Category: Past Events

Succession plan is the key to leave a legacyfor an organisation. Keeping this in mind, MMUK had been planning from some time to bring next generation torchbearers together to mingle and foster the community bond to prepare to take the baton of MMUK.

MMUK team have been planning for this meet since Diwali 2019 and had booked a venue in Midlands for a weekend out to celebrate Mahesh Navami 2020 with special youth focused activities. As we all know the pandemic hit and we could not realize this plan. Since then, the team has been waiting for an opportunity to organise this. The team worked diligently from the venue to the day plan to ensure we keep our younger friends entertained and at the same time make them comfortable with minimal presence from committee members. Below is a description of the event written by an attendee of the event, Miss Manvi Laddha from Milton Keynes, along with testimonials from some other attendees.

Jai Shri Krishna.

On August 1st 2021, the younger members of our MMUK community were able to come together for a day of fun-filled activities in London in what will hopefully be the first of many youth social and networking events within MMUK!

The event was undoubtedly a great success, with many fantastic connections made between us attendees that we are sure will go beyond this event and contribute to strengthening the network between the younger generation of our Maheshwari Pariwar.

A day out in London visiting the gorgeous Sky Gardens with its panoramic views along with the London River Cruise and dinner was exciting to all of us as soon as we heard about this event, and this was made even more exciting with the unique opportunity to meet and connect with fellow young people from our community from all over the UK in a fun-filled and interactive day! The enthusiasm for this was evident in our group chat as we began introducing ourselves and our excitement for the weekend to arrive.

Eager and bubbling with nervous energy, many of us hopped on early trains, our excitement building, to arrive at the first location of the day – Sky Gardens. Upon arriving, we were able to make acquaintances and introductions with the other attendees whilst enjoying the breath-taking views of London in the sunny weather. We learned more about each other’s hobbies, areas of study, future plans and career aspirations – all whilst marvelling in how refreshing it was after all these long months of lockdown and isolation to socialise with such a great bunch of people. Needless to say, many of us became fast friends. After a big circle group conversation and many, many photos, our group made its way outside to enjoy some delicious samosas, jalebis and coconut water – providing us with energy and giving us refuge from the ‘London drizzle’ as we prepared to journey to the second location of the day. What better way to round off our morning of chatting and making new friends than hot, delectable snacks!

We thus began our journey towards the London Eye for the much-anticipated River Cruise – in my opinion, one of the most unintentionally entertaining parts of the day. What was meant to be a quick bus journey soon turned into a leisurely group stroll by the river to our destination – a time spent connecting with those we perhaps had not spoken much to earlier and laughing together as we made our way towards the cruise, led by Ramnareshji on his bicycle!

With the sun shining on us and accompanied by fascinating information about London’s landmarks on the cruise, it was definitely a group favourite activity. We learned about the history behind each of the seven bridges in the heart of the city as well as some interesting facts about other famous pieces of architecture by the river. After finally learning how to tell the difference between London Bridge and Tower Bridge, we snapped our Instagram-ready group photos, descended from the London Eye Cruise and walked along the bustling streets of Southwark towards Pizza Express for dinner!

There was no better way to round off the evening than a wonderful meal with more great conversation amongst ourselves and with our hosts, reflecting on our favourite moments from the day’s activities. After one final group photo, it was time to say our goodbyes and head home.

This event was truly a great opportunity to make new friends and surely left us with some great new connections – whether this is a fellow student about to enter sixth form, or a university student or recent graduate able to offer advice and guidance to those amongst the group considering their future career paths. We all look forward to meeting as a group soon!

On behalf of all the attendees, our sincerest thanks must go to MMUK President Shri Ramnareshji Sonee, Sanjana ji Karnani and Madhusudhan ji Kabra for their incredible efforts in organising such a wonderful day filled with great company, great views, (and great food)!

Comments from other participants:
‘It was an incredibly well organised and enjoyable event. There was a great variety of things to engage in all day and we didn’t find ourselves getting bored at all! I especially liked the River Thames Cruise.’ ~ Ananya Sharda

‘Really enjoyed the event and the activities! Was great to have a day organised just for the younger members of the community and was a good icebreaker to help us get to know each other more!’ ~ Anushka Sharda

A massive thanks to the MMUK team for organising a great day out amidst this pandemic. This was my first in-person MMUK event and it could not have been a more warm and homely experience. My favourite moment was walking up and down London Bridge as a spirited group of 40. I’m excited to get involved in more such events! ~ Amartya Maheshwari

‘I really enjoyed the cruise the most and the dinner as it was a chance to sit down and get to know people. The event was a great way for me to meet likeminded youth and make new friends and it was generous of MMUK to sponsor this event’. I am looking very much forward to the next events!’~ Surabhi Somani

We are very happy to write about our MMUK Digital Diwali event 2020. Following the government guidelines this year’s event took place online on Zoom virtually during the pandemic. We had more than 55+ families attended the event from the comfort of their own homes.

Keeping with our tradition of giving opportunity to MMUK youth, to engage in our community, our hosts of this event were Miss Sneha Daga, Year 10 student, and Master Arnav Maniyar, Year 9 student, both from Leeds.

The event began with an introduction of our hosts and a brief introduction of our sponsors SBI UK, DNS Accountants, Future Bricks and Vita Vero. To know more about our sponsors, please visit the MMUK website and click on their logo, or you can go to the bottom of the page.

Following this the 56 Chappan Bhog were offered to Lord Krishna virtually on their respective screens. Everyone held their bhogs in front of their cameras and a screenshot was taken.

Then, to keep our tradition intact, MMUK requested Shri Badrilal ji Chechani and Shrimati Kantaji Chechani (parents of Lokesh ji Chechani) to conduct Annakut Aarti.

Then MMUK President, Shri Ramnareshji Sonee delivered President’s note thanking the sponsors and all Patrons who came forward to support underprivileged Maheshwari Students back home via Maheshwari Shikshan Sanstha, Nanded. He shared few words highlighting some of the charity update and certainly expressing his delight on being able to connect virtually.

Then it was about time for the most awaited part of the evening: Housie! Also known as Bingo and Tombola, our hosts proceeded to call out numbers and 11 prizes were announced. All the numbers were also posted in the chat and the prize winners were announced during the game. We had couple of surprise prizes, one for the best dressed family, and another one randomly selected from an online spinner. All in all, it was a very fun game!




Following the bingo MMUK Secretary, Madhusudanji Kabra said his vote of thanks and invited everyone to stay for some friendly chit chat. Following brief introductions the virtual dance floor was opened and singing and dancing flooded, with enthusiastic members being spotlighted on Zoom.

We would like to thank everyone who was involved and participated in this year’s event. It was extremely enjoyable and was possible due to the work of the organizing committee, along with the hosts, both inside and outside the event. Diwali is mega event of MMUK and all community members were looking forward to it. Everyone was able to end the evening joyfully and with the sense of proud for community.

MMUK would like to thanks all the participants, committee members, our anchors Sneha & Arnav and volunteers Kumar Maheshwari, Kaushal Somani and Mrs. Shraddha Maheshwari for making the event successful.

Lastly Merry Christmas and Happy new year to all

STAY SAFE

Warm regards,

Team MMUK

Scribe by Ms. Sneha Daga and Master Arnav Maniyar

Jai Mahesh Jai Shri Krishna,
Despite the ongoing troubles with the Covid-19 pandemic, the MMUK team with everyone’s participation together pulled off a spectacular Digital Mahesh Navmi event, bringing together our Maheshwari Parivar all across the UK. We rejoiced in the origins of Maheshwaris as one big family over Zoom and Facebook Live, enjoying the incredible talents our community has to offer. There was an overwhelming level of participation: over 50 families joined our celebration of culture, dance and music through 30+ entries. Let us take this opportunity to run you through our programme and leave you stunned with the phenomenal talent we have on display:

The event was started by anchor Amartya Maheshwari of Birmingham, who is currently studying at Cambridge University.

• Mahesh Vandana by Samraat Sonee – Harrow
• Mahesh Vandan by Sow Pushpaji Soni – Birmingham

To inaugurate our auspicious event, we invited the parents of Shri Pravinji Soni from Midland Chapter, Shri Jugalkishorji Soni and Sow. Pushpaji Soni to perform the Deep Prajvalan and Aarti. Samraat Sonee, Age7 beautifully accompanied this by beautifully singing the Mahesh Vandana which he learnt during this time of quarantine.

President and Treasurer Words
This was then followed by the President’s words. MMUK President Ramnareshji Sonee informed us on developments in MMUK and specially the charity work undertaken by MMUK in collaboration with RAUK and The Akshaya Patra Foundation to serve Covid-19 affected across the UK.

MMUK is now recognized as a charity organisation with the Charity commission UK which is a huge milestone achieved after long and hard work towards it. This means, as Deepakji Kabra (Treasurer) explained, that we can work full speed towards our long term charitable goals. This would not have been possible without the present and past MMUK team’s daunting work.
As this family grows we also want to think of continuation and a succession plan. To this a new Whatsapp group “MMUK Youth Connect” has been launched recently. This group will be run and organized by MMUK Youth’s ( 12 to 25yrs old) and will be key in supporting and organizing events in future. We want to ask all parents to encourage their children in the aforementioned age group to join this group.
The MMUK Youth Group has already started its active participation and was certainly shown by the youth who sent a wide variety of bubbly talents, dances and acts.

• Samraat Sonee – National Anthem – Harrow

Firstly we had all our Maheshwaris stand up and pay respects to our beloved country singing along to Samraat Sonee’s sweetly sung National Anthem.

• Reporter Tarun Naodhar and his team – Harrow & Brent

Then, it was over to reporter Tarun Naodhar who interviewed our adorable MMUK Kids to give their cute and cheeky comments on the Corona Virus pandemic.
Little Feet, Little Hands & Family Fun

• Khush Jajoo & Yashay Maheshwari – Fun Time – Brent
• Atharv Bang – Tricks & Tips – Ilford
• Anika, Arika, Sarikji & Praveenji Kabra – Scotland
• 5 Songs Medley on Piano by Mridul Karnany
• Lokeshji Chechani, Family Fun – Harrow
• Preetiji Mutha & Family – Coventry
• Mohta Family – Liverpool
• Kapilji Maheshwari & Family – Bushy
• Daga Family Fun – Leeds
• Mehika Bajaj – Food-aholic TikTok fun – Harrow

This was followed by some energetic extempore dances by the kids – full potential for future choreographer here! The TikToks, music and magic performances were also full of energy, inspiration and laughs as the kids showed off their quarantine escapades.
https://youtu.be/lIQPuJDnHYY – Hanuman Chalisa

Special mention to Mayank Jagetia for an impressive, non-stop Hanuman Chalisa which the Zoom viewers sung along to melodiously (for most parts :))
https://youtu.be/5q9P4PxP2dY – MMUK Youth Connect

Then it was MMUK Youth’s time to shine – From art to barbeques to acrobats – every talent you can think of was on display and it really shows that while this pandemic may have closed some doors there’s always the opportunity to learn and do new things. Special thanks to Lokeshji Chechani and Nimai Jajoo for spending hours behind the screen and editing all these videos into one big compilation.
https://youtu.be/PKv6Awrx6Xk – Bhavikaji Soni

https://youtu.be/kdXaVm6a5Gk – Rejutaji Jeswan

By this point the crowd was already star-struck by the enthusiasm and talent on offer. Now add on another beautiful dance by Bhavika Soni & Rejuta Jeswan

https://youtu.be/wN-3_Tafi9k – Meghaji Zavar – Sitar and a soul-touching rendition of Ghoomar on the Sitar by Meghaji Zavar. These performances left us extremely excited to see what we, the MMUK Youth and Kids and do in the future to push the boundaries of MMUK.
https://youtu.be/MEOas-H49-I Dineshji Sodani

https://youtu.be/dNNKDppOl2M Rahulji Naodhar

Adults didn’t fail to impress either. While Dineshji Sodani and Rahulji Naodhar poetically conveyed the bittersweet “troubles” during these last couple of months, others chose to channel their inner Prabhu Deva through creative, exciting family dances in their kitchens and living rooms.
https://youtu.be/IyrkrcJEQCo – MMUK Girls – Dance it Away – Brent & Harrow. MMUK Girls in particular stole the show with their quarantine collab on “Kudi Nu Nachne De” leaving the audience jaw-dropped. The Tiktok grind did not stop as MMUK took the stage to try and become Tiktok Famous with their Oh Na Na Challenges.

https://youtu.be/ulnitlH718E – Surajji Rathi – Cutest Prank – Greenwich. The cutest prank by Surajji Rathi on his adorable daughter by shaving off his entire beard (10/10 for commitment to the video) and pretending to take her away.

https://youtu.be/ulIfE2TGIDU – Mehika Bajaj – Food-aholic TikTok fun by Mehika Bajaj
https://youtu.be/btvohQrwoVI – Sumitraji Dargar – Quilling Art
Sumitra ji Dargar blew the audience away with the Quilling Art she produced during quarantine, from Rakhis to Ganeshji to a Peacock. can only imagine the time and effort behind each piece of art, so hats off to Sumitraji! We also had some breathtaking art pieces to further emphasize the buckets of talent we have within our Maheshwari community.

https://youtu.be/btvohQrwoVI – Aparnaji Bang – Love for Drawing & Paintings
https://youtu.be/II7qHWuNfSo Paintings by Reenaji jagetia, Ayansh Jagetia, Age 3, Mayank Jagetia, Age 9, Mehika Bajaj, Swatiji Bhatti Maheshwari, Vanne Maheshwari & Vachan Maheshwari, Age 10
https://youtu.be/ZC6buoMqSA8 – Housie Cricket

We also had a brilliant 20-20 Housie where more than 15 Maheshwari families came together with their creative team names to showcase the camaraderie and sporting spirit within our community to raise money towards a charitable cause.

https://youtu.be/PLJrCW7ELIY – Dhwani Band

Finally, to finish off our Digital Mahesh Navmi in style and elegance, we had the incredible group Dhwani performing heart-touching songs and bhajans from India brought to MMUK by Arunji Mundra from Houston as a beautiful surprise. When we say incredible, we don’t give them enough credit – being able to make every Zoom participant 5000 miles away hum and sing along to a computer screen – unbelievable! Their retro remixes and acapellas in particular were beautiful and we can’t wait to see them perform live soon at a future MMUK event.

Before signing off, Dineshji Sodani heartily expressed his vote of thanks. Whole team did an incredible job in adapting to the difficult circumstances and taking the initiative to bring together over 150 people on such a special day for our community. Our participants too made the most of the Zoom and Facebook Live chat in making it a light-hearted, warm evening.

Again a big thanks to all participants, volunteers, committee members who made this event possible in short timelines.

Article written by Amartya Maheshwari & Edited by Team MMUK