Prince Charles inaugurates virtual Diwali prayer meet

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has lauded the contribution of British Hindu, Sikh and Jain communities in helping the people during the coronavirus pandemic.

Johnson said this in his message during a virtual Diwali prayer meet organised by NRI entrepreneur G P Hinduja and his family on Sunday.

Prince Charles inaugurated the event by lighting up the traditional Diwali lamp. The prayer meeting was attended by leading multi-faith spiritual heads and other leaders.

In his message, Prince Charles said the festival of light is a special time for families and friends to get together to share gifts and sweets and enjoy each other's company.

"Very sadly this year, the ongoing public health crisis means that this will simply not be possible for so many of you and I can well imagine how difficult and disappointing this must be," he said.

Prince Charles said people might still draw strength from the message of Diwali - that ultimately good will triumph over evil and light will prevail over darkness.

Johnson said he has been blown away by the contribution of British Hindu, Sikh and Jain communities in helping the people during the coronavirus pandemic.

The highlight of the 'Virtual Diwali' prayer was a nearly three-hour long musical extravaganza by some of Bollywood's leading playback singers including Sonu Nigam, Kailash Kher, Anup Jalota, Shankar Mahadevan and Rahat Fateh Ali Khan.

G P Hinduja, Co-Chairman of the Hinduja Group said they decided to convert the annual Diwali celebration into prayers because of the pandemic.

He hoped Goddess Laxmi will bring improvement in the life of people world over.