It was perhaps the most grand Diwali celebration of London. On the evening of Thursday 8th November, the Hinduja family residence in Carlton Terrace was decked up, to host hundreds of guests at a fantastic Diwali party, that was attended by London's Mayor Sadiq Khan, Rt Hon Penny Mordaunt, MP, Secretary of State for International Development, Women and Equalities and Sir Vince Cable, the Lib Dem party leader. The evening ended with a gala dinner and a musical performance by the legendary Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, accompanied by local musician Sandyman on tabla.
Many other MPs, Peers, business tycoons, community leaders were present at the party, including business tycoon Lakshmi Mittal, Seema Malhotra MP, Deputy Mayor of London for Business Rajesh Agrawal, Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon, Lord Loomba, Lord Jitesh Gadhia, Minister for Community at the High Commission of India- A S Rajan,Dr Rami Ranger, Vijay Patel, Dr Kartar Lalvani, Tej Lalvani, to name a few.
From the door till the area of reception, men in black suit and women in a combination of Indian traditional clothes and black dress and pearls welcomed people with folded hands (as namaste). The dinner included a buffet spread of a minimum of 20 vegetarian dishes from various regions of India, as well as Chinese. Desserts included Indian delicacies of Rabri and Besan ka laddoo.
GP Hinduja, personally welcomed everyone into his home, and then guests were ushered into the first floor reception area. As the family gathered, to welcome everyone formally, Baroness Sandip Verma wished all a Happy Diwali and introduced the hosts to all and shared the wonderful news of the arrival of his grandson 'Jian', son of Sanjay and Anusuya Hinduja.
Speaking on the podium, G P Hinduja spoke about family love, bonding and the notion of giving away to charities. He said, “In my life I have never thought about money. Our parents' blessing was more important than anything. They taught us only one thing. Nothing belongs to us, everything belongs to everyone in the family and the rest is for the society.”
Speaking about how Diwali for him stands for 'enlightenment of soul', he said, “Today in politics everywhere there are so much of uncertainties, whether it's UK, Europe, Middle East or India. Let's all pray to Goddess Lakshmi who has many qualities besides prosperity such as nobility, enlightenment, to help people see the reality of this life. This world is so beautiful, everyone should be allowed to have a peaceful and good life.”
He spoke about their life journey, why they chose London over settling anywhere in the world, and went on to describe Sadiq Khan as the 'pride of Asia' to become the first Asian-origin mayor of London.
Rt Hon Penny Mordaunt said, “You all are the personification of what has made the world a better place.” She then read out a message from PM Theresa May saying, “I would like to thank you for many contributions to our country, and every single sphere you have excelled, bringing our cultures and communities much closer.”
Mayor Sadiq Khan said, “The story of Diwali is the story of Rama, Sita, Lakshmi and when you read these stories, it reminds you of good triumphing over evil, light over darkness, knowledge overcoming evil. In 2018 that lesson is as important now as it was 2000 years ago. The contribution of GP's family to our city is quite remarkable, and I thank them for the amazing contribution they make to the capital and to and our country as a whole. Diwali’s central message of peace and mutual respect is one that I know all Londoners support – we are a city that celebrates our differences, and London is open to all...”
Silver statues of Goddess Lakshmi was given away as a token of appreciation to some key guests such as Rt Hon Penny Mordaunt, London's Mayor Sadiq Khan, Lord Tariq Ahmad of Wimbledon and Rt Hon Lord Bates, Minister of State at the Department for International Development.
