Members of our society are participating in a reflection series organised by BBC on their experiences during these difficult Covid times.
The series will run this week (Mon 30 Nov-Sun 6th Dec) each day at 7.20 am and might then be repeated at 8.50am too on the ‘BBC Radio Devon breakfast programme’.
They could also be repeated later in the day. This is of course not guaranteed as sometimes breaking news comes in, or things need to be altered for timings, but those times mentioned above are definitely in the plan.
The plan is to broadcast all of the pieces (i.e. Monday through until Sunday) probably in the following order:
The impact of the pandemic on health and wellbeing is well documented. A multitude of organisations, centrally and locally, are trying to do their best to help us overcome this challenge. Beyond the actual effects of the virus, the long term impacts on ones physical and mental wellbeing are acknowledged but are still being researched.
In such gloomy times, it is but natural to feel anxious and demoralised. While we cannot control external factors that impact our lives, we can certainly dive deep within us to find the strength and energy to mitigate and where possible overcome the negative impacts on our health and wellbeing.
In order to facilitate such a journey “within”, South Asian Society of Devon and Cornwall is delighted to offer 3 preliminary free Yoga webinars for community members across the region. We are partnering with the internationally renowned “Isha Foundation” who are accredited partners of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). Locally we are delighted to be partnering with Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner, Devon and Cornwall who are co-sponsoring the event with us.
All sessions listed below will be delivered by trained “Isha Foundation” facilitators.
No previous experience of yoga required This session is open to anybody over the age of 12
Through simple postures, breathing practices and guided meditations, these tools will help you become the architect of your own wellbeing; fostering a peaceful, joyful and most importantly balanced state of body, mind and emotions. The practices require a space the size of a yoga mat and some can even be done whilst sitting at a desk.
No previous experience of yoga required This session is open to anybody over the age of 12
Depending on the response and demand we will look to provide further sessions in future.
Due to the recent national lockdown announcement, we have postponed the Virtual Annual event to 19th December. This will allow members more time to prepare while we are not allowed to meet in small groups.
Please find attached details on Guidelines for the virtual event.
There will be a nominal charge of £5 per family to cover the costs of the virtual platform.
13th Dec 2020 – Deadline for submitting pre-recorded performance (On request extension till 16th)
19th Dec 2020 – SAaS Virtual Annual Event
We recognise that it is relatively short notice but as we will use pre-recorded videos, we feel there will be sufficient time to plan and deliver good quality performances. Through your active, enthusiastic participation and cooperation, we look forward to organising a successful and memorable virtual cultural evening.
Following our earlier communication, we have discussed our options during the AGM as well as in our trustee meeting following the AGM. In line with prevailing guidance, we have decided not to organise any face to face event this year. However, in these difficult times when we are increasingly isolated, it is ever more important to ensure we are socially engaged within and outside the community.
In a true community spirit, we are in discussions to organise our Annual Event virtually. It will of course not be the same experience but we are hoping to make it bigger and better. Quoting Einstein, “In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity“. Through our annual event, we are usually able to engage between 200 to 400 community members. Organising such an event virtually will potentially allow us to engage with a much wider population in Devon and Cornwall.
Please save the date 28th November in your diaries. Further information and details will follow in our October Newsletter in the last week of October.
As a charity, we have now signed up with Amazon Smile. For those who are not aware and if you shop on Amazon, it is a way for you to support our work and our ability to organise more events and activities in future. By following the steps below, you will be able to add us as your preferred charity. If you shop on Amazon, they will then donate 0.5% of all eligible purchases to us when you shop. There is no additional cost to you.
Step 2 – When shopping online, rather than visiting www.amazon.co.uk, please bookmark smile.amazon.co.uk and do your shopping as usual.
Step 3 – On your Amazon mobile app find ‘Settings’ in the main menu (☰). Tap on ‘AmazonSmile’ and follow the on-screen instructions to turn on AmazonSmile on your phone.
That’s it. If you need any further information of clarifications then please feel free to email us.
One of the very important festival among the hundreds of feasts and festivities in the Hindu culture is Nag Panchami . It is an extremely significant day in the Hindu calendar and this year it was celebrated on 25th of July 2020 on Saturday. It was celebrated throughout Nepal and India and other countries where Hindu adherents live. Worship is offered to Nag Devata or Serpent God on the fifth day of the bright half of the lunar month of Shravan, (July / August) according to the Hindu almanac. This is an annual celebration with the devotees of both Lord Shiva and Vishnu observing the day with great reverence and devotion.
Tradition and faith decree that observing fast on the day offers protection against snakebite. When you recall that the subcontinent has almost 300 varieties of snakes, 50 out of which are highly poisonous (Huffington Post), it suddenly makes sense to propitiate the serpent God! On this day, idols/ photos of serpent Gods are worshipped with offerings of milk, sweets, flowers, and lamps. At many places, devotees also offer milk to live snakes. Communities come together with dance and food, celebrating the bonds between man and nature. Nag Panchami Puja is a momentous reminder that one should love, respect, and embrace all forms of life on earth.
Raksha Bandhan (or more simply Rakhi) is a festival that is celebrated on the full moon day in the month of Shravan according to the Hindu Lunar calendar. This day is a celebration of the love and respect between siblings marked by sisters tying a Rakhi or a colourful thread/band around their brothers’ wrists. The brother affirms his respect and duty of care for his sister. The word Raksha means protection, whilst Bandhan is the verb to tie. Traditionally the sisters tying a Rakhi around their brothers’ wrists celebrates their relationship. The sister prays for the brother’s health, happiness and success and puts a tikka on his forehead and offers a sweet to him, he in turn gives her a gift.
The festival goes back to antiquity with many legends and stories associated with them. It has now evolved over the years to celebrate other relationships like those between friends and close ones, spreading the message of love, respect, and care. Rakhi is a vital reminder that one should love, respect, and embrace relationships and value them forever. It is a significant festival in the Hindu calendar, followed eight days later by Janamashtami (which we shall cover in the next issue). This year it will be celebrated on the 3rd of August.
As the situation is still uncertain and the government rules for social distancing are constantly changing, we now aim to organise the AGM online on 29th August from 10:30 am – 12 pm.
Subject to social distancing rules, we are planning to walk in the afternoon of the same day in the moors. We will provide details of the AGM and the walk in due course.
Existing trustees please email chairpersonsaas@gmail.com by 21st August 2020 if you would like to continue as Trustee. We also encourage members of our society, keen to play an active role, to consider joining as associate trustee. Please email us (chairpersonsaas@gmail.com) if you are interested to join by 21st August 2020.
There are no further updates on the Annual Event planning yet as we are monitoring the current situation. We will provide an update in the September Newsletter.
One of our former Trustees, and a longstanding member of our Society and the community, Anil Koshti, MBE, has recently published an incredible memoir which makes for interesting reading; capturing his amazing journey spanning his childhood and youth in the British Raj in Poona (India) to his retirement in Britain’s Ocean City, Plymouth.
His stories highlight his creative childhood living in the midst of a bustling Indian cultural hub in Poona, his studies in India before arriving in England in 1961 to study chemical engineering, his marriage and the embracing of many cultures and ways of life, succeeding as a top professional in his field. He qualified in 1964, got married that year, and attained British citizenship. The book describes some interesting aspects of Anil’s career in various industries before his retirement in 2007 as a nuclear regulator. It explains some of his time in management, his enthusiasm for classic cars, and his dedication to his family and friends. Anil was awarded an MBE in 2007 for services to the environment. The book is available on Amazon in softback or Kindle version.
This book has another extraordinary layer, as Plymouth teenager, DHSG pupil and a family friend inspired him to write this memoir during the lockdown. What a lovely endeavor of hope and friendship during the Pandemic. Many congratulations Anil and Georgi Wilton! I hope this will inspire other members of the community to pen down the exciting and humorous renditions of their own journeys!
One of our Trustees and a colleague from the University, Dr. Arunangsu Chatterjee (AC) has published an interesting article in the New Statesman (17th July Spotlight) focusing on shifting the paradigm from disease to wellbeing. The Mandarins at Whitehall seem to be truly listening, as very soon there was the policy drive on tackling obesity and encouraging cycling. This same philosophy is embedded in the Indian health science of Ayurveda, considered by many to be the oldest healing science which literally translates from the Sanskrit to “The Science of Life.” AC makes a quick historical comparison with the earliest pandemic Plague and the Spanish flu and lessons of history that policymakers and governments ignored around the world to their peril and distress of their people. He makes a moving case for the economy of wellbeing.
The response from our young talented participants was fantastic and I look forward to sharing the creative artworks with you in future editions of the newsletter. An independent panel of judges carried out the judging of the entries in all the categories. They included an impressive selection of professionals who have contributed to life, society and their professional fields in the South West in extraordinary ways; they included Anil Koshti (MBE), Manoj Chitnavis (Educationist), Natasha Koshti-Symons (Mrs Atlantic 2020) and Sarita Nesargi (Lawyer). The judges were truly impressed with the submissions and found them moving, impressive, exciting and notoriously difficult to judge the winner; they were so well matched and creative. We are so proud of our young ones.
The results were very close, and we have had excellent feedback for all our participants. We are pleased to announce the winners in individual categories:
Under 10s Music, Drama, Speech video: Rehaan Chatterjee Writing: Adit SobtiArtwork: No entry
A warm thank you once again to all the participants and to everyone who contributed to the cause and made this contest a success, and enabled us to collect such a welcome amount for the Food Banks. Separate communications will follow later about the
We would also like to thank all our judges for taking out time from their busy lives to judge the entries and provide feedback to all our participants.
We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it.
