WELL DONE AND THANK YOU TO LABOUR PARTY MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT KEITH VAZ MP FOR HOSTING WHAT WILL BE REMEMBERED AS THE MOST MEMORABLE EVENT FOR THE HINDU COMMUNITY TO HAVE BEEN CELEBRATED AT THE UK HOUSES OF PARLIAMENT.... Thank you Keith Vaz MP for your support to the Indian Community as always..... 18th July 2014, UK Houses of Parliament: A symbolic “Water Blessing” ceremony was held at the Houses of Parliament, specially hosted by Labour Member of Parliament- Keith Vaz MP, where Ganga Action Parivar founder, His Holiness Pujya Swami Chidanand Saraswatiji, who is also co-founder of the Global Interfaith WASH Alliance, and President of one of India’s largest spiritual institutions, Parmarth Niketan Ashram in Rishikesh, and founder of Swaminarayan GurukulParivar, His Holiness Pujya Madhavpriyadas Swami , joined by renowned leaders of the major religions, poured the water onto a globe as a symbol of prayers that all people across the world should have access to clean, safe and sufficient water, and that the waters of the world should flow cleanly and pristinely. “A Timeless Heritage: Ganga is Indias largest and most sacred river, playing an intimate and important role in the natural, historical, cultural, and spiritual heritage of the nation, representing its very identity” H.H Pujya Swami Chidanand Saraswatiji said: “We connect ourselves to the creator in many ways, but the time has come now to take care of creation. Over 500 million people live along the basin of the Ganges and the pollution from the river is causing enormous harm. It is an environmental issue, a health issue and a human rights issue. Better sanitation and hygiene is one of the greatest concerns for humanity. We need all religions and creeds to come together to ensure we leave a better legacy for the next generation”. His Holiness Swami Madhavpriyadasji echoed H.H Pujya Swami Chidanand Saraswatiji’s concerns and added that there was a lot to be learnt from Britain and the rest of Europe in how to clean and maintain their rivers: “Indian saints have been inspired by Europe and the US, where rivers are kept clean and maintained for use by future generations,” he said. “There are a lot of efforts on in the UK and people are aware, but we hope the worldwide publicity that the Thames clean-up will bring will inspire more people to come forward and take part in this initiative.” “If Ganga Lives, India Lives. If Ganga Dies, India Dies: With threats to her free-flowing and pristine nature by excessive liquid and solid waste pollution in her waters, obstructions blocking her flow and large stretches of her riverbeds being dried up, Ganga struggles to survive” Ganga Action Parivar (GAP) is a family (Parivar means family in Hindi) of multi-agency organisations and volunteers who are dedicated to protecting and restoring the Ganges river. GAP is structured to work in all fields of river preservation and runs a wide range of projects including regular clean ups of the banks, working with expert working groups, lobbying for legislative and political change, media campaigns and international collaboration. gangaaction.org/ Coinciding with the visit to London of two of India’s most revered spiritual leaders, the Thames21, Ganga Action Parivar and the Global Interfaith WASH Alliance joined together and delivered a special foreshore clean-up event on the Isle of Dogs. Julia Makin, Thames River Watch Programme coordinator said: “People across the world are starting to pay attention to the health of rivers and their ecology. In London, we have a great opportunity to highlight these issues through our Thames River Watch project, which helps Londoners understand more about the the health of the tidal Thames. I am pleased to be joining forces with Ganga Action Parivar to reflect on the improvements that still need to be made, not only to the Thames environment, but the rivers of the world. Key to this approach is welcoming all Londoners to play a practical part in cleaning it up” ~ Sanjay Jagatia
Posted on: Sun, 20 Jul 2014 12:32:35 +0000
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