Interview with Ashwinbhai Soni

Ashwinbhai was interviewed by the RSPC following the Gangotri incident.

Britain's Hindu community expressed shock and anger when the sacred cow, named Gangotri, was slaughtered one early morning in 2007. RSPCA inspectors and a government vet arrived at the temple's farm and administered a lethal injection to Gangotri, while Hindu worshippers were at prayer.

http://www.diverseethics.com/article/interviews/social-entrepreneur-ashwin-soni

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My visit to The Crawley Hindu Mandir

Last Sunday, I had the opportunity to fulfill a long standing invitation to visit the Hindu Mandir in Crawley, a town based in the South East of England, near Gatwick Airport.

Pranbhai - Ashwinbhai

I was given a warm welcome by Ashwinbhai Soni, the trustee of the mandir. Ashwinbhai has been the trustee of the Gurjar Hindu Union (GHU) since 2003. Click Profile - Ashwinbhai Morarji Soni

Ashwinbhai showed me around the temple and gave a brief history of the difficulties the trust faced in raising funds to build the mandir, and the construction itself all added years to the process.

The site consists of a 300 square meter Sanatan Mandir with a 1,200 square meter community hall, and 250 car parking spaces set in landscaped grounds. The Mandir is built of hand-carved imported from India and all pillars are devoted to each Hindu deity. It was officially opened in May 2010 after almost a decade of planning and work. The Ł4 million temple is the largest in the South East.

Ashwinbhai also showed me the room where he runs Gujarati School for 50 children and teaches on Saturday mornings.

I marveled at the splendor of the Mandir and was all blown away by its spectacular carvings on the wood. I felt the peace and serenity in the exquisite building and would recommend a visit to everybody.

- Pranbhai Dhanak, Editor