LONDON: On a bitterly cold January evening a group of devotees of Saint Jalaram are serving hot nutritious food to the homeless and destitute in the Holborn area of London. University students too can be seen in the queues. Saint Jalaram was born in 1799 in Gujarat. He spent his life feeding the poor. Today his followers in many parts of the world follow his example. Not far from the Jalaram group, the Hare Krishna devotees are also serving food. Young City workers go to the nearby Hare Krishna temple and help prepared Khichri and other food items. They have been doing this Seva for years every day. Inspired by their Guru Srila Prabhpada who wanted Prasadam distribution in all area near a Mandir, devotees in many countries feed the needy.
Steven P. Jacobs, the visionary co-founder of Apple who helped usher in the era of personal computers and then led a cultural transformation by creating devices that changed how people use electronics and revolutionized the computer, music and mobile-phone industries, mentioned how he used to go for a Hare Krishna prasadam feast every Sunday when he was in a very bad situation. Akshay Patra which too is inspired by Srila Prabhupada distributes hot food to tens of thousands of children in India. They also have a presence in the UK.
Thousands of miles away in Kenya, Hindu and Jain groups go to villages and distribute food items and grains to the poor. Indian’s in Kenya sponsor free education, free medical care and even scholarships. They help orphanages and disabled children. Interestingly the great philanthropic organisations like the Lions and Rotarians are also dominated by Indian’s in East Africa. Supported by the UK based Indian’s who previously lived in East Africa the Lions are building a state of the art eye hospital in the city of Kisumu, Kenya. The Madhwanis and the Mehta corporate houses spend a huge amount of money in Uganda as well as India on charitable projects. Hasmukh Kanji Patel from Mombasa, Kenya who passed away recently, has been providing meals for 40,000 people everyday. Inspired by his Swaminarayan faith his philanthropic activities included, building Sahajanand Special School to educate children with physical and mental challenges, paying hospital bills for patients at Coast General Hospital and transforming a dumpsite into a public park.
A project supported by Mahaveer Swami followers in Nairobi got 220 amputees fitted with Prosthetic Limbs recently. Over the years this project had changed the lives of thousands of people. Mukesh Desai from Nairobi co-ordinates this project with great devotion.
In Sierra Leone inspired by Sai Baba the Better Lives Foundation has built a Yonibana Sai Hospital. It takes care of the expectant mothers and their babies. The Foundation also organises camps for dental hygeine. Young dentists from UK come to do this Seva. Raj and Devi Patel work tirelessly for this cause.
Similarly Sikhs inspired by the teachings of Guru Nanak run the Langars or food kitchens wherever they are in the world.
When the Sikhs were building the East African railway under the British Raj, they built a Gurudwara on a route between Nairobi and Mombasa. It has served the travellers with hot food ever since. Today it also provides lodgings for the travellers. No one who comes to the Gurudwara goes hungry.
As soon as the Indians in East Africa began to earn good money they immediately thought of their towns or villages in India. They helped establish schools, orphanages and many other institutions in their home towns. They also helped their relations in setting up businesses and finance the educational and medical needs of the families.
Back in UK young Hindu professionals go to remote places in Africa and India to help with whatever skills they have aquired. Opticians, doctors, dentists teachers all go and volunteer. During Covid time Hindu and Jain groups or just individuals came forward to distribute food to the needy and even volunteered to go to the homes of the elderly and attend to their needs. The UK today has big numbers of Indian’s from different states of India like UP, MP, Rajasthan, Bengal, Tamil Nadu and Telangana. They celebrate Hindu festivals and follow Saints or Gurus and are very committed. Many of them are prominent doctors, engineers, IT specialists and increasingly IA specialists.
Food For Life Vrindavan started by a Italian Hare Krishna devotee provides not only free education but all the needs of the childs family. These girls would otherwise be married off by the time they are 13. The school is sponsored by Hindus in the UK and in many parts of the world.
In the US too young Hindus, Jains and Sikhs help out at food distribution centres and especially at times like Thanks Giving and Christmas. The Indian Vegetarians and Vegans in London have organised a Christmas Vegan Indian meal for the community for last 39 years. Almost all Indian corporate houses in the UK do some sort of Charity. During the war in Ukraine where many Indian students were stuck, on the request of PM Modi devotees of BAPS travelled to Ukraine and ran a free kitchen for everyone not just Indian’s. Many elderly Indian’s work as volunteers at hospitals helping patients.
Animals too are not forgotten. Tens of thousands of pounds are donated for animal sanctuaries in India by the diaspora. London based the Jain Animal Sanctuary financially supports animal sanctuaries in the UK and other parts of the world. Over £400.000 have been donated over the last 35 years.
As the world looks to India for a skilled work force, Indian religions and cultures are being transplanted in these countries. We are the most law abiding, highest achievers and most prosperous people in Africa and many parts of Europe. Indian’s are liked and appreciated everywhere.. The new BAPS Hindu Mandir in Abu Dhabi is a prime example of how the dynamics are changing.
Indian Americans’ commitment to philanthropy was the first-ever India Giving Day held on March 2, 2023.
The initiative is aimed to inspire more giving amongst Indian Americans who care about India. More than $1.3M dollars from over 1000 donors were raised during the event.
We are creating a new dawn of a spiritual and cultural renassiance of our ancient civilisation. We all need to understand this amazing phenomena taking place right in front of our eyes. We are the players in this miracle taking place. We need to choose our role in this transformation and play the part. This is our soft power which will win the world. Let us appreciate our strength for a change. Like Lord Hanuman we forget what we are capable of. We need to remind ourselves that we are on course to make the world a family. Vasudev Kutumbakam.