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Hindujas Host their Best Annual Diwali Celebration

London, October 31^st, 2019 - At the Hindujas’ Annual Diwali celebration this year, where 450 guests, including peers, MPs, top business leaders, journalists and over thirty Ambassadors and diplomats were present, Gopichand P Hinduja, Co-Chairman of the Hinduja Group, spoke of how our political leaders should note of the significance of Diwali, the Festival of Lights, celebrating Lord Rama and the victory of good over evil and how his message for peace and understanding continues to be relevant and pertinent today.

Soon after the House of Commons vote on the HM Government’s motion for a General Election was defeated, a cross section of politicians were present including former Cabinet Ministers Phillip Hammond and Jeremy Hunt, Nadhim Zahawi, Minister of State at the Department for Business and until recently the leader of the Liberal Democrats Sir Vince Cable. Also present was the Lord Mayor London, Peter Estlin and Neil Basu, the high flying Indian-origin Assistant Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police.

Representing HM Government and the Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Lord Tariq Ahmad of Wimbledon, the Minister of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, remembered Mahatma Gandhi, who he described as one of his personal heroes. He quoted: “Oh Lord! Throw light into your hearts, throw love into your hearts. And that light and love combined is a powerful tool in the service of humanity.”

The Mayor of London Sadiq Khan, highlighted there were more than half a million Hindus in in London, which is more than the rest of Britain put together and in excess of the population of the same faith in other European countries.

Welcoming the guests on behalf of the Hinduja family, Gopichand, the driving force in the business, said: “My father always believed money is nothing in life. It is the friends and the relationships that is the real wealth of a human being.”

Although non-resident Indians for generations, the Hindujas have proactively promoted closer relations and better understanding between what they call their “mother country” India and Britain, where they are located. They believe in Vedic principles – “service with devotion” and “fulfilment of one’s self-interest in the active promotion of the interest of the collective”.  

The Hindujas’ Annual Diwali celebration dates back to when they moved their operations to London in 1979 on leaving Iran following the fall of the Shah. They initially hosted their Diwali parties at New Zealand House in London, where their offices are located amongst those who attended were the then prime minister, Margaret Thatcher. This was the first time that a British head of government had ever graced a private Diwali party. For the Hindujas and the Indian community in Britain it was a coup d'etat. With such a thumping start, the Hinduja family Diwali party has emerged as the most iconic manifestation of India's biggest religious festival in the United Kingdom.

Their annual Diwali party has in fact become a salubrious setting for British and Indian leaders and diplomats to rendezvous in an informal, yet productive manner. There is music, speeches and a sumptuous array of vegetarian food!

Notes to the Editor

The Hinduja Group

The Hinduja Group was founded by Parmanand Deepchand Hinduja. In 1914, he travelled from Shikarpur in Sindh - then a part of undivided India, now in Pakistan - to Mumbai, to launch his enterprise. In 1919, he opened an office in Iran. Merchant banking and trade became the two pillars of the group’s business. The Hindujas remained headquartered in Iran for the next 60 years.

Today the Hindujas are ranked in the UK Sunday Times’ Rich List as the wealthiest family in Britain, with an estimated net worth of £22 billion. Their companies include Ashok Leyland and Optare in automotives, Gulf Oil in the oil and lubricants industry, IndusInd Bank in banking, Hinduja Global Solutions in IT, Hinduja National Power Corporation in the energy, Hinduja Realty Ventures in real estate and The British Metal Corporation (India) Private Ltd in metals and minerals. They also have a presence in healthcare and cable and DTH distribution of television services. The Hindujas employ over 150,000 people in over 38 countries.     

13 to 16 Carlton House Terrace

On the site of the Prince Regent’s palace, Carleton House, the Hindujas acquired 13 to 16 Carlton House Terrace, overlooking the Mall from the Crown Estate and spent five years meticulously restoring (much to the delight of HRH the Prince of Wales, an avid conservationist) the property into a private residence for the four brothers – Srichand, Gopichand, Ashok (who is based in Mumbai) and Prakash (who is resident in Switzerland) – and their families. It was once the home of the Prime Minister William Gladstone.