Parliamentarians from the Conservative, Labour and Liberal Democrat parties joined several Hindu leaders in the UK on 18th July at the House of Commons in London to commemorate Vedanta Desika’s 750th birth anniversary. Desika is one of India’s stalwart spiritual masters, in the line of the mediaeval Vaishnava teacher, Ramanujacharya, who taught the path of prapatti or loving surrender.
The event hosted the world’s first ever dance performance inside a parliamentary institution on a poem of Vedanta Desika, who was described by the Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi as ‘shining jewel in the Indian spiritual tradition’.
British MPs Bob Blackman, Virendra Sharma, Alok Sharma and Lord Dholakia heard presentations about the life, works and achievements of Vedanta Desika from a delegation of Sri Vaishnavas who had specially flown in from India.
In a message to the organisers, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, “Sri Vedanta Desika enthralled thousands of people with his adeptness at handling both simple, practical realities and sophisticated theological concepts. I hope that the function on 18th July will make more people aware about the great contributions of Sri Vedanta Desika, and motivate them to follow his teachings as well as imbibe his quality of seeking knowledge tirelessly.”
While releasing a special souvenir to mark the occasion, president of the Conservative Friends of India, Rami Ranger said, “The Hindu community in the UK is a peaceful and contributing community. We have always integrated well, and contributed to Britain’s economic and social development. I hope that Britsh society can learn from the example of Hindu masters such as Desika, whose teachings are still relevant to modern times.”
“We presented Sri Vedanta Desika not only as a spiritual saint but also as a scientist, a logician, a mathematician and a master of all arts and crafts,” said Sanjay Srivatsan from the Desika Educational Trust. “When we explained how Desika had solved the Kinght’s tour problem five hundred years before Euler had solved it in the 18th century, the audience was quite awestruck. The Knight’s tour is a problem in Chess where the knight has to move through every box on the chess board without going to the same box twice. But Desikan solved this puzzle through a verse in his magnum opus, the Paduka Sahasram.”
The event which was hosted by the All Party Parliamentary Group for British Hindus, the Hindu Forum of Britain and the Vedanta Desika Sampradaya Sabha, Mumbai, drew a full house with a packed Committee Room.
“What surprised me is that while such an event to celebrate a stalwart saint like Vedanta Desika is being held in the British Parliament with MPs from all major parties, the Indian Parliament is simply stuck in debates and a no-confidence motion,” said Prahlad Patel, one of the delegates at the event. “Indian politicians can learn a lot from Desika’s life and works, but it seems that British politicians are leading the way.”
