Nav-nat
Encyclopedia
The Navnat Jain community emerged as a result of blending of several smaller Jain communities in Gujarat in East Africa as well as in Gujarat itself in the early 20th century.
The original communities included: Dasha Shrimal, Visha Shrimal, Dasha Sorathia, Visha Sorathia, Modh
, Khadayata, Porvad, Kapol (or Kandol) and Shrimali Soni Mahajan. Historically several occurred several centuries ago, largely due to regional differences.
The Navnat Vanik Association of UK was founded in 1971. The term Vanik means merchant.
The social interaction of Jain communities has long been recognized. The "sadhe-barah" (12 and 1/2) nyat cluster concept is mentioned in texts like Vardhamana Purana of Navalsah Chanderia written in 1769 AD. There are several historical examples of Vaishnav communities merging (as well as splitting). The emergence Oswal
community itself can be considered to be a unitification movement among the Jain communities.
Each grouping developed its own traditions, customs, and way of life. Some of them were sub-divided into various sub-castes for various reasons like migrations or occupations.
The founder of the Navnat in Kenya was a Modh Businessman, Bhavanlal Lalji Gandhi (Better known as B. L Gandhi).
Indians migrated to East Africa at the end of nineteenth century, and early years of the twentieth century. British brought the Indians to build the railways, but as time passed, others followed to open up and develop the economy of the country. It was in 1930’s, when we had well settled into trade and commerce, and in our lives, that the idea of Navnat was mooted and formed. Navnat literally means “nine castes”, and that is exactly what it represented. The large population of vaniks in Mombasa consisted mainly of Jains, and so called Dasha and Visha Shrimali caste, with a small numbers in other vanik castes. The common factor amongst these sub-castes was that marriage between these nine sub-castes was permitted, and that is where the common factors seemed to end. However, as the other sub-castes were in very small numbers, it was felt that if all the sub-castes were combined, it would be to the advantage of everyone in the community. This is how Navnat came into existence. As years passed by, the concept spread through rest of East Africa. While most centres in East Africa embraced this concept, they still had a separate organisation of the majority vanik community. However, Mombasa kept a very good balance and created a solid Navnat organisation based on social activities, and at the same time had a Jain organisation to cater for the religious needs of the majority.
The Oshwal community in UK/Africa migrated from a small area in Saurashtra (part of Gujarat), although they are historically associated with the Osia town in Rajasthan. Because of their common past and traditions, common customs and history, they have managed to remain as one united community. Navnat, on the contrary, represents lots of castes, and come from vastly differing and distant geographical locations. Also there are distinct religious differences which are reflected in the formation of different organisations. Each caste or each geographical location has had their own customs and traditions. These differences have always been reflected in the way they have mingled and formed various associations.
Once at a meeting, where all the vanik organisations were represented, on Oshwal member put this very succinctly: “At this meeting, there is one Oshwal organisation, and twenty five Navnat organisations – and Navnat organisations have to decide who to invite.” Over the years this schism and division has been popping out in the past in the form of a different organisation. The nine vanik sub-castes which form Navnat are Dasha Shrimali, Visa Shrimali, Dasha Sorathia, Visa Sorathia, Modh, Khadaytia, Porwad, Kapod, and Shrimali Soni. Many people confuse Visa Oshwals with our Visa Shrimali. Visa Oshwal is totally a different caste and community and they come from only one region surrounding the city of Jamnagar, while Navnat community comes from every corner of the State of Gujarat. Visa Oshwal is comparatively a very small community, perhaps less than one hundred thousand throughout the world; and a large proportion of that number lives in this country or in East Africa. Navnat Vanik community in India will run into millions and as such is a large community even though in this country we number a few thousand, and only a fraction of Visa Oshwal community in this country.
Formation of a National Organisation
While in East Africa, many attempts were made to create an East Africa based Navnat body but it never materialised. The number of Navnat families in this country was comparatively small, and they were spread all over the country, with the main concentration in London, with some families in big cities like Leicester and Manchester. It was in 1970 that the plans were made to form a Navnat body to represent the community on a countrywide basis. The founding members of the association decided to create a national body and include all the community members in the country. I was not in the country during these formative years, and as such am not able to throw more light on the same. When Navnat Vanik Association of UK (hereinafter called NVA) was formed, Navnitray Sheth became the first president, and Pranlal Sheth, a barrister by profession, became the first vice president, and the one who drafted the constitution. The first committee had representatives from other cities also, but as the main concentration of Navnat families was in north London, the hub of the activities was north London. The first ever gathering of the Navnat community took place in Wellingborough in October 1971, and can be called first ever Priti Bhojan in this country.
Over the years, its regular publication made it the anchor of the association. As it was posted only to members, the association was able to claim membership not only all over UK, but in other countries and continents also. It carried an editorial in English and Gujarati, which gave it an appearance of a genuine newspaper. During the seventies and eighties, it carried editorials on social issues and problems, and extolled the members to change and reform. The editorials covered subjects from how to behave at functions and queuing at buffet meals, to reforms in our customs and traditions; from talking about the virtues of living in this country to learning from the good we see in other cultures; from asking the youths to participate in community activities to asking our fragmented organisations to unite and be strong. Its regularity and punctuality became its trade mark, and envy of so many other community organisations. No other community organisation has managed to publish a monthly newsletter so regularly, month after month, as we have managed to do. The activities of NVA in the initial years were very limited. It was at the annual general meeting held in December 1973, which I did not attend, that my name was proposed and I was elected to the committee. It was in the very first committee meeting in January 1974, which I also could not attend, that my name was proposed and I was included in the Navnat News sub-committee of five. While the sub-committee was appointed it never met and had no influence or participation in the production or distribution of Navnat News. This is when my long association, and active participation, in NVA began. It is based on my experiences, my memories of those years on which I have based my presentation of the history of the community in this country. Amratlal B Mavani was elected the president, and still remained the editor of Navnat News, and Vinod Udani became the secretary for the first time. It was from that time, and over the next twenty years, that my association and working relationship with Vinod Udani began, and while we did not always see eye to eye, we did establish a good working relationship. The total strength of the committee then was 25, and initially the committee meetings were held at residence of one of the committee members. Soon everyone found out that the loud arguments, and the table thumping, was not very welcome either for the residents of the house or for good neighbourly relations. The committee meeting was transferred to the hall in Neasden, which in many respects served as the community headquarters for years to come. The meeting was held at 2.00 p.m. on a Saturday afternoon. I remember that at the very first meeting the committee members were served tea and snacks, and one member asked who was paying for all this. When the secretary reported that the expenses were from the association, that committee member stood up in anger, banged the table and threw a pound note on the table, and said that: “ I will never eat anything paid by community funds.” This was the standard of ethics of that generation, and that particular incident marked the way the affairs of the association were run for many years to come. As that member put it in very blunt words that a committee member is elected to serve the community with “heart, physical effort and money”. Over the years as committee member I learnt that no one ever tried to benefit from working for the association, and that great care was taken to ensure that no community funds were unduly spent or wasted. The annual general meetings were held in the same hall, and in spite of the meeting being in winter months, the hall used to be packed with many members standing outside in the courtyard. The meetings used to be lively, with a keen contest for the election of committee members. However, talking with those present, one immediately found out the reason for such huge attendance at such meetings. Having left East Africa, quite often without a chance to inform friends and relatives, many community members had lost contact with those they knew. Also many were looking for suitable matches for their grown up, or possibly growing, children and coming to such a meeting meant that they would meet many people they knew before, establish contacts, and possibly get recommendations for their children for whom the parents were searching for suitable life partners. At the same time the meetings used to be very lively with some searching questions thrown at the out going committee. The voting for the election was close, and as one member used to say “this is the test of how the public view your work in the committee for the past year, and if you pass this then you should be proud that you have done good work.” Up to this time, few programmes took place, and even those were based on ticket sales. However, the very first free for all and open to the whole community programme took place in April 1974. A programme was arranged in a hall in North London near Turnpike station to celebrate the 2500th birthday of Lord Mahavira. It was assumed that participating members will donate to cover the costs, and food was ordered on the basis of estimates of how many could be expected to attend. Each committee member was asked to give £10 each, collecting £250.00 all together. However at the gates, the collection amounted to only £150.00. Many people actually walked on the other side of the road, and used the other door to escape the eyes of those who were collecting the funds. After this experience the committee always had a ticket for every programme to cover the costs, and to get a better estimate of how many people would attend. While the programme was fairly successful, the catering side was a fiasco. In those days there were very few catering firms, and those that existed were known for being stingy on quantities. Most of the food items were exhausted before even half the people had eaten. There was total chaos. People scrambled to get something from those who were serving, which included me too. A point came when the servers could not cope and they quit. More than half those who attended must have gone home without any food, and also the pushing and chaos was not a good experience for those who came. The committee meetings, which were held on Saturday afternoons, were acrimonious, with heated arguments, and very democratic in every respect. Sometimes in July, there were heated arguments over some issues, and the then President resigned. The then vice-President Trambaklal Shah took over as acting president till the next elections. The secretary was worried about Navnat News, and I assured him that until an editor is appointed I will do the newsletter. But in time my work was appreciated, and I became more like a permanent editor. Over the next thirty years, I was editor for more than twenty two years. But the early years were hard work. I would write every page by hand, with hardly one or two pages of typed material. I would post the pages to the printer who would make plates and print out the full issue, staple all the pages, and then deliver the issue by taxi to Vinod Udani. Vinodbhai would have kept all the envelopes ready with addresses. He would fold the newsletters, put them in the envelopes, stamp them, and then take bagful of newsletters to the post office. He would make a few trips before all the copies were posted. As the volume increased, then other members helped to address the envelopes, and helped in packing the newsletter. Sometimes in the eighties, the name was changed to Navnat Darpan.
Paryushan
Right from 1968 or so Paryushan was celebrated at some homes in Neasden. Kantibhai Sanghrajka and Jayantibhai Kothari were instrumental in arranging these at their homes for whoever of the community can be accommodated. In the early years, NVA committee felt that it should not get into any controversy by arranging religious programmes, including Paryushan. It was also felt that the two gentlemen were doing a good job and the committee should let them carry on with the same. However, around 1975 or 1976 it was felt that with the increase in our community population, and desire of many more community members to participate in this religious period, the committee approached these gentlemen and suggested that now NVA can organise the festival in a hall. The first Paryushan was celebrated in the well used Neasden hall. Attempts were made to accommodate Derawasi in the same hall by providing them the use of the stage. However, numbers of Derawasi participating was not that large, and using the stage was not an ideal solution. When the Paryushan were moved to Kingsbury, and when the demand from Derawasi members warranted it, two halls were hired to accommodate both the sects.
Bhagini Samaj
It was sometimes in 1977 that some ladies met at a member’s residence in Neasden where the seeds were sowed for the future Bhagini Samaj. Ever since its formation, Bhagini Samaj has become the most successful wing of Navnat. Its programs are varied and interesting, and quite successful in terms of attendance, content and organisation. It soon became the practice for all the major programs to be arranged by NVA, while all the entertainment programs were normally organised by Bhagini. Later, arranging overseas trips became the hall mark of Bhagini. Over the years, it organised many very successful overseas trips and established its reputation for perfection in details and bargaining for the trips. For all these years, Bhagini has maintained its strength and its good activities. It has always stood by the main committee, and has helped the NVA in all its activities. Bhagini has almost become the right hand of the main body, and their cooperation and good working relation has been marvellous.
Towards Unity - or an Illusion
Many suggestions and attempts were made to call a national conference but it never materialised. The desire or the dream to unite has been haunting the community ever since we came to this country. However, the diversities, and the differences in our backgrounds keep simmering and showing up, and destroying this dream of uniting the community. It was in 1970 that the formation of Navnat Vanik Association represented the first attempt to unite the community. Soon after the influx of our community members from Uganda, it became clear that the attempt to unify via the formation of this organisation had been a dismal failure. In was in 1977 that Midland Navnat Vanik Association (now defunct) arranged a celebration of thirty years of India’s independence, and invited leading vaniks from all over the country. The president, who was also a councillor, pleaded to the vaniks to unite and form a national body, and to exert influence on the national stage like other communities. Committee members of Navnat Vanik Association of UK, including myself, were present there and they took up this challenge. A sub-committee was formed and this included Trambaklal Shah, Dhirajlal Maniar, Bipin Mehta, Navnitlal Sheth, Pranlal Sheth and myself. The committee met several times in a restaurant in the city centre. Right from the beginning, there were two distinct lines of thinking. One group wanted the National body to be apolitical, pronouncing its opinions and protests on a national level, and create a semi political body to influence policy at government level. The other group felt that we were too small a community in terms of numbers, and we should concentrate more on the issues that affect our community members directly. Also there was disagreement on the format of such a body. One side wanted a strong central body that would control every small decision and actions of each of the affiliated bodies. The other wanted a loosely bound central body that would discuss, suggest and specify actions for the affiliated organisations to act upon. Ultimately it was decided that a national conference should be called to present a case for a national organisation. Lot of work was put in contacting local organisations and individuals all over the country before a date was fixed. The conference was held in the Neasden hall. The attendance was stunning. Besides representatives of the five main associations from London, Leicester, Luton and Manchester, there were individuals from Glasgow, Coventry, Birmingham, Brighton and a few other places. Each delegation was given time to speak, and if a gist of what was said can be put in one sentence, then all the delegates, except those from London, had one comment to make: “We will accept any central body as long as it was not dominated by London.” While a national body was formed, the sentiment expressed at the conference resulted in a council with little power and influence.
Formation of a National Council
A subcommittee was formed to formulate a constitution. Taking the sentiments of the conference in consideration, the delegate representation from London was restricted to a maximum of 10, and to me this led to the shattering of the dreams of those who worked to create this body. London represented over 80% of the community in this country, and by restricting their presence, the council became worth little. Without London presence there was nothing left. A meeting was called in Leicester and the National Council of Vanik Association came into existence. Lots of attempts were made to enrol Oshwal Association, but due to historical animosity, it was wishful thinking that they would agree to join. When the council was established there were only five Navnat associations throughout the country. Today that number is more like thirty. Whether this represents an increase in our community population, or if it represents the diversities of the community being mirrored in the multiple organisations, is debatable. Oshwal, with at least five times our numbers still works under one umbrella organisation, whilst Navnat with such small population, has so many organisations. National Council, since its inception, has been still in existence and has been holding regular meetings. It might have lots of achievements to their credit, but the general public do not seem to be aware of the same. The major achievement seems to be the publication of the national Directory, which NVA had already been producing before the national council took it over. Without the representatives of NVA, the council will have hardly any one. Over the past decade or more all the meeting are held in London, and most of the main office bearers have been from London. So while everyone strongly opposed domination from London, in reality London dominates the national Council. Without London there would be no national council. As to the achievements of the national council, there could be lot to debate about, but to most it is no more than a talking shop, and whatever it is doing, it is not being publicised enough for members to bother about it. But one thing is sure. The national council has totally failed to mirror the dreams and wishes of its creators.
Unity – More Attempts
The dream to create a united community came popping up in time. In 1987 Gurudev Chitrabhanu, at a public meeting in Kingsbury school, extolled the community to unite. The call was answered immediately, when a group of community leaders had quick standing meeting and came up with a proposal to form a Federation of Vaishnav Organisations. After this initial announcement, no further was heard of the federation. Then in the year 2000, Gurudev Chitrabhanu made the same suggestion in the same hall, and a suggestion was made on the spot to form a Confederation of Vaishnav Organisations. This time the proposal went one step further and a meeting of the various representatives was called to form this confederation. But rivalry and back biting, and accusations of hijacking of the plan, led to a boycott of the initial meeting by majority of those that would have made the idea viable. While the confederation might still be in existence, much has not been heard of the same since.
The original communities included: Dasha Shrimal, Visha Shrimal, Dasha Sorathia, Visha Sorathia, Modh
Modh
Modh are the followers of Modheshwari Maa , a form of Amba Maa with eighteen hands. They originally lived in a town called Modhera in Patan District in the northern part of Gujarat...
, Khadayata, Porvad, Kapol (or Kandol) and Shrimali Soni Mahajan. Historically several occurred several centuries ago, largely due to regional differences.
The Navnat Vanik Association of UK was founded in 1971. The term Vanik means merchant.
The social interaction of Jain communities has long been recognized. The "sadhe-barah" (12 and 1/2) nyat cluster concept is mentioned in texts like Vardhamana Purana of Navalsah Chanderia written in 1769 AD. There are several historical examples of Vaishnav communities merging (as well as splitting). The emergence Oswal
Oswal
The Oswal are a social group of people from the Indian States of Rajasthan and Punjab. Oswals are primarily adherents of Svetambara Jainism, but a few are Digambaras and some are Hindu adherents of Vaishnavism....
community itself can be considered to be a unitification movement among the Jain communities.
Origin of Navnat
Jainism is followed by people belonging to many different social groups living in different regions. They are often identified by the name of the original town that formed the center of the community. For example:- Shrimal: arose around Shrimal or Bhinmal town
- PorwadPorwad·Porvad , also called Porwad / Porwal, are an ancient Jain community that originated from southern Rajasthan. In Sanskrit inscriptions it is called Pragvata ....
: arose in Pragvata region - ModhModhModh are the followers of Modheshwari Maa , a form of Amba Maa with eighteen hands. They originally lived in a town called Modhera in Patan District in the northern part of Gujarat...
: arose in Modhera etc. - KhadayataKhadayataKhadayata is a Baniya community among Hindus which originated in the state of Gujarat in India. It has existence across the world. The people of this community are known for business activities.-History:...
: arose from Khadat town in Gujarat - Sorathia: arose from Sorath (Saurashtra) region
- Kapol: arose from Nagarkot, Saurashtra
Each grouping developed its own traditions, customs, and way of life. Some of them were sub-divided into various sub-castes for various reasons like migrations or occupations.
The founder of the Navnat in Kenya was a Modh Businessman, Bhavanlal Lalji Gandhi (Better known as B. L Gandhi).
Indians migrated to East Africa at the end of nineteenth century, and early years of the twentieth century. British brought the Indians to build the railways, but as time passed, others followed to open up and develop the economy of the country. It was in 1930’s, when we had well settled into trade and commerce, and in our lives, that the idea of Navnat was mooted and formed. Navnat literally means “nine castes”, and that is exactly what it represented. The large population of vaniks in Mombasa consisted mainly of Jains, and so called Dasha and Visha Shrimali caste, with a small numbers in other vanik castes. The common factor amongst these sub-castes was that marriage between these nine sub-castes was permitted, and that is where the common factors seemed to end. However, as the other sub-castes were in very small numbers, it was felt that if all the sub-castes were combined, it would be to the advantage of everyone in the community. This is how Navnat came into existence. As years passed by, the concept spread through rest of East Africa. While most centres in East Africa embraced this concept, they still had a separate organisation of the majority vanik community. However, Mombasa kept a very good balance and created a solid Navnat organisation based on social activities, and at the same time had a Jain organisation to cater for the religious needs of the majority.
Concept of Navnat Community
Navnat as a concept or a community-cluster has been known in India, but it emerged as a single community in East Africa. Centuries of history of the caste system was moulded and changed by this new concept. Have we succeeded in eradicating the sub-caste divisions, and create a new caste and community as such? In East Africa, the concept of Navnat might not have been that great. But in the United Kingdom, the younger generation define themselves by identifying themselves as “Navnatees”. Whether the old sub-caste divisions have been obliterated or not, is questionable. Whether the “new” caste of Navnat has taken hold, or it is a myth, is debatable. When we see so many organisations and associations representing our comparatively small community, compared with many other much larger communities, then one can deduce that the inherent differences are still causing that schism and divide in our lives.The Oshwal community in UK/Africa migrated from a small area in Saurashtra (part of Gujarat), although they are historically associated with the Osia town in Rajasthan. Because of their common past and traditions, common customs and history, they have managed to remain as one united community. Navnat, on the contrary, represents lots of castes, and come from vastly differing and distant geographical locations. Also there are distinct religious differences which are reflected in the formation of different organisations. Each caste or each geographical location has had their own customs and traditions. These differences have always been reflected in the way they have mingled and formed various associations.
Once at a meeting, where all the vanik organisations were represented, on Oshwal member put this very succinctly: “At this meeting, there is one Oshwal organisation, and twenty five Navnat organisations – and Navnat organisations have to decide who to invite.” Over the years this schism and division has been popping out in the past in the form of a different organisation. The nine vanik sub-castes which form Navnat are Dasha Shrimali, Visa Shrimali, Dasha Sorathia, Visa Sorathia, Modh, Khadaytia, Porwad, Kapod, and Shrimali Soni. Many people confuse Visa Oshwals with our Visa Shrimali. Visa Oshwal is totally a different caste and community and they come from only one region surrounding the city of Jamnagar, while Navnat community comes from every corner of the State of Gujarat. Visa Oshwal is comparatively a very small community, perhaps less than one hundred thousand throughout the world; and a large proportion of that number lives in this country or in East Africa. Navnat Vanik community in India will run into millions and as such is a large community even though in this country we number a few thousand, and only a fraction of Visa Oshwal community in this country.
Migration to UK and the Beginnings
Kenya got independence in 1963. While the future seemed uncertain, and many Indians opted to retain their British passports, there was not any migration in the early years. However, with the introduction of exchange control in late 1967, and the speculators realising that a killing was to be made, they started offering free tickets to those Indians who otherwise could not afford even a train ticket, and in return the person was expected to carry the foreign exchange allowance for the speculator. This very soon created what is now famously known as the great “exodus”. In three months estimated 70000 Indians left Kenya and moved to England. Until then, there was a small population of Indians who lived here and came originally from India. It was at the time of Diwali 1969 that Jayantilal H Kothari and Amratlal B Mavani approached Chhotalal Kothari who had come to this country in 1964, and who was aware of many of the Navnat families who had come to this country. Chhotalal Kothari gave a list of most of the Navnat members who had settled in London. Then Jayantilal H Kothari and Amratlal B Mavani went to visit each Navnat family, asked them to give a donation as khushi bhet which they intended to send to Navnat Prakash, the newsletter being published in Mombasa, and make aware our community in East Africa of our existence in this country. This can be identified as the beginning of the formation of the organisation which later became known as Navnat Vanik Association of UK. I was also approached, and gave my contribution, but when the talk of forming a Navnat organisation was raised, I firmly expressed my views that we should leave those caste differences and thoughts behind us, and that we should think and behave as Indians in this country. It was not long after that conversation that I realised that the caste system, the customs and traditions are so entwined in our lives that it would be difficult to discard them over night. I realised that the caste based social organisation would be required in our lives for many years to come.Formation of a National Organisation
While in East Africa, many attempts were made to create an East Africa based Navnat body but it never materialised. The number of Navnat families in this country was comparatively small, and they were spread all over the country, with the main concentration in London, with some families in big cities like Leicester and Manchester. It was in 1970 that the plans were made to form a Navnat body to represent the community on a countrywide basis. The founding members of the association decided to create a national body and include all the community members in the country. I was not in the country during these formative years, and as such am not able to throw more light on the same. When Navnat Vanik Association of UK (hereinafter called NVA) was formed, Navnitray Sheth became the first president, and Pranlal Sheth, a barrister by profession, became the first vice president, and the one who drafted the constitution. The first committee had representatives from other cities also, but as the main concentration of Navnat families was in north London, the hub of the activities was north London. The first ever gathering of the Navnat community took place in Wellingborough in October 1971, and can be called first ever Priti Bhojan in this country.
Unity in tatters
However, with the influx of refugees from Uganda, and a large numbers of Navnat community within that, changed the whole picture. The countrywide association became less appealing. Over the years, local organisations started springing up to cater for the needs of the local members. Manchester opted for a wholly Hindu organisation. Leicester originally had Midland Navnat Vanik Association, but that did not last long after Vaishnav Samaj was formed and Hindu Derasar built. Luton formed a Navnat Vanik Association, but after a few decades of existence they decided to wind up the organisation. The original Navnat Vanik Association of UK became much more of a London organisation, or more like an organisation of the North and West areas of London where our community members were most concentrated. Even in North London serious attempts were made to form a separate Vaishnav organisation, and a meeting was held at a residence of a community member in Neasden. Some members, including myself, strongly opposed such splinter group and warned that such a move will split our community into small groups. South London followed the national trend by forming a Vanik organisation. Years later east London followed by forming a Hindu organisation. While ideas were floated to form a sort of federation or association between these various organisations, it never materialised.The early years
It was in February 1973 that Amratlal B Mavani, a committee member, published the very first issue of what was then called Navnat News. The first issue had only two sheets, and copies were made and posted to members. Originally the newsletter was published on a bi-monthly basis. This newsletter became the foundation on which the future success of the organisation was established.Over the years, its regular publication made it the anchor of the association. As it was posted only to members, the association was able to claim membership not only all over UK, but in other countries and continents also. It carried an editorial in English and Gujarati, which gave it an appearance of a genuine newspaper. During the seventies and eighties, it carried editorials on social issues and problems, and extolled the members to change and reform. The editorials covered subjects from how to behave at functions and queuing at buffet meals, to reforms in our customs and traditions; from talking about the virtues of living in this country to learning from the good we see in other cultures; from asking the youths to participate in community activities to asking our fragmented organisations to unite and be strong. Its regularity and punctuality became its trade mark, and envy of so many other community organisations. No other community organisation has managed to publish a monthly newsletter so regularly, month after month, as we have managed to do. The activities of NVA in the initial years were very limited. It was at the annual general meeting held in December 1973, which I did not attend, that my name was proposed and I was elected to the committee. It was in the very first committee meeting in January 1974, which I also could not attend, that my name was proposed and I was included in the Navnat News sub-committee of five. While the sub-committee was appointed it never met and had no influence or participation in the production or distribution of Navnat News. This is when my long association, and active participation, in NVA began. It is based on my experiences, my memories of those years on which I have based my presentation of the history of the community in this country. Amratlal B Mavani was elected the president, and still remained the editor of Navnat News, and Vinod Udani became the secretary for the first time. It was from that time, and over the next twenty years, that my association and working relationship with Vinod Udani began, and while we did not always see eye to eye, we did establish a good working relationship. The total strength of the committee then was 25, and initially the committee meetings were held at residence of one of the committee members. Soon everyone found out that the loud arguments, and the table thumping, was not very welcome either for the residents of the house or for good neighbourly relations. The committee meeting was transferred to the hall in Neasden, which in many respects served as the community headquarters for years to come. The meeting was held at 2.00 p.m. on a Saturday afternoon. I remember that at the very first meeting the committee members were served tea and snacks, and one member asked who was paying for all this. When the secretary reported that the expenses were from the association, that committee member stood up in anger, banged the table and threw a pound note on the table, and said that: “ I will never eat anything paid by community funds.” This was the standard of ethics of that generation, and that particular incident marked the way the affairs of the association were run for many years to come. As that member put it in very blunt words that a committee member is elected to serve the community with “heart, physical effort and money”. Over the years as committee member I learnt that no one ever tried to benefit from working for the association, and that great care was taken to ensure that no community funds were unduly spent or wasted. The annual general meetings were held in the same hall, and in spite of the meeting being in winter months, the hall used to be packed with many members standing outside in the courtyard. The meetings used to be lively, with a keen contest for the election of committee members. However, talking with those present, one immediately found out the reason for such huge attendance at such meetings. Having left East Africa, quite often without a chance to inform friends and relatives, many community members had lost contact with those they knew. Also many were looking for suitable matches for their grown up, or possibly growing, children and coming to such a meeting meant that they would meet many people they knew before, establish contacts, and possibly get recommendations for their children for whom the parents were searching for suitable life partners. At the same time the meetings used to be very lively with some searching questions thrown at the out going committee. The voting for the election was close, and as one member used to say “this is the test of how the public view your work in the committee for the past year, and if you pass this then you should be proud that you have done good work.” Up to this time, few programmes took place, and even those were based on ticket sales. However, the very first free for all and open to the whole community programme took place in April 1974. A programme was arranged in a hall in North London near Turnpike station to celebrate the 2500th birthday of Lord Mahavira. It was assumed that participating members will donate to cover the costs, and food was ordered on the basis of estimates of how many could be expected to attend. Each committee member was asked to give £10 each, collecting £250.00 all together. However at the gates, the collection amounted to only £150.00. Many people actually walked on the other side of the road, and used the other door to escape the eyes of those who were collecting the funds. After this experience the committee always had a ticket for every programme to cover the costs, and to get a better estimate of how many people would attend. While the programme was fairly successful, the catering side was a fiasco. In those days there were very few catering firms, and those that existed were known for being stingy on quantities. Most of the food items were exhausted before even half the people had eaten. There was total chaos. People scrambled to get something from those who were serving, which included me too. A point came when the servers could not cope and they quit. More than half those who attended must have gone home without any food, and also the pushing and chaos was not a good experience for those who came. The committee meetings, which were held on Saturday afternoons, were acrimonious, with heated arguments, and very democratic in every respect. Sometimes in July, there were heated arguments over some issues, and the then President resigned. The then vice-President Trambaklal Shah took over as acting president till the next elections. The secretary was worried about Navnat News, and I assured him that until an editor is appointed I will do the newsletter. But in time my work was appreciated, and I became more like a permanent editor. Over the next thirty years, I was editor for more than twenty two years. But the early years were hard work. I would write every page by hand, with hardly one or two pages of typed material. I would post the pages to the printer who would make plates and print out the full issue, staple all the pages, and then deliver the issue by taxi to Vinod Udani. Vinodbhai would have kept all the envelopes ready with addresses. He would fold the newsletters, put them in the envelopes, stamp them, and then take bagful of newsletters to the post office. He would make a few trips before all the copies were posted. As the volume increased, then other members helped to address the envelopes, and helped in packing the newsletter. Sometimes in the eighties, the name was changed to Navnat Darpan.
A Year of change and consolidation
At the beginning of 1976 when the elections took place, NVA faced its first crisis. Trambakbhai took on the mantle of presidency for some years to come, and made a great success of it with his vast experience and dedication to his work. But no name came forward for the post of secretary. Every name that was suggested was withdrawn before even it was written down. Then suddenly, from the back of the packed hall, a young man walked towards the stage and said that he will become the secretary. The young man was none other than Bipin Mehta. Over the next twelve months he was instrumental in some major new developments in the history of NVA. The first, if I remember correctly, Priti Bhojan was held that year. A charge of 50 P per person was kept and a record 2500 people attended that lunch. Ever since then it has become the feature of NVA annual diary. Also the same year NVA for the first time organised Navratri, and that also became a regular feature in the annual programs of NVA. A youth committee was established to encourage youths to take part in the community. It was either in 1975 or 1976 that NVA took over organising Paryushan, which was up to that time being organised by private individuals. The year marked the turning point for the community. Programmes were well planned and executed. Benchmark programmes were started in this year which became the norm for the annual NVA calendar. This included Priti Bhojan, Paryushan, Navratri and New Year. Seventies saw huge demand for any of these programmes. Newly arrived community members were keen to meet their lost connections, and made sure that they always attended such mass programmes. Diwali (a Vaishnav celebration) get together was held on the New Year in Brent Town Hall, and the hall used to get packed irrespective of which day of the week or what the weather was.Paryushan
Right from 1968 or so Paryushan was celebrated at some homes in Neasden. Kantibhai Sanghrajka and Jayantibhai Kothari were instrumental in arranging these at their homes for whoever of the community can be accommodated. In the early years, NVA committee felt that it should not get into any controversy by arranging religious programmes, including Paryushan. It was also felt that the two gentlemen were doing a good job and the committee should let them carry on with the same. However, around 1975 or 1976 it was felt that with the increase in our community population, and desire of many more community members to participate in this religious period, the committee approached these gentlemen and suggested that now NVA can organise the festival in a hall. The first Paryushan was celebrated in the well used Neasden hall. Attempts were made to accommodate Derawasi in the same hall by providing them the use of the stage. However, numbers of Derawasi participating was not that large, and using the stage was not an ideal solution. When the Paryushan were moved to Kingsbury, and when the demand from Derawasi members warranted it, two halls were hired to accommodate both the sects.
Bhagini Samaj
It was sometimes in 1977 that some ladies met at a member’s residence in Neasden where the seeds were sowed for the future Bhagini Samaj. Ever since its formation, Bhagini Samaj has become the most successful wing of Navnat. Its programs are varied and interesting, and quite successful in terms of attendance, content and organisation. It soon became the practice for all the major programs to be arranged by NVA, while all the entertainment programs were normally organised by Bhagini. Later, arranging overseas trips became the hall mark of Bhagini. Over the years, it organised many very successful overseas trips and established its reputation for perfection in details and bargaining for the trips. For all these years, Bhagini has maintained its strength and its good activities. It has always stood by the main committee, and has helped the NVA in all its activities. Bhagini has almost become the right hand of the main body, and their cooperation and good working relation has been marvellous.
Youth Association
It was 1976 or a year later that formation of a youth wing was encouraged and a meeting called to form such a body. While Bipin Mehta called the meeting, I chaired the first such meeting when a group of youths came to attend. After some heated discussion, the meeting decided to form an independent association for the youths. While the committee of Navnat did not like this they had to accept the democratic decision of the youths. The very term “youth” is a ever changing phase of our lives. The youth of yesterday is the parent or elder of tomorrow. As such the situation in the youth association was always fluid. For many years it remained quite active, but with change of generation, or passing by of the previous youths, created a vacuum, and the continuity of the organisation was always under threat. But for many years the youths formed an active and integral part of our community and they contributed constructively by bringing our youths into the fold. Their major contribution was starting a newsletter of their own (now called Focus but had many names over the years) which after many years was incorporated into the main Darpan. The youth newsletter brought extra life into the community newsletter. Even though the youths faced a crisis in forming an active committee, or finding active office bearers, they managed to keep producing their newsletter on a regular basis. Youth newsletter changed its name many times and settled on the name “Focus” for the last decade or more. The format and contents have been changing with each change of editor. Youths have arranged some classy programmes, and they have tried to balance between modern life in this country and the traditional cultural values of the community. Their relationship with the main body, and the levels of cooperation, unlike the Bhagini, have been like a yo-yo. But they have always maintained their independence. Over the years they have shown that they can work independently, but also with responsibility and prudence. While the elders, and the main body committee, have many times not seen eye to eye with the youths, their ability to survive and to run their organisation successfully has been commendable.Towards Unity - or an Illusion
Many suggestions and attempts were made to call a national conference but it never materialised. The desire or the dream to unite has been haunting the community ever since we came to this country. However, the diversities, and the differences in our backgrounds keep simmering and showing up, and destroying this dream of uniting the community. It was in 1970 that the formation of Navnat Vanik Association represented the first attempt to unite the community. Soon after the influx of our community members from Uganda, it became clear that the attempt to unify via the formation of this organisation had been a dismal failure. In was in 1977 that Midland Navnat Vanik Association (now defunct) arranged a celebration of thirty years of India’s independence, and invited leading vaniks from all over the country. The president, who was also a councillor, pleaded to the vaniks to unite and form a national body, and to exert influence on the national stage like other communities. Committee members of Navnat Vanik Association of UK, including myself, were present there and they took up this challenge. A sub-committee was formed and this included Trambaklal Shah, Dhirajlal Maniar, Bipin Mehta, Navnitlal Sheth, Pranlal Sheth and myself. The committee met several times in a restaurant in the city centre. Right from the beginning, there were two distinct lines of thinking. One group wanted the National body to be apolitical, pronouncing its opinions and protests on a national level, and create a semi political body to influence policy at government level. The other group felt that we were too small a community in terms of numbers, and we should concentrate more on the issues that affect our community members directly. Also there was disagreement on the format of such a body. One side wanted a strong central body that would control every small decision and actions of each of the affiliated bodies. The other wanted a loosely bound central body that would discuss, suggest and specify actions for the affiliated organisations to act upon. Ultimately it was decided that a national conference should be called to present a case for a national organisation. Lot of work was put in contacting local organisations and individuals all over the country before a date was fixed. The conference was held in the Neasden hall. The attendance was stunning. Besides representatives of the five main associations from London, Leicester, Luton and Manchester, there were individuals from Glasgow, Coventry, Birmingham, Brighton and a few other places. Each delegation was given time to speak, and if a gist of what was said can be put in one sentence, then all the delegates, except those from London, had one comment to make: “We will accept any central body as long as it was not dominated by London.” While a national body was formed, the sentiment expressed at the conference resulted in a council with little power and influence.
Formation of a National Council
A subcommittee was formed to formulate a constitution. Taking the sentiments of the conference in consideration, the delegate representation from London was restricted to a maximum of 10, and to me this led to the shattering of the dreams of those who worked to create this body. London represented over 80% of the community in this country, and by restricting their presence, the council became worth little. Without London presence there was nothing left. A meeting was called in Leicester and the National Council of Vanik Association came into existence. Lots of attempts were made to enrol Oshwal Association, but due to historical animosity, it was wishful thinking that they would agree to join. When the council was established there were only five Navnat associations throughout the country. Today that number is more like thirty. Whether this represents an increase in our community population, or if it represents the diversities of the community being mirrored in the multiple organisations, is debatable. Oshwal, with at least five times our numbers still works under one umbrella organisation, whilst Navnat with such small population, has so many organisations. National Council, since its inception, has been still in existence and has been holding regular meetings. It might have lots of achievements to their credit, but the general public do not seem to be aware of the same. The major achievement seems to be the publication of the national Directory, which NVA had already been producing before the national council took it over. Without the representatives of NVA, the council will have hardly any one. Over the past decade or more all the meeting are held in London, and most of the main office bearers have been from London. So while everyone strongly opposed domination from London, in reality London dominates the national Council. Without London there would be no national council. As to the achievements of the national council, there could be lot to debate about, but to most it is no more than a talking shop, and whatever it is doing, it is not being publicised enough for members to bother about it. But one thing is sure. The national council has totally failed to mirror the dreams and wishes of its creators.
Unity – More Attempts
The dream to create a united community came popping up in time. In 1987 Gurudev Chitrabhanu, at a public meeting in Kingsbury school, extolled the community to unite. The call was answered immediately, when a group of community leaders had quick standing meeting and came up with a proposal to form a Federation of Vaishnav Organisations. After this initial announcement, no further was heard of the federation. Then in the year 2000, Gurudev Chitrabhanu made the same suggestion in the same hall, and a suggestion was made on the spot to form a Confederation of Vaishnav Organisations. This time the proposal went one step further and a meeting of the various representatives was called to form this confederation. But rivalry and back biting, and accusations of hijacking of the plan, led to a boycott of the initial meeting by majority of those that would have made the idea viable. While the confederation might still be in existence, much has not been heard of the same since.