If the history of Hindus in the United Kingdom was to be written, Venilal Vaghela would be listed as a pioneer in many ways. He was amongst the earliest African-Indian immigrants to Britain and was instrumental in providing many hitherto unfulfilled needs of the Hindu community as it grew during the '70s and '80s. He now works for the Brent Hindu Council. Hindu Voice UK caught up with Mr Vaghela in the Brent Hindu Council offices, for a trip down memory lane.

How long have you lived in the UK and how did you end up here?

I came here in 1969. I was born in India, but grew up in a town named Livingstone in Northern Rhodesia (Zambia). For higher education I want to the USA, because racial segregation made higher education prospects in Zambia quite poor. I spent several years in the USA and Canada. I got an American green card and was set to become a US citizen. But I got a call from Uncle Sam, requesting me to join the Vietnam War. I was not interested in doing this, so I became a draft-dodger. I wanted to serve my parents, so I joined them back in Zambia. But Zambia was intensely racist against non-blacks at that time of its independence. I had a British passport, so I thought I'd try my hand in Britain.

And you got involved in community work straight away?

I got involved in community work in 1972 because at that time more African-Indians began trickling into the country and were looking for ways to keep together and do things as a community. African-Indians were somewhat disenfranchised. Things were very different to how it is now. There was only one Indian restaurant and two Indian grocers in the whole of London.

I used to help organise events, and people used to come to these as a way to stick together and meet each other. Also, the community needed services that were not provided in Britain, such as funeral arrangements, wedding services, certain health advise requirements and of course jobs. Racism was a lot worse back then, it was very difficult for a brown face to catch a job.

What job did you do?

Initially I was exporting electronic goods to Africa, specifically to Indians in Zambia, Zimbabwe and Malawi. But when the governments started upping the tariffs I left this business (a lot of the African countries shot themselves in the foot like this). Then I worked in BT for a while. Finally I went into property development and construction, which I continued until my retirement.

Are you at all alarmed by the recent increase in seats for the BNP?

I am not alarmed. To be honest, there are certain legitimate concerns of white Britons that are not being answered by mainstream political parties, so obviously some of them are going to turn towards a voice that appears to listen, even if they happen to be a bunch of idiots. I don't think they'll get far.

Out of all the things you have done, the most radical is starting a political party. Can you tell us a bit about why you decided to do this?

I registered the Hindipendent Party, with Aum as our symbol. It was intended for local politics in the Boroughs of Brent and Harrow, which have an absolutely huge number of Hindus in them. Unfortunately, the voter turn out of our community at elections is very low. I have data to show this. We were underrepresented in the local decision making process and certain quite basic community needs were being denied to us. I wanted to make the Hindu constituency aware of these issues and mobilise them. The kinds of things that I intended were educational allowances, Diwali and Navratri celebrations and temple parking. All the major parties got very scared and accepted the agenda I set out.

You commented that Hindus are underrepresented in local politics? What reasons exist for this?

For Hindus who came from Africa, the countries they came from were full of dictators, so we weren't used to thinking much about voting. Generally all Hindus see politics as dirty business, and politicians as an incurably corrupt bunch. So we tend to shun politics. Nobody wants their kid to be into politics. All parents want their children to be a doctor, pharmacist, solicitor, computer engineer etc. I can understand where they're coming from, but shunning politics isn't the solution. We are the ones who suffer when this happens. If good people shun politics, then people who are in it for the wrong reasons have an easier ride.

But I think now Hindus are gradually learning to have their voice heard. There is finally a shift in the Hindu psyche.

You have worked with all sorts of community leaders and activists at various times. What are your general impressions of Hindu community leaders?

I can't give a simple answer to this. Some are doing good work for the community, and others are just in it to make them feel good about themselves. There are quite a few people who have made their money, and now want to come back to their community and say 'look, I'm your leader'. The thing is, making a lot of money doesn't necessarily make you any more qualified to provide leadership or serve the community. Also a lot of people argue and fight over pointless things. As far as temples are concerned, I would like to see more temples without such huge donation boxes and more priests with less than 40-inch waists!

What are your best and worst things about Britain?

Freedom of choice and speech is the best. The worst is the weather.

What projects have you got in the pipeline at the moment?

Right now I want to set up a Hindu crematorium where the entire funeral ritual and gathering can be carried out. Most people's houses are not equipped for large gatherings of people, and certain priests carry out the ceremonies in a bad fashion. A specifically Hindu crematorium would help overcome these problems.

It seems you are still keeping yourself busy for your community, even in your retirement years?
Absolutely, and so I intend to as long as my legs can still carry me around.

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