India

Meet Pravin Trivedi. Namaskar, I am Pravin Trivedi and I am originally from India.

Heritage
I was born in a small town in the west of India called Umreth, near Ahmedabad. Umreth is an archetypal Indian town, full of bustling people going about their daily business. Everyone has time for one another here, stopping for a chat and a cup of "chaa". Umreth is very popular during the marriage season with people flocking here to purchase decoratively embodied saris. These have now become famous all over the country.

About the community
Gujarati is the main language of Gujarat (a state in India) and is spoken by both Hindus and Muslims. The Gujarati speaking community has flourished in the UK and is one of the largest "minority groups" in Newham. Everywhere they have gone, they have left their own mark upon the community. The area where I live (Green Street) has become famous for its colourful sari shops, jewellers and for the strong aromatic smells of traditional Indian cooking. Doesn't help with the diet though!

Celebrations
The most important date in my calendar is the Hindu festival of "Diwali". This represents the Hindu New Year. It was on this day that Lord Rama returned to his native city(Ayodhaya) after vanquishing the evil demon Ravana."Diwali" is celebrated by decorating the house, fireworks, family gatherings and of course, food!

Religion and Culture
I am a follower of Lord Swaminarayan. Being a Hindu does not mean necessarily mean that we all believe in the same incarnation of god. However, we all believe in the fact that all of these incarnations are of one Supreme being that we all worship, just with different names. Some people worship Lord Krishna, others may follow Lord Rama, whilst some others believe in Mataji. I am very proud of the fact our Swaminarayan temple(in Neasden) has been entered in to the Guinness Book of World Record as the largest Hindu temple outside of India. It really is a spectacular site and worth a visit.

There are many colourfully decorated temples or "mandirs" for my family and I to worship in Newham. One of the great things about Newham is the way in which every religion mixes into one another. Everyone enjoys each other's festivals thereby improving the spirit of integration and racial harmony.

Food
Even though I am a strict vegetarian, there is a great deal of variety in Indian food. I personally am not fond of anything too spicy but all of you "chilli-holics" are well catered for!!One of my favourite places to eat is "Vijay's" on Green Street. Indians are partial to anything sweet, be it the simple "laadu" or something elaborate like "jaalebi." Beware though, it might taste nice but it soon shows and in all the wrong places!

Living In Newham
I moved to Newham with my family in 1979 to be near my parents, uncles and brothers. Over the last ten years there have been a lot of changes with new shops and developments springing up everywhere. However it seems not to have lost any of its quintessential charm that drew me here in the first place. If I could change something though, it would be to stop the amount of litter and rubbish thrown onto the streets.

Language
My mother tongue is Gujarati but I also speak Hindi. I generally greet others by saying "kem chho"(How are you?) or "namaste" as a mark of respect for elders. Other Gujarati words are "aavajo" (goodbye), "aavo" (welcome) and "nasto lasho"(would you like some snacks?)