Gujarat Samachar and Asian Voice organised a special Zoom event on Saturday 8th July on 'Our Community Organisations and their Activities'. Leaders of various community organisations joined this special programme.
Niraj Sutaria, President of Mahavir Foundation, Dilip Mithani, President of Navnat Vanik Association, Neetaben Bipinbhai Sheth of Jain Vishwa Bharati, Vijay Sheth of Jain network and Manharbhai Mehta, Chairman of Vanik council UK were keynote speakers for the event.
The entire programme was coordinated by Jyotsnaben Shah, Consulting Editor of Gujarat Samachar. At the beginning of the event, Chairman and Editor-In-Chief, C.B Patel stated that we are starting a new chapter of Seva Yagna and Gyan Yagna. Prayers were also recited by him. He said that we have embarked on a new form of debate, where he defined the concept of an organisation that aims to promote a healthy and robust society. An organisation is greater than an individual. It relies on various factors such as grants, capacity building, and overall performance, which are intrinsically tied to the leadership and office bearers, including the chairman and president of the organisation.
He said, “On the occasion of golden jubilee celebrations, Gujarat Samachar and Asian Voice are organising various social service programs. I humbly thank each and every one of you for your support and cooperation as readers, well-wishers, and writers. We work hard to carry out the duty that has been given to us. Jyotsnaben Shah is the main organiser of the program. Today, we have a favourable opinion of institutions. We ponder only constructively positive thoughts. Let's talk about how well institutions function rather than, whether any particular institution is good or terrible. The subject of discussion is not about where the work is good or defective. Gujarat Samachar's only heartfelt duty is to focus on good work so that we can give something back to the community equally.”
Jyotsnaben Shah, Consulting Editor of Gujarat Samachar started off the zoom event on “Organisations and their functions” with a warm welcome. She said, “Life is a school where one learns something new every day. Today our topic of conversation is our institutions and their services. The aim of Gujarat Samachar and Asian Voice is the overall development of the society through zoom events.”
She said, "The origin of the institutions started when we left our home country and moved to a distant one. We initially looked for a solution to many problems like an unknown country, an unknown language, a harsh environment, loneliness, etc. There used to be up to 600 government entities, but some have since collapsed, others have become inactive, and some are simply still present in name. There are some organisations that do amazing work and we are fortunate to have leaders of such organisations present among us.”
She added, “Understanding how organisations may appeal to the younger members of society is crucial. Today, these trailblazers will share with us the secrets to their companies' success. We will discuss how the generational gap is widening and learn how to narrow it with different solutions given by top executives of firms. We will learn from the leaders present today about the factors that have shaped their organisations. We hope that organisations that are inactive or simply present in the society will get inspiration from our zoom event.”
Niraj Sutaria, the youngest president of Mahavir Foundation, said, “Any organisation is not run by one person, but even by the smallest person. We consider how to engage people of every generation, including young children and students. The committee thought of organising cultural programs in which everyone can showcase their skills. We work with the concept of celebrating every festival of Indian culture. It has grown from just 400 to 800 members and life members have also increased. Along with religious planning, we also organise various events, competitions to explain how to move forward in UK culture. The young boys have started cooking Jain-vegetarian cuisine with enthusiasm when requested to.”
He said, “Every Sunday, our students from age 5 to 15 are taught about Indian dance and music with Mahavir band, apart from that we also teach religious and practical knowledge of 'live and let live' including non-violence and preservation of life. In addition to educating not to be rude, the focus is on how children can advance in life through education. We appreciate you giving us such a fantastic platform.”
President of Navnat Vanik Association, Mr. Dilip V. Mithani narrated the history of Navnat. He said, “Currently, we have 3500 members. During Covid period, we let the NHS use our venue for five months for vaccination purposes. We also took up volunteering task of delivering groceries and medicines to the elders. For this, Gujarat Samachar also awarded the organisation a special award of “Sevaratna”. Our mission is to carry out activities for the welfare of the Navnat community in the UK which mainly includes cultural, religious, social, educational and recreational programs as well as taking care of the physical and mental health of every individual.”
He said, “We have many affiliated organisations and branches. It includes Yuva Mandal, Vruddh Mandal with more than 500 members and Bhagini Samaj with 1000 members. On an average 350 to 400 members attend each of our functions. Food is arranged by our kitchen committee and nothing is brought in from outside. Many groups also run yoga classes and sports classes. We have a group called 'Jalsa Kar' which provides fun to everyone through entertainment, music and dance activities.”
“We also fund over 100 charities every year and support local ones such as Cancer Research. We sponsor two schools in Gujarat. We celebrate every festival including Ramanavami, Mahavir Jayanti, Janmashtami, Paryushan, Navratri etc. We also conduct career fairs and summer fairs, graduation ceremonies. We are thankful to Mr. CB Patel, Jyotsnaben, Maheshbhai and all staff of Gujarat Samachar. They have been a valuable voice for all Gujaratis in the UK.”
Neetaben Bipinbhai Sheth of Jain Vishwa Bharati said, “I have a lot of gratitude from Jain society which I will never forget. Today I got a chance to talk about those who have non-violence in conduct, pluralism in thought, freedom in speech, and non-violence in life.” She talked about Sadhaviji and her virtues, which had long-standing visions.
Vijaybhai Seth of Jain Network said, “Everyone has a mission in life, just as CB has taken up the mission of building Gujarat in the UK by bringing everyone together. Jain Network's mission is to improve the spiritual and physical quality of life for the Jain and non-Jain communities. Be it Navnat, Mahavir Foundation and any Hindu organisations, the roots of every organisation are the blessings of the elders and their hard work. It takes a lifetime to understand their hard work. We are lucky that even in such a country, religion and culture, Gujarati mother tongue can be seen.”
“A new 30,000 square feet center is coming up in Collingdale by Jain Network. It's not just a Jain Derasar, there are beautiful arrangements, 10,000 square feet of carpark with a nice vegetarian restaurant with a range of activities for kids to elders. The second floor has a huge 10,000 square feet Derasar with 108 beautiful statues and paintings of Lord Parshvanatha. Everyone, including children, have worked for the Jain Network through many challenges. Such institutions have been established with the cooperation of all with body, mind and money. We don't do this for ourselves, we do it for our children, future generations.”
Vanik Council UK Chairman, Manharbhai Mehta said, “The organisation was established in 1948 under the name of National Council of Vanik Association. 25 institutes are networked with this institute. We act as chaplains to provide religious support to Jains who are undergoing treatment in different hospitals in England. We cater to all organisations in the Vanik community. We have also taken care of health and well-being promotion for the members of various organisations. We run matrimonial services in an effort to ensure that young men and women of our society get married within the Jain and Hindu community.”
“We provide funeral services for Jains only. In Jain society, ordinary and trained volunteer brothers like us do the funerals. Our team of volunteers provides service to elderly people who are alone. We make sure that their time is spent well, their mental health is preserved and that they are happy, whether at home or outside. Today, we also create awareness about organ donation. When someone needs a heart, eye, kidney, liver, or other organ, there is a system in place to donate that person's deceased organs. We have started this activity since 2017 covering the Jain and Hindu community only.
At the end of the program CB Patel thanked the leaders of the organisations who participated in the event. He gave insight and stated that there is no longer a distinction between Jain and non-Jain. He also talked about the plans for upcoming events. After this, the Q & A was conducted. Vote of thanks was given by Kanti Nagda MBE, CEO of Sangat Centre. He thanked all the community leaders of various organsations who participated in the programme and shared information about their activities.
