EUROPE
September 27, 2004 VNN8711
Krishna Moves Into The British Parliament
BY HARI-DHAMA DAS
ENGLAND, Sep 27 (VNN) — Dear Maharajas and Prabhus Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada.
May this meet you well.
At the "Diwali in the House of Commons" 2003 function it dawned upon us that there should be a "Janmashtami in the House of Commons".
This idea came to fruition when recently we celebrated the event in the House of Commons: (see message from the British Prime Minister below) KRISHNA JANMASHTAMI MAKES HISTORY IN THE HOUSE OF COMMONS The Members' Dining Room at the House of Commons, which was transformed from its usual quaint wall-to-wall wooden panelled decor, to a traditional Hindu temple, hosted over 300 leaders and representatives from the British Hindu community on the 7th of September 2004. In attendance were the deputy Prime Minister, various Ministers, MPs, Peers, the Indian High Commissioner and the Mayor of London, participating in the first ever celebration of Lord Krishna's birth in the House of Commons.
Bhakti Vijnana Swami, ISKCON representative from Moscow, noticed 'It is for the first time that one of the most important Hindu holidays, Sri Krishna Janmashtami, is being celebrated in the world's oldest Parliament. And it is for the first time that a Russian-born Hindu monk is addressing all of you for the occasion. Now I have every hope that the First Hindu temple in Russia, which we are constructing, despite all the difficulties we encounter, will soon receive all of you for a similarly warm Janmashtami celebration as we enjoy here today' Mr. Tony McNulty MP, who conducted the programme, remarked, 'This is a historic event in the British Parliament, which should become an annual event.' Mr. John Prescott MP, the Deputy Prime Minister, congratulated the Hindu community for holding the first ever birth of Lord Krishna in the House of Commons and said, 'I have been to India seven times and have learnt a lot about India and its culture. I am reminded of the historical ties between India and Britain with festivities like these'.
'Normally one goes to a temple to celebrate the festival of Janmashtami but today the temple has come to the House of Commons' said, Mr. Gareth Thomas MP, Minister for Department for International Development.
Mr. Barry Gardiner MP, Minister for Northern Ireland, commented 'two days ago I was at the Bhaktivedanta Manor and the image of the child, with the butter, killing the demons has remained with me. Central demoniac power is that which destroys the innocence in children. The festival of Janmashtami shows how the demoniac powers can be overcome'.
Mr. Ken Livingstone, the Mayor of London, applauded the Indian community of London for their great contribution and recognised the great step taken by the Hindu community to organise the festival of Janmashtami at the House of Commons.
Mr. Peter Luff MP, the Chair of the Conservative Friends of India, said 'I welcome the celebration of Krishna's birth at the House of Commons, which has been organised by Tony McNulty, Abhay Lakhani, ISKCON and NCHT (UK) , for the British Hindu community, which plays an important role in the fabric of the British society.' Mr. Kamlesh Sharma, the Indian High Commissioner, acknowledged the importance of having a spiritual base in society and said 'observance of Krishna Janmashtami in the House of Commons is a significant event'. He also added that people of a great nation, Indians, are privileged to live in another great nation, England.
MESSAGE FROM THE PRIME MINISTER: "I am delighted to send my very best wishes to everyone attending the Janmashtami celebration at the House of Commons organised by Tony McNulty MP and supported by ISKCON and the National Council of Hindu Temples.
Janmashtami, the birth of Lord Krishna, is a festival that teaches us the values of family, the importance of justice, and the significance of faith. As such it is a festival whose values are shared by all faith traditions.
I understand that this is the first time that Janmashtami has been celebrated in the House of Commons. It is a tribute to the very positive contribution that the Hindu community has made to all aspects of life in the UK.
Once again, congratulations to everyone involved in this event and I offer my best wishes and greetings to the Hindu community in Britain on this joyous occasion." TONY BLAIR.
MPs in Attendance: 1) Mr. John Prescott MP, the Deputy Prime Minister 2) Mr. Stephen Pound MP, Chair of the Labour Friends of India 3) Mr. Andrew Dismore MP 4) Mr. Rob Morris MP 5) Mr. Tim Boswell MP 6) Mr. Graham Brady MP 7) Mr. John Randell MP 8) Mr. John Heppell MP 9) Mr. Steve McCube MP 10) Mr. Peter Luff MP, Chair of the Conservative Friends of India 11) Mr. Paramjit Singh Gill MP 12) Mr. Dennis Turner MP 13) Mr. Keith Vaz MP 14) Mr. James Clappison MP 15) Mr. Rudy Vis MP 16) Mr. Ken Purchase MP 17) Mr. Hywel Williams 18) Mr. K. Mountford MP Ministers in Attendance: 19) Mr. Tony McNulty, Minister for Transport 20) Mr. Barry Gardiner MP, Minister for Northern Ireland 21) Mr. Gareth Thomas, Minister for Development for International Development 22) Ms. Fiona Mactaggart MP, the Parliamentary under Secretary in the Home Office with responsibility for race equality, community policy and civic renew 23) Patricia Hewitt MP, the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry and Minister for Women and Equality Peers in Attendance: 24) Lord Navnit Dholakia 25) Lord Swraj Paul 26) Lord Naren Patel Others dignitories in Attendance: 27) Mr. Ken Livingstone, the Mayor of London 28) Mr. Kamlesh Sharma, Indian High Commissioner 29) Mr. Rajat Bagchi, Minister for Co-ordination, Indian High Commission 30) HG. Praghosa dasa, GBC ISKCON UK 31) HG. Gauri dasa - TP Bhaktivedanta Manor 32) HG. Kripa Moya dasa - Bhaktivedanta Manor 33) HG. Sruti-dharma dasa - Bhaktivedanta Manor 34) HG. Prananbandhu dasa - Bhaktivedanta Manor 35) HG. Mahadyuti dasa - ISKCON Soho Note: Above edited media release from the NCHT..
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