June

[25] On 17th May 007 the Mahaveer Award was Presented to Sri Sri Ravi Shankar and Lord Swraj Paul.  read more

February

[12] On 29 Jan 2007 the Mahaveer Award was Presented to Sadhguru Jagi Vasudev. read more

January 2007

[18] The YIV Annual Christmas Lunch. We have been organising a Christmas Vegetarian Lunch for over 25 years in Croydon. The objective is to promote friendship with the people of Croydon….. read more

July

[18] PRESS RELEASE - Swami Ramdev who has brought about a health and cultural revolution in India through Yoga was presented with a Mahaveer award on 13th July 2006. Click here to read more.

January 2006

[16] In response to an article in the Guardian Weekend Magazine about Morgan Spurlock who ate nothing but MacDonalds (the film Supper Size Me) and the damage it did to his health, the following letter was published.

The Guardian - Saturday January 14, 2006

Apart from the health benefits of a plant-based vegetarian and vegan diet (Super Green Me, January 7), the ecological and environmental benefits are great, too. Some 55 billion animals are raised and killed for meat every year. Our planet is simply not big enough to sustain these numbers. The result is destruction of rainforests, spreading of deserts and massive methane gas emissions. The amount of grain fed to these animals could feed almost 4 billion people. To safeguard the planet for future generations, a return to vegetarian and vegan diet is imperative.

Nitin Mehta
Croydon

December

[18] We organised our annual lunch which we have been doing. for over 25 years on 18th December.This year we jointly organised the event with the Wanza Community of South London Around 100 people enjoyed the lunch and came to understand better the need for adopting a vegetarian diet. The Mayor of Croydon councilor Maggie Mansel was present as well as Lord Weatherill (former speaker of parliament and a vegetarian) Tony Newman (leader of Croydon Council and a vegetarian), Brenda Kirby (past Mayor of Croydon and a vegetarian) Malcolm Wicks Minister for Energy. Members of Croydon police as well as representatives from local churches and the Rotary club of South Croydon were also present.

The menu was: Starters: Cassava fried with Bateta Vada and chutney!
Main: Potato and Peas sabji, Bhathura, Mexican Rice,Salad.

This was followed by tea and Vegan cake.

Many people at the lunch were not vegetarian and went away thinking about it seriously!
The event plays a very important role in promoting understanding between the Indian community and the
host community. It is an opportunity to say we are loyal citizens of this country and ready to build a
better Britain. Every Indian organisation should put together a similar Christmas event.
Navnat Vanik Association also organises this event and the local residents coming in big numbers..

November

[15] The YIV annual Christmas lunch will be held on Sunday 18th December at Lanfranc High School at 1 PM.

[15] I was invited to give a talk to the Rotary Club of South Croydon on 14th November. The title was, 'Benefits of a Vegetarian Diet.’ It was a lunch time meeting at a Chinese restaurant. Click here to read more.

October

[28] The Vegetarian Society held its annual awards day yesterday ( 27th ) at , ' Cutty Sark' an 1830 ship marooned at Greenwich. Wendy Turner Webster a TV personality and former MP Tony Banks were amongst the guests. The best vegetarian cafe awards went to the, 'Maitreya' of Bristol and the 'Rainbow' of Cambridge.

The Raninbow has also received a Mahaveer Award from us. I was privileged to be asked to give away the award for the best vegetarian and cruelty free body and skin care product. The award went to a company called, 'Living Nature'. Here is a wonderful example of Indian community working together with English, Welsh and Scottish people for a common cause! We are all united in Ahimsa!

September

[21] The YIV will be at Guys Hospital on Tuesday October 4th at 10am in the Children's ward giving a short talk and serving a vegetarian meal.

[12] Nitin will be a guest speaker at the World Congress of Faiths - Interfaith Celebration of Animals, Sunday September 18, 3pm to 5pm at:

       Golders Green Unitarians,
       31 Hoop Lane, London NW11 8BS
This Interfaith Celebration of Animals will bring together representatives of all the major world religious traditions and leading animal welfare organizations. Among those taking part will be Rev. Dr. Marcus Braybrooke, President of the WCF, and Rabbi Jacqueline Tabick, its Chair, the Director General of the RSPCA, Jackie Ballard, who will be lighting a candle for all the world's animals, and participants from the World Society for the Protection of Animals, Compassion in World Farming, the International Fund for Animal Welfare, the International Primate Protection League and other leading animal welfare organizations. For further details please contact Rev. Feargus O'Connor, telephone 020 7837 4472, email: ggunirev@aol.com
 

[09] Finally we have our web site up and running. Feel free to explore our pages and feedback any comments you may have. There are currently 2 newsletters available for perusal. We hope to update this selection soon.