Birmingham, UK – Queen Elizabeth (QA) Hospital Birmingham has officially opened its new Dharmic Prayer Room, a significant achievement made possible through the dedicated efforts of the community.
A resounding success
The inauguration ceremony, held on the 10th of March, was a great success, reflecting the strong spirit of unity and collaboration of the Hindu community. With a turnout of over 300 people across the community and QE staff, many of whom being key members of doctors, politicians and key members of various Hindu communities, the event also stands out as a great testament to the collective effort of the united Hindu community. Local community members and volunteers were instrumental in taking up this initiative and planning and organising this successful endeavour along with the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Hindu Chaplain Ms Sonia.
The new Hindu prayer room at Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham, provides a dedicated space for patients, families, and staff of Dharmic faiths such as Hinduism, Jainism, Sikhism, and Buddhism, to engage in prayer, meditation, and reflection. By thus enabling the environments to allow people at the hospital, the hospital has upheld its drive for inclusive existence and growth.
The event started at 11:30 AM with a welcome speech by Ms Sonia with the Deity procession event. The event was presided over by the presence of dignitaries: Dr Andrew Hardie (area chairman of conservatives for Birmingham, Coventry, Meridan and Solihull); Darren, Henieh and Kiran Patel.
The inauguration saw representation from the Sikh and Jain communities including Kuldip Singh Ubhi, the UK president of the Namdhari Sikh Community and Dharmendra Singh. Harish Mohan Jain, the trustee and founding member of Jain the Ashram in Birmingham as well as Hiten Shah and Bhuvnesh Shah, trustees of Jain Asharam.
Bipin Shingadia of BAPS was also part of the rituals on the day.
The project, spearheaded by Ms Sonia and supported by a team of dedicated volunteers, overcame numerous challenges to bring this vital resource to the hospital. Volunteers had travelled to numerous mandirs in Birmingham as a pilgrimage, to collect the gangajal theerth (divine water) in a kalash (a brass container), which was used in the gangajal purification ceremony post chaamara seve and procession. After deepa prajwalana, prana prathistapana ceremony was conducted and the dharmic ceremony concluded with aarti, pushpaarchana and the distribution of prasadam. The Hindu community is immensely proud of the outcome. The dedication of volunteers from across community members and INSIGHT UK making this event a grand success has been truly inspiring.”
Key Highlights of the inauguration event
- Strong community support: The event saw a large turnout, with attendees travelling from across the UK.
- Volunteer-driven success: The project was made possible by the tireless efforts of volunteers, including Krishan, Nagraj, Pankaj, Jigar, Komal, Amit, Aashima, Kavita, Mana, and many others, including their families and a group of enthusiastic children.
- Interfaith participation: Distinguished guests representing Sikhism, Jainism, Buddhism, and other faiths joined the celebration, highlighting the inclusive nature of the prayer room.
- Generous Contributions: Shree Gita Bhawan, Birmingham, and Mata Da Mandir, Dudley, provided delicious food and prasad, with special thanks to the Dudley Mata Da Mandir team for their exceptional dedication.
- Hospital Collaboration: Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Birmingham was commended for its support in hosting the event and facilitating the creation of the prayer room.
Vote of thanks
Ms Sonia went on to acknowledge and thank all those involved who made the Dharmic Prayer Room possible – “We are overwhelmed by the turnout and the support we have received. This prayer room is a testament to the power of community and the importance of providing spiritual support to those in need. We are so grateful to everyone who joined us. Our special thanks to Queen Elizabeth Hospital and all its members of staff and leadership for their inclusive efforts towards on-ground representation of the sentiments and requirements of the Hindu community and also for allowing us to host this wonderful event. Our thanks are also to the support and cooperation of ISKCON (provided free copies of the Bhagavad Gita and other books), Mata Da Mandir of Dudly (for preparing the prasadam), Mr Suresh from Hindu Education Forum, INSIGHT UK, BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir (who presented the Murti, i.e. idol) and Araya Samaj (who donated the shawls).”
