Scientists, lawyers, philosophers, writers, social workers, medical doctors, armed forces personnel and members of various Hindu organisations came together on Saturday 21 July 2018 for a day long conclave at the Bushey Academy to analyse and highlight the British Hindu contribution to society as well as the challenges the community faces. The event was hosted by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad UK (VHP). The proceedings were conducted by Professor Nawal Prinja and Dr Poonam Kakkar and Dr Tribhovan Jotangia (VHP UK President) chaired the event.
VHP invited guests from all national Hindu organisations and local community leaders and prominent Parliamentarians such as the Rt. Hon. Keith Vaz MP and Lord Jitesh Gadhia also presented their views on how to better facilitate interest between British Hindus and the authorities and Hindu representation in British politics respectively.
British Hindus are the third largest religious faith group in the UK and the community is the most law abiding, hardworking and tolerant, yet are marginalized on a mainstream level when it comes to considering issues they face collectively. On this, VHP put together this conclave to address how to raise awareness for the British Hindu community.
This conference was an outward looking one and followed by the Parliamentarians, Jayesh Jotangia a Barrister at 33 Bedford Row, spoke of various laws and regulations that impacted upon the Hindu community as a minority, including Hindu marriages, cremation and immigration of priests. Dr Manish Tayal MBE and Surgeon Commander of the Royal Navy then discussed issues faced by Hindu personnel in the British Armed Forces and that a support network was required with the local community. He reported that 56% of young Hindus surveyed said that they will join the British Armed forces and action is needed to turn this into reality. Dr Sachin Nanda, PhD (Oxon) put forward a concept of Applied Dharma and how Hindu philosophy can help modern Britain in the future.
Professor Pawan Budhwar of Aston University highlighted the role of Hindus in British Academia and informed the delegates that in 2016/2017, it had been reported that Indian academicians had crossed the 5,000 mark. This session was followed by Professor Sunil Poshakwale of Cranfield University who put forward statistics on British Hindu contribution to society and economy thus far. British Hindus contribute 6% of the GDP. It was estimated that on average each British Hindu contributes £90,000 per year to GDP. Considering that the national average wage is below £25,000, this makes Hindu community as a net contributor to the British economy i.e. they give back more than what they take.
Dr Aruna Bhala, a Community Paediatrician at Northampton General Hospital spoke of the contribution of Hindus to the NHS, citing that Indians were the 2ndhighest group after the British in the UK in the NHS and that 3% of British Indians were representing 12% of NHS posts. Dr Ramesh Pattni spoke about Happiness, Religiosity, Emotional Intelligence in UK Hindu Adults. His research showed that 77% of British Hindus have qualifications and British Hindus are one of the most educated and the happiest communities in the UK. Their religiosity helps maintain mental well-being that helps in education and relationships. This needs to be maintained. Anil Nene pointed out that there is anti-Hindu bias and misrepresentation of Hindus in British Media. It is influenced by some academics. He informed the audience that BBC’s religious output is disproportionate and either ignores or gives negative image of Hinduism. The coverage of the famous Kumbh Mela was more for entertainment than for explaining the Hindu faith.
Chandrakant Sharma of Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh UK spoke about the challenges of British Hindus in the UK and in India, with a vote of thanks from Dr Vinaya Sharma as General Secretary of VHP UK. The event was attended by 200 delegates representing over 30 British Hindu organisations. There was a lively Q&A session full of positive ideas for the future. The findings will be formally published at the House of Commons later.
