Latest news with #SiddhashramShaktiCentre
BBC News
a day ago
- General
- BBC News
Candlelit vigil held in Harrow for Air India plane crash victims
People attending a vigil in London to remember victims of the Air India plane crash became visibly emotional after learning that two young girls had been orphaned by the multi-faith service on Saturday was held at the Siddhashram Shakti Centre in Harrow, north-west London, where Mayor of Harrow Anjana Patel said 20 of the victims had previously also shared that two young girls had lost their father in the crash, just weeks after their mother had died from than 240 people were killed were killed on Thursday when a Boeing 787 bound for Gatwick crashed shortly after take-off in Ahmedabad. There were 169 Indian nationals, 53 Britons, seven Portuguese nationals and one Canadian on the flight. Patel told those gathered at the event that the siblings' father, Arjun Patoliya, had flown to Gujarat to scatter his wife Bharti's ashes following her was returning home to his daughters, aged four and eight, when the plane went down. "The saddest incident we have got here in Harrow is one parent had already died here because of cancer," Patel said."The husband went to do the rituals in India and coming back, he was on board. He has left two little girls behind and the girls are now orphans."I really hope that those girls will be looked after by all of us."She added: "Caring is the most that we can do at this hour."We don't have any words to describe how the families and friends must be feeling, so what we can do is pray for them."She also revealed how her sister-in-law's cousin had been killed in the crash. Local councillors, a local MP and residents packed into the temple for the ceremony, which included emotional tributes, candle lighting and a message of condolence from the Blackman, MP for Harrow East, said it was believed to be the highest number of British deaths ever recorded in a plane crash, with 53 UK nationals on board."When someone dies in illness or old age, we celebrate their lives," he said. "But when an air crash happens - completely unpredictable - people are taken away from us immediately, just like that."We think of all those families sitting by the telephone, wondering if their loved ones were actually on the plane."He said the Gujarati community in the UK was deeply affected, with victims having links to Harrow, Leicester, Birmingham and added: "The difficulty the authorities have already got is: who are they visiting? Which family members were they coming to see in the UK?" Councillor Hitesh Karia, who represents Pinner South ward and is a member of the temple's congregation, also shared the impact of the said: "It's nice that the local community can come together - the local support means a lot."Twenty devotees that come here have sadly lost their lives."It shows there is a solidarity, and despite the high amount of diversity, we can come together when appropriate."The vigil was led by Shri Rajrajeshwar Guruji, who said he knew 20 of the victims in the hall quietly wept as candles were lit by representatives from the Hindu, Muslim, Christian and Jewish communities."The only feeling left is sadness - we can't do any more," Mr Guruji said.
The Independent
3 days ago
- General
- The Independent
Couple killed in Air India crash had already lost pilot son in earlier tragedy
A couple who died in the Air India plane crash had already lost their only son in a previous aviation tragedy, a London temple leader has said. Shri Rajrajeshwar Guruji, who leads the Siddhashram Shakti Centre in Harrow, north-west London, said the couple had been returning from a religious celebration in India when the flight went down. Their son, a pilot, had died in a crash in France several years earlier. 'This couple had gone to India for a religious celebration – they were coming back and now this has happened,' Mr Guruji, 53, said. 'After what has happened to their son as well – it's just terrible to think about.' The spiritual leader said he personally knew 20 people who were killed in the crash, all members of the Hindu community who had worshipped at his temple over the years. The father-of-three had last spoken to some of the victims as recently as two weeks ago. Most were aged over 40 and had been travelling either to visit elderly relatives in India or to take part in religious events. Others had adult children studying at university in the UK and were returning from extended visits. 'This is the most shocking news we have ever experienced in the temple's 25-year history,' Mr Guruji said. He said the community was united in grief and urged the airline to explain how such a tragedy could have happened. 'We want answers from the airline,' he said. 'They were travelling by plane, they weren't travelling by car.' Discussing the pain felt among the Hindu community in Harrow, he said: 'It can't be described. 'The only feeling left is sadness – we can't do any more. 'When we ask people how they are, everyone knows they are sad – there is nothing more to say. 'This kind of death is different.' The temple's focus now, he said, was offering moral support and regular prayers. An interfaith service is due to be held on Saturday afternoon, with Hindu, Muslim and Christian leaders taking part in candlelit prayers for the victims. Mr Guruji said the Gatwick-to-Ahmedabad route was popular in the community. 'This is the time of year people usually come from India to the UK because of the rainy season there,' he said. He added that the crash had left the wider community in a state of shock, describing it as a 'pause' while people wait to understand what happened. Mr Guruji also confirmed he knew the family of the sole survivor, Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, and planned to travel to his hometown of Leicester on Sunday to offer support.
The Guardian
4 days ago
- General
- The Guardian
‘Panic and sadness': British Gujaratis in Harrow gather to mourn Air India dead
In Harrow, north-west London, home to a large community of British Gujaratis, there was a sense of shock and profound sadness as people gathered at a community centre to mourn those who had been killed in the Air India flight. Everyone's phones had been buzzing all day on Thursday, said Aneka Shah-Levy, a local Labour councillor, as friends and family members across the world anxiously checked in on each other, and shared rumours and snippets of what information they knew. Though she hadn't yet learned the names of anyone she knew who had died, she was unsure if it would stay that way, said Shah-Levy. 'Coming from Harrow, and knowing what the community is like, how close the community is and the links we have, then – goodness – you wait. There's that horrifying feeling that there will be connections that will lead back here. It's just unimaginable.' Shah-Levy had joined dozens of others at the International Siddhashram Shakti Centre, close to the high street, to pray and light candles. 'I have had this sense of panic and sadness all day that I haven't been able to shift, and being able to come here and gather collectively in some way, it's important,' she said. Some of those present had already heard the names of people they believed had been on the flight. Bhupendra Buch, a retired police community officer, said an uncle of his in India had messaged to tell him his two granddaughters were on board, though Buch was unsure if they had been injured or killed. He had also been told that another Indian couple who he had lived next door to many years before had also been killed. Few operators fly direct between Ahmedabad and London, so this same Air India journey is a trip that many here have taken many times, said Navin Shah, a retired architect and former Labour chair of the London Assembly. Shah was born in a small town 20km (12 miles) from the crash site, and said he knew the area intimately. 'As we speak I can vividly picture the whole area.' It had been an exhausting and overwhelming day, he said, apologising for the emotion in his voice. 'Since the morning, I've been talking to my nephews, my cousins and friends who live in Ahmedabad, within spitting distance. The sense of shock I got from them, phone call after phone call, is that of horror and disbelief.' He said he believed the majority of those present, as well as in other British Indian communities in places like Leicester and Brent, would have connections with someone who had died. Shah has been discussing with family members in India what they could do for the part of the city where the plane fell, which he said included a slum. 'You have got to look, in the gloom, at what good you can do. That's what I'm looking towards. That something good can and must come out of this event. If we can help regenerate that community, that will be something,' he said. For Shri Rajrajeshwar Guruji, the spiritual leader of the community, the crash was 'very, very sad news, it is a very big disaster'. Guruji said he personally knew the names of '13 or 14' people he believed had been on the flight, including Vijay Rupani, the former chief minister of Gujarat, who had previously worshipped at the centre. Rupani has been confirmed as one of those on board. The disaster had had a 'big impact' on the British Gujarati community, Guruji said. 'I can only try to give them spiritual support, because beyond that, God is the only one who can give them strength.' The community is braced for hard days ahead, said Shah-Levy. 'Obviously, it's still very early days. No one really knows yet. As more names come through, no doubt there will be more prayer meetings. There will be many people among us who have lost someone. This is a day that we won't forget – for all the wrong reasons.'
