Tuesday 6th June saw the launch event of City Hindus Network, an organisation aiming to promote networking, education and charity fundraising amongst Hindus working in 'City Jobs'. The event took place at Digress City, a London based bar-restaurant, which was packed to capacity for the entire duration of the event.

Several hundred people, employed mainly in Central London and Canary Wharf, attended the event, representing a range of professions such as investment bankers, lawyers, actuaries, accountants, management consultants etc.

The event had a relaxed feel for the most part, with the emphasis being on networking and meeting with people. Many attendants at the event were pleasantly surprised to find that many old friends and acquaintances were also there.

Various short talks were delivered. As the speakers were about to begin, I thought to myself - "How in the Lord's name are they going to get a bar packed full of hundreds of people to listen to them? Especially considering that everybody seemed busy catching up with old university friends!" The odds seemed stacked against the possibility of an attentive audience. But the speakers did manage the seemingly impossible - there was almost total silence in the crowd as they spoke. This reflected the relevance and importance of what was being discussed by the speakers.

"According to Israeli friends of mine, Hindu networks never succeed, for three reasons," said Ketan Patel, a former strategist for Goldman Sachs and author of highly acclaimed book The Master Strategist. "And It is up to the people here to prove their theory wrong".

The factors working against Hindu networks are that apparently we have a streak of jealousy when seeing other Hindus achieve success, we always think too short term in our strategies, and finally that successful members of the Indian diaspora cuss India and have no pride and input into the country of their roots.

Also speaking at the event, was Dhruv Patel, one of the founders of the Network. He explained the purpose for which City Hindus Network had been founded. Essentially, many Hindus have entered "City Jobs" in recent years, and a network of this sort could offer numerous benefits to both individuals and the wider community. In the City, the people you know can be of enormous importance in getting the right opportunities. Hindus often suffer due to the lack of networking.

He expressed his hope that the present generation of Hindus will stop living merely in the shadows of our illustrious forefathers, who he referred to as the Vedic heroes, and ourselves become world leaders and inspirers of future generations. Also, several people had criticised the City Hindus Network for its choice of name. According to the critics, "Asian" or "Indian" would have been a more inclusive choice. He rebutted this argument, explaining that we should not be ashamed of the term "Hindu", and be proud of what it stands for.

For more information about City Hindus Network visit www.cityhindusnetwork.org.uk

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