ASIA SCENE: Celebrating heroes of the freedom war heroes
Universal Peace Federation Chairman Davinder Chaggar cuts the cake during the celebration of Mashujaa Day. PHOTO | COURTESY
What you need to know:
Preceding the Mashujaa Day ceremony, prayers in the form of religious Shabads by the resident priests of the Gurudwara were offered for peace, prosperity and unity to prevail throughout Kenya.
Universal Peace Federation of Kenya, upholding the banner of peace and interfaith understanding, celebrated Mashujaa Day last Sunday at the historic Landimave Sikh Temple in Nairobi.
The noble occasion was to remember and pay respect to heroes of our freedom struggle and, at the same time, honour prominent Kenyans for their sterling contribution and selfless service to our country.
Preceding the Mashujaa Day ceremony, prayers in the form of religious Shabads by the resident priests of the Gurudwara were offered for peace, prosperity and unity to prevail throughout Kenya.
The Peace Awards Ceremony saw author, poet and human rights advocate Pheroze Norowjee, Imam Sheikh Mohamed Khan, humble and well respected cardiologist Ashok Singh Matharu, selfless and compassionate custodian of Anand Marga Dada, Dipti Maya Anand, and chairperson of the ladies wing Sri Gurdwara Ramgarhia, Kulwinder Kaur Bhambra, honoured and decorated as Ambassadors of Peace by the guest of honour, Professor Gilbert Ogutu, on behalf of the federation.
Homage to heroes of our freedom struggle was paid by lighting candles in front of photos of the father of our freedom struggle, Mzee Jomo Kenyatta, Pio Gama Pinto, Girdhari Lal Vidyarthi, Paul Ngei and Sardar Makhan Singh Jabbal.
The audience was also enlightened by glimpses of the life and accomplishments of the heroes. A cake cutting ceremony followed by tree planting concluded the ceremony.
The chairman of the Peace Federation, Mr Dharam Singh Chaggar, event organisers Senior Ambassador Ram Sharda and Executive Director Rev Fred Wakhisi, all deserve congratulations for a well-organised peaceful and patriotic tribute to our heroes.
Elsewhere, a Kenyan society dedicated to the promotion of Hindi language — Hindi Samiti of East Africa, celebrated Hindi Sandhya Aap Ke Naam in honour of the High Commissioner of India, Mrs Suchitra Durai.
A fun-filled evening at Apa Pant Hall provided colourful dances and poetry to enjoy and cherish. The highlight of the evening was an announcement by the Guest of Honour that Hindi Samiti has been declared as the lucky winner of the Government of India award for half a million rupees for its efforts to promote Hindi language throughout East Africa, and for promoting social events and cultural symposiums.
Finally, with the advent of the festival of lights, Diwali season, the chairperson of Indian Women’s Association, Mrs Kapil Dhingra, has announced that her association is hosting a grand Diwali luncheon with an entertaining cultural show on Tuesday at the Arya Samaj Hall. Entry is by invitation only.
