Diwali, the vibrant festival was celebrated by Hindu Forum of Europe at the prestigious Antwerp City Hall Stadhuis, in the presence of Their Excellencies Ambassadors of India, Suriname and Sri Lanka, Vice Mayor of Antwerp Koen Kennis, Mayor of Wilrijk Kristof Bossuyt, Stijn De Rooster- Advisor to Mayor Bart De Wever, Honorary Consul General of India for the Flemish provinces Dirk Dielen, among other dignitaries.
Spiritual Advisors of HFE Swami Amarananda and Swami Rameshwarananda Giri have given their messages while Shantipath was rendered by Vaidyanathji. President of HFE Dr Lakshmi Vyas presented the welcome note.
His Excellency Gilbert van Lierop- Ambassador of Suriname, His Excellency Chandana Weerasena- Ambassador of Sri Lanka, His Excellency Saurabh Kumar- Ambassador of India to Belgium and European Union, Vice Mayor of Antwerp Koen Kennis have all spoken on the occasion.
A beautiful classical dance depicting the victory of good over evil was presented by Ragasudha Vinjamuri, song and Tabla rendition were presented by Mehikaa Golchha, Naisha Sanghvi and Sattar Khan, and a Diwali dance was presented by Araddhya Golchha. BK Jaimini Patel has presented peace message for Diwali followed by Vote of Thanks by the President, where contributions of the team members Manik Paul, Arun Jogani, Ragasudha Vinjamuri to the event were acknowledged, including volunteers who helped in organising the program.
Copies of Diwali Magazine of HFE were given out to all attendees, followed by delicious dinner. Attendees have come from different parts of Belgium, UK, and Europe.
Hindu Forum of Europe with its members in Austria, Germany, Holland, Italy, Luxembourg, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the UK works for peace & harmony and raising understanding of Sanatana Dharma and Hindus in Europe.
It lobbies and liaises with the European Parliament and European Commission, and participates in activities of ECRL- European Council of Religious Leaders, Religion for Peace and in Inter-Faith and Inter-Cultural dialogues.
