen, how did it happen, was there anything that could have been done to prevent this. 'Those investigations will go on and I know that the families will expect the position to be absolutely transparent because without that people will not have closure.'
The Independent
13-06-2025
- General
- The Independent
Couple killed in Air India crash had already lost pilot son in earlier tragedy
A couple who died in the Air India plane crash had already lost their only son in a previous aviation tragedy, a London temple leader has said. Shri Rajrajeshwar Guruji, who leads the Siddhashram Shakti Centre in Harrow, north-west London, said the couple had been returning from a religious celebration in India when the flight went down. Their son, a pilot, had died in a crash in France several years earlier. 'This couple had gone to India for a religious celebration – they were coming back and now this has happened,' Mr Guruji, 53, said. 'After what has happened to their son as well – it's just terrible to think about.' The spiritual leader said he personally knew 20 people who were killed in the crash, all members of the Hindu community who had worshipped at his temple over the years. The father-of-three had last spoken to some of the victims as recently as two weeks ago. Most were aged over 40 and had been travelling either to visit elderly relatives in India or to take part in religious events. Others had adult children studying at university in the UK and were returning from extended visits. 'This is the most shocking news we have ever experienced in the temple's 25-year history,' Mr Guruji said. He said the community was united in grief and urged the airline to explain how such a tragedy could have happened. 'We want answers from the airline,' he said. 'They were travelling by plane, they weren't travelling by car.' Discussing the pain felt among the Hindu community in Harrow, he said: 'It can't be described. 'The only feeling left is sadness – we can't do any more. 'When we ask people how they are, everyone knows they are sad – there is nothing more to say. 'This kind of death is different.' The temple's focus now, he said, was offering moral support and regular prayers. An interfaith service is due to be held on Saturday afternoon, with Hindu, Muslim and Christian leaders taking part in candlelit prayers for the victims. Mr Guruji said the Gatwick-to-Ahmedabad route was popular in the community. 'This is the time of year people usually come from India to the UK because of the rainy season there,' he said. He added that the crash had left the wider community in a state of shock, describing it as a 'pause' while people wait to understand what happened. Mr Guruji also confirmed he knew the family of the sole survivor, Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, and planned to travel to his hometown of Leicester on Sunday to offer support.
SBS Australia
05-06-2025
- Lifestyle
- SBS Australia
Oakville, NSW to become home to Australia's first Hindu school
Oakville, NSW to become home to Australia's first Hindu school Published 5 June 2025, 8:01 am Australia is becoming more religiously diverse; the 2021 census finding Hinduism is the third largest religion in Australia. But unlike other faiths, including Islam and Greek Orthodox, there's not yet a mainstream Hindu school. That's about to change — with a bold vision for a block of land in the suburb of Oakville, north-west of Sydney.
BBC News
05-06-2025
- General
- BBC News
Hindu community petition to buy new Slough site
The Hindu community in Slough has started a petition in support of buying a new site "to build a foundation for the next generation".Wexham Court Parish Hall is one of the properties Slough Borough Council is looking to sell to help off its is not yet on the market, but the charity Jeeyar Educational Trust UK (JETUK), which supports Hindu projects around the world, is working with the community to make a purchase before it enters the competitive market. Slough Borough Council said it was unable to comment at this stage. Chandra Kondepudi started the petition, which closes on 13 June, to show support for a preferential sale of the building. "We want to build a foundation for the next generation, " he said. Mr Kondepudi said the community currently has no dedicated building, so they rent out schools and halls like Wexham Court Parish Hall for meetings and festivals. He said the aim for the building was to maintain the community's cultural roots, create language and Sanskrit workshops, and invest in young people. Krishna Madhusudhan is a parent of a young daughter and said it was important to him that she understood her cultural roots. "Children who are in touch with their cultural roots grow up with firm sense of identity, which is really important for their future," he parent, Dr Rajesh Gurrala, said social media and technology had played a role in disconnecting younger generations from their roots. He said: "If you have a community centre, apart from having a place of worship, we also plan to organise events on Hindu teachings."Annapurna Divvela said having a community building running workshops would be beneficial for his children, because they would be around other peers with similar backgrounds. You can follow BBC Berkshire on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.
CBC
12-05-2025
- General
- CBC
‘I cannot possibly overstate its … role': St. John's Hindu Temple celebrates 30 years
The Hindu community would not have the connection it has today without its temple in the east end of St. John's, say its members. Consecrated in May 1995, the CBC's Henrike Wilhelm takes a look back at the community's beginnings in St. John's, the place of worship and how it's grown.
