PRESTON, ENGLAND, 26 July, 2002: Three thousand youth, volunteers, dignitaries and families gathered in the first of three ground-breaking national events branded Get Connected and developed by Hindu Youth UK. Prime Minister Tony Blair commented, “This event provides young British Hindus with an important opportunity to explore their culture and their faith.” The event was opened with obeisances to Lord Ganesha followed by a series of addresses from visiting dignitaries and inspiring Hindu hymns sung by the local youth. Attendees witness a whole myriad of on and off stage activities. A Hindu priest went through the intricacies of a traditional marriage ceremony. Young ladies illustrated how to correctly sport a sari and others were mesmerized by the transformations achievable using the science of Vaastu Shastra, the ancient mystical treatise on architecture. Several leading Hindu youth organizations, were also on call to talk about on-going seva, service, and spiritual activities taking place around the UK. A creative kids zone where children of all ages took part in supervised games, coloring competitions and screenings of animated Hindu epics. Spirituality zone played host to a series of speakers and debates on popular Hindu topics. Visitors from all faiths and cultural backgrounders attended the event.
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