Although undesirable skirmishes of vandalism at the Hindu shrines across the UK do happen sometimes, thanks to the fairness and equality prevailing in our country, the UK Hindu community is unfailing in bringing joy to all through colourful festivities and events, showing unity, without any bias or prejudice.
Shri Radha Madhava Kalyana Mahotsav (SRMKM UK), a registered charity in the UK is doing exactly that, year after year, bringing a large Diaspora of the Indian community across UK, generating a great buzz and interest among them and festive cheers.
The recent mega event Shri Radha Madhav Kalyana Mahotsav 2022 conducted at “Sattavis Patidar Centre, Wembley” on 17th and 18th September 2022 bears the testimony to this, bringing the infectious zeal and commitment from more than 1500 participants, coming across various parts of UK, USA and India, both young and old, totally losing themselves in joy of music, dance and sumptuous feast, even served on traditional banana leaf, the hallmark of the ecologically savvy South Indian tradition.
The event was streamed live on YouTube, reaching many thousands of people across the world. Outside India, it is the UK that is demonstrating year after year the making of such a mega event of this sort, bringing the age-old tradition of India with the modernity of our times.
With the UK inaugural event in the year 2018, and the follow-up which was an even more grandeur event in the year 2019, the UK has set the trend and created expectations from the UK Hindu Community. Although the Covid-19 pandemic forced a pause for the last two years, it has fueled far greater interest for the third mega event in 2022 and the resolve to continue year on year.
Shri Radha Madhav Kalyana Mahotsav is the enactment of the divine matrimony of Radha, the yearning devotee to her beseeching bliss of divinity Lord Krishna. The divine love between them and their mutual longing to get together have been the subject of various great Seers and Poets, notably of Sri Jayadeva. By orchestrating hundreds of such beautiful verses in many languages of India, composed by many Seers, the Bhagavatars conduct divine matrimony, inviting all participants to assume the role of Radha and to seek the divine experience of union with God. The symbolic wedding is just that, to convey that the perpetual pursuit of each soul, the individual consciousness or ‘Jivatama’ is to attain fulfilment by becoming one with the universal consciousness, the ‘Paramatma’. This core truth of Veda, the scriptures of Hinduism, is the basis on which many popular dictums like “Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam” (The World is one Family) and ‘Sarve Bhavantu Sukhinah”, (May all be happy) are taught to steer the world towards harmony.
Bhagavathars are those who dedicate their lives to promoting such traditional singing of the divine names of God (“Pracheena Sampradaya Bhajan”). They are among the pillars of promoting the universality of Santayana Dharma.
SRMKM UK is blessed with the association of the stalwart among the contemporary Bhagavathars in India, namely Udaiyalur Dr Kalyanaraman and his team of great reputation. Udaiyalur Dr Kalyanaraman and team are widely known across the world for their dedication and stewardship. In the UK, they have been the conductors of the program year on a year working closely with the SRMKUK trustees, the many volunteers of the community and the sponsors who make generous support.
Interestingly, prior to the two days of the main event, the charity SRMKMUK usually plans and executes a number of pre-events across England in order to promote and involve many from the community. This year, SRMKM UK has included several places like Oxford, Birmingham, Manchester, Milton Keynes and London for such pre-events during the first two weeks of September 2022.
As the schedule of this year's SRMKM event coincided with the mourning of Her Majesty, the Queen, who has reached the divine abode of the Lord, leaving behind a legacy of a dignified and honourable life, SRMKM UK organizers and all participants at the start of the events dutifully paid respects and tributes to Her Majesty the Queen.
May Her soul rest in peace!
May our country prosper and continue to be the beacon of democracy, fairness, and harmony among all communities.
