On Wednesday 9th May, Ken Livingston (the Mayor of London) hosted a reception for young Hindu professionals. The event took place at City Hall, and was organized at the behest of the City Hindus Network, with support from Hindu Council UK.

Generally the event was intended to highlight, celebrate and reflect on the contributions of Hindus living in London to the cultural and economic life of the city.

Speaking at the event, the Mayor paid tribute to the hard work of the London Hindu community and the strong ties that exist between the UK and India.

“The Hindu Community is one of the most highly skilled and high achieving communities and it has helped shape London into the dynamic, diverse and thriving city it is today,” he said.

Other speakers at the event included Dilip Joshi of the Hindu Council UK, Dhruv Patel of the City Hindu Network and Jitesh Gadhia, a Managing Director at investment bank ABN AMRO. Mr Gadhia said his Hindu faith was in part responsible for his successful career:

“Hindus – and specifically Hindu values – can actually create a competitive advantage for those trying to build a successful career in the city,” he said, going on to outline five, key Hindu values he believed had been relevant in his own career: tolerance and respect for others, focus on the importance of education, family and community and the Hindu principle of ‘Dharma’ or ‘right conduct.’

It was the first time that the Mayor, usually considered a champion of multiculturalism and minority communities, has presided over an event for Hindus. However this is not necessarily to imply that Mr. Livingstone has ignored Hindus up until now, but more so that Hindus have generally not asserted their collective presence in the City. However the mood at the event spelled out that many Hindus felt it was time for this to change, and to make sure our collective voice has a place in shaping society for the better.

Dhruv Patel, founder of the City Hindus Network, decried the fact that while Hindus generally have successful careers, very few reach the highest levels that they are capable of. It was with this in mind that he announced that City Hindus Network would be holding a mentoring service to help young Hindus to experience the highest levels of the corporate world and to prepare themselves to enter it.