On Friday 27 March 2009, the BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir in Leicester hosted an inspiring event entitled The Bhagvat Geeta – For Modern Times, at the Soni Samaj Hall, Leicester. The concept behind the event was to raise the awareness of activities at Leicester Mandir to the wider community. To fulfil these objectives, the evening was organised as a ‘Bring-a-Friend Day’. Everyone was requested to bring a friend or a relative to the presentation.

A delicious vegetarian meal was served before the presentation began at 8pm. All mandals were involved in making this event an absolute success with approximately 325 attendees.

Pujya santos spoke in an engaging and enlightening manner about the Geeta and selected concepts from the scripture that apply to modern living. He drew upon a wide range of stories and real life examples to illustrate the points about the nature of the mind and true peace and happiness. He also touched on the fact that mandirs are needed as places that bring peace to the mind and where values are preserved.

A video presentation of the new Mandir project and some of its various activities provided guests with a greater understanding of the Sanstha. The evening concluded with arti, and friends were offered an opportunity to meet the sadhus and karyakars, and then enjoy dessert whilst interacting with each other.

The feedback proved very positive; the talk itself sparked much debate and interest amongst many newcomers. The fact that BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha has such a strong youth following was also something that impressed many people. The clarity and simplicity of the English during the talk helped many young people relate to its essence too.

Opinions

“Very enlightening evening, glad I came. The western world is only now learning what our scriptures have been saying for thousands of years.” – Anaesthetic Consultant, LGH

“Excellent talk. After going home, my daughters engaged in Q&A with me for 40 minutes about the talk.” – President of Limbachia Society, Leicester