On Sunday 25th September 2022, Shree Kutch Leva Patel Community (SKLPC) saw the return of their annual mela following a period of no in-person events since the Covid Lockdowns. Originally scheduled to happen on the 18th of September a further postponement to the 25th was in honour of Queen Elizabeth II who sadly passed away.
There were over 8000 attendees supported by a strong army of 850 volunteers.
Mr Mavjbhai Dhanji Jadva Vekaria (President) said “I am honestly speechless by our community spirit which we saw in our volunteers who dedicated many hours of sewa so that we can all enjoy our 50th
Golden Jubilee Utsav. I am thankful to all those that attended and grateful to each and every member.”
The day commenced with an opening arti at the entrance grounds followed by a carnival style parade around the grounds with participants from all ages, respective gaams, sports teams, clubs and Saturday school.
The expo proudly hosted over 15 stalls and business to showcase their services. The exhibition of journey had over 1000 photos with a blast from the past. The kidszone which was also organised by very own youth team housed cricket activities, inflatable activities and mehndi volunteers.
The 50th Golden Souvenir magazine was launched which housed informative articles celebrating culture, history with articles from the archive as well as best wishes from afflicted organisations, we truly appreciated their support.
The mela ended with a maha Raas Utsav and arti in conjunction with eight Shree Swaminarayan Mandirs from around the UK.
The mela was also a drive to fundraise for the India Gardens Project with the aim to build a multipurpose sports facility for the community. The centre will be eco – friendly, built with sustainability in mind, respective of its natural surroundings with a green roof.
