As with many Indian residents of Harrow and Brent, I took some time off over Christmas to visit India. It’s always nice to get away from the cold, into the warm air of India and also to eat all the lovely food that India has to offer. I also took the opportunity to visit a number of temples to pay tribute to the many communities we have in Harrow. Harrow has the highest number of Jains anywhere in London, and as a Jain myself, I am keen to make sure the council recognises this. I also visited a Swaminarayan Mandir. The Swaminarayan community in Harrow is large and we have a number of Mandirs around Harrow. Both in India and here, I continue to be impressed with the work ethic of the Swaminarayan community. The number of hours of volunteering that’s put in and the work done in the community is amazing. This is something that the community should be proud of.
I was particularly impressed when I went to the Swami Vivekanand Mandir in Rajkot. I went to the Mandir because in Harrow, I have been working with others to bring a statue of Swami Vivekanand to Harrow, at no cost to the taxpayer. I learnt a lot about his teachings, and was impressed with the work he did to raise awareness of Hinduism as a religion. I spoke to a number of people at the temple about his teachings and his desire to spread the message of the religion. It is vital that Harrow does what it can to recognise the large contribution the Hindu community has made to the area, this is why I, and the Labour run Harrow council are fully supporting the work to bring a statue to Harrow.
As we have just had the 70th anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi’s death, I took the opportunity to visit his birth place, the home that he grew up in. For such an amazing man, what stays with me is how simple his beginnings were. The history of India’s struggle for independence and Gandhi’s part in that was very clear. His view that no matter what happened, no matter how unfair, that non violence was the only way to do things was vital. It set him apart from others and it showed that no matter how difficult things get, violence is never the answer. A lesson we can all learn from today. And of course, in Harrow we have a link to the struggle, Jawaharlal Nehru, the first Prime Minister of India studied in Harrow; a link that is all too often forgotten.
I take my role of Leader of Harrow Council very seriously, and by visiting these temples in India, it is an important way of making sure I really understand the background and the history of so many of the communities we have in Harrow, so I can truly represent them all.
Finally now I’m back, my attention is now drawn to the up coming elections across London. This election cannot be more important. With the Government still planning to make huge cuts to Harrow Council, it’s vital that we have a council that is willing to fight for more money for Harrow, while making sure we continue to improve lives for Harrow residents. That will always be my focus and I look forward to making that case to all Harrow residents in the forthcoming campaign.
