Temple may be shut but the work goes on

VOLUNTEERS at a Hindu temple say they are seeing “more engagement than ever” despite the fact it is still closed.

BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir remains closed despite an easing in the lockdown rules which allows places of worship to open for individual prayer.

Ahead of the national lockdown, all 15 Bochasanwasi Shri Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan (BAPS) temples around the UK, including Leicester’s in Gipsy Lane, made the decision to close early.

It was felt the absence of the temple atmosphere would have a “huge impact on the community”, particularly elderly worshippers.

In response, worship, educational facilities and social elements of the temple have all been made accessible digitally.

In addition, an army of volunteers of all ages has been part of a community-wide response to the impact of Covid-19.

Hitesh Chavda, 48, said his two children were especially involved with educational and social activities that took place at the weekend.

“We had one last weekend to go and do our prayers together as a family,” he said.

“It’s something we would do every weekend and it closing does have a mental impact.”

For the Chavda family, the temple was more than prayers. “We can pray at home, too, but at home, the community and the people are what we miss,” he said.

BAPS arranged times.

Every day at 7pm, an Arti – a prayer involving the offering of light with a diva candle – takes place, followed by messages about how to remain safe and lessons from Hindu scriptures.

Hitesh’s children, Vinaya, eight, and Tilak, 11, have the opportunity to take part in educational activities such as online Gujarati lessons, as well as spend time in the temple – virtually.

“We look forward to the day we go back to the temple to pray to the deities and Lord Swaminarayan, but for now we will cherish the moments of being together as a family at home,” Hitesh said.

Rita Patel was not as involved with the mandir as her children, but said since the lockdown her “engagement with the temple has increased immensely”.

Her main concern initially was for her mother-in-law, who lives alone and spent a lot of time at the temple.

A system was put in place that allowed anyone struggling to connect digitally with the temple to call a helpline.

Daily webcasts have been available to the whole community, including “timeless Hindu wisdom” sessions on Tuesday evenings.

“It’s so inclusive and there are things tailored to everyone,” Rita virtual prayer said. “I have a couple of friends I suggested join the Tuesday sessions and they have been delighted with them.”

Rita has also been able to share links with her siblings in Arizona and Tokyo, who have also been under lockdown.

“You really feel like people are there for you.”

At home, Rita and her family have established new traditions and have vowed to continue spending evening prayer times together.

As well as practical help, volunteers have made almost 3,000 calls to people to “check-in” and ask if they need anything.

Rita said: “There are volunteers in each age group so everyone has someone to talk to who is around their own age.

“You really feel like people are there for you.”

Young volunteers have been a major part of the temple’s response.

Annie Jivan, Rita’s daughter, has been involved in the temple’s Connect and Care initiative, which mobilised volunteers from the start of lockdown.

As well as supporting elderly members of the congregation, they reached out to more than 600 homes in the streets around the temple to offer support with shopping or fetching medicines.

“We wanted to make sure we were giving back to all of those people who were doing key work in the wider communities, including nurses, fire and rescue workers, carers and more,” the 23-year-old said.

Inspired by the teachings of a Hindu Guru, Pramukh Swami Maharaj, “In the joy of others lies our own”, the temple looked to support people across the community.

Food packages were delivered to NHS staff and other key workers,

VIRTUAL LESSON: Vinaya Chavda has been making the most of educational services from BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir with her brother Tilak. Below, the temple has been delivering food parcels and other donations as part of its work food banks, schools and elsewhere. Donations were also made to St Patrick’s, Wyvern and North Mead primary schools to provide lunches and snacks.

Mohammed Loquat, of Peace Centre Food Bank, thanked the BAPS temple for “their generous donations of dates which were distributed to more than 600 families as part of their Eid hamper”.

Annie is a youth leader with a group for girls and women aged 14 to 23.

Regular video calls have been made to the group in place of weekend sessions at the temple.

Annie said: “For our age group, this has been arguably easier because we’re used to using social media and things like that.

“Our weekend calls have given the girls a chance to catch up, share how we’ve been coping with the pandemic or if we’ve been feeling stressed or anxious.” The online accessibility of temple services and activities is not limited to religion.

Ahead of the pandemic, an app was created, myBAPS, making prayers, inspirational videos, lectures and more available to everyone.

Annie said: “When things return to some kind of normality, the app is still something I will use.

“I can learn so much from it about my own culture and religion.

“It’s so clear now how big an impact the mandir has on my life and not just the religious aspect – I definitely won’t be taking it for granted again.”

Temple spokesman Sanjiv Patel said: “The health and wellbeing of the community remains our top priority so we are exploring options for allowing individuals to offer personal prayer in a controlled way.”