BAPS Wellingborough held its first Open Day at the newly-built BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir on Mill Road, on Friday 27 November 2009. More than 100 young members and their guests from around the region were treated to a memorable evening of hospitality and spirituality.

A warm welcome set the tone for the evening as guests were treated to a guided tour around the new Mandir, before having souvenir photos taken in front of the shrine and sacred images. The guests then gathered inside the main assembly hall for a special programme.

After a brief welcome, the assembly was shown an inspiring video of BAPS’s worldwide activities – ranging from sports tournaments to natural disaster relief efforts. Young members then shared personal experiences of how the Mandir has helped them in everyday life. The audience was touched with talks of testing times and how individuals were able to overcome them with the support and strength found at the Mandir.

Tyagprakash Swami later addressed the assembly and spoke on how the ancient teachings of the Hindu faith still remain relevant today. Each member of the audience was able to relate to the inspiring words, which led on to another video presentation, entitled ‘The Inspirer’, about Pramukh Swami Maharaj.

The highlight of the evening was a question-and-answer session with the sadhus. Tyagprakash Swami and Amrutvihari Swami took a number of pertinent and thought-provoking questions from the audience, each of which was answered candidly and in detail. The programme concluded with a special peace prayer (the Shanti Path), following which visitors were treated to a sumptuous vegetarian meal.

In all, the evening proved a great success for everyone involved. The guests all agreed that they had had an inspiring and enjoyable evening, and that they would like to attend similar events in the future.