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On
Saturday 8 January 2005 between 8pm and 9pm, 500 children from various
BAPS centers around London gathered at the Shri Swaminarayan Mandir in Neasden, London to offer a special ‘Children Praying for Children’
prayer. The prayers were offered in remembrance
of those children who sadly lost their lives or were orphaned in the
South East Asia Tsunami.
Dressed in traditional clothing the young children aged between 5 and
15 sat in a disciplined manner to participate in this special meeting.
The opening video showed how the vicious tsunami
attacked South East Asia. It stirred up emotions in all the innocent
hearts and the best thing we could do was to pray to God. Everyone listened
with rapt attention to 3 children who narrated various tragic stories
of how the thousands of children lost not only their dear families but
everything their families owned. Thereafter all the children recited
Vedic prayers in the traditional manner during which representatives
offered flowers to Bhagwan Swaminarayan and Guruhari Pramukh Swami Maharaj
requesting for blessings to the souls of the deceased and courage to
their family members.
Pujya Atmaswarup Swami
talked about the importance of children praying for others, what we
can do to help and how we should remain firm in our belief that with
God's help everyone will surely be solaced. He also mentioned that at
a time like this we must have empathy for those children who are going
through a very shocking period in life.
At the end of the program
children generously donated whatever they could, even from their pocket
money.
The prayers were attended
by chief guest Ms Caroline Boswell, Head of the Children and Young People’s
Unit, Mayor of London’s Office, GLA, Councilor Mike Freer, Barnet
Council, as well as other prominent VIPs.
To mark the end of the
prayers a one-minute silence was observed in remembrance of those who
were victims of this tragedy.
The ‘Children Praying
for Children’ prayers were part of a larger BAPS Tsunami Appeal
launched by HDH Pramukh Swami Maharaj, spiritual leader of BAPS Swaminarayan
Sanstha. The appeal has generated generous donations and the funds are
being used to provide aid across South East Asia. |