The Labor Asians Society celebrated Diwali with a historic recitation of the Hanuman Chalisa at the House of Lords for the first time.

Manish Tiwari, the founder of Here&Now365, led the event, which was hosted by Lord Uday Nagaraju of Bloomsbury, the patron of the Labor Asians Society, and took place in the Cholmondeley Room and Terrace at the Palace of Westminster. Parliamentarians, businesspeople, community leaders, and visitors from all over the British Asian community came together. The harmonium and tabla provided live accompaniment for the recitation.

Manish Tiwari led a minute of silence to start the dinner, which took place the day following Remembrance Sunday. They honored everyone who had served and lost their lives in battle, especially the numerous Indian subcontinental warriors who fought with British forces in both World Wars.

Speaking to the audience, Manish Tiwari described Diwali as a celebration whose message transcends religious boundaries.

Lord Uday Nagaraju welcomed guests and discussed the Labor Asians Society’s role in fostering community cohesion and public life. He expressed his pleasure in welcoming everyone to Parliament for the event in his capacity as patron and host.

Eminent guests included Gurinder Singh Josan CBE, MP for Smethwick; Virendra Sharma, former MP for Ealing Southall; Hanuman Dass, Founder of the humanitarian charity Go Dharmic; Chandru Iyer from Grant Thornton, former British High Commissioner to Karnataka alongside community leaders, business figures and friends of the Society.

In a spirit of solidarity, camaraderie, and optimism for the upcoming year, visitors exchanged joyous pleasantries on the terrace as the celebration came to an end.

Priyanka Dutta