The Secretary’s Message
Namaste and Jay Shree Krishna to all our members
The Board of Trustees with help from our volunteers was very successful in delivering exciting events in 2019. We will continue to do the same plus more in 2020 with the newly elected Board.
I am pleased to announce names of the Members who were elected and appointed for their relevant posts. Please join me in congratulating them all.
Chair of the Board of Trustees: Harshaben Trivedi
Vice Chair: Gunvantbhai Dave
Secretary: Anjana Thaker
Assistant Secretary: Shared by Bhavesh Yagnik and Trupti Joshi
Treasurer: Ramnikbhai Joshi
Assistant Treasurer/Membership: Hitesh Purohit
Building Upkeep: Ashwinbhai Thaker
Trustees in Charge of subgroups:
eGroup: Vinodbhai Mehta
Men’s Club: Gunvantbhai Dave
Ladies Club: Vandanaben Joshi
Young Brahmins: Ameet Sharma
Culture Club: Trupti Joshi
Toddler’s Group: Harshaben Trivedi
Open Mic: Chandrashekharbhai Thaker
Bollirobics: Nilimaben Raval
Classical Sangeet classes: Anjana Thaker
Program Co-Ordinator: Parul Jani
We will start 2020 with positive highs and with your support, I am sure BSNL will go from strength to strength.
We have daytime activities for all age groups and evening classes for members interested in particular activities and with even more classes to follow this year, there should be something for all, so watch this space…
There are more new and popular events in the pipeline for 2020, so keep a lookout via our Newsletter, website and Social media, and the subgroup WhatsApp chats.
The Board of Trustees thank you for your continued support and look forward to seeing you at our events.
Anjana Thaker
Secretary,
BSNL secretory@bsnl.org.uk
Message from the Chairperson
Dear Members,
Firstly, a belated but very Happy New Year to you all!
My sincere thanks to all of you who came out in the cold and were able to attend the AGM held in December. It was very well attended with the largest ever attendee count from the Elders Group than we have ever seen before – I am very grateful for your continued support.
Following the AGM in December and our first Board of Trustees meeting in January, I would like to express my heartfelt thanks to the Board for electing me as Chair of the Board of Trustees for 2020.
Since the BSNL first came into being some 46 years ago, our organisation and Community has come so far. From being just a Community Group, we became a registered charity and we acquired a building. We run an active and lively series of regular events, classes, shows and functions for you – OUR MEMBERS and all of this has been achieved over these years by an extremely hard working and dedicated set of volunteers. I am extremely grateful for all the work our founders put in place those years ago and to all the volunteers since that time who have given so much to the Samaj.
My sincere thanks to the outgoing Board of Trustees for 2019 and congratulations to the new Board of Trustees who I am sure will carry the torch of those who have gone before them to help the light burn even brighter than before.
For the coming term of this new Board of Trustees, in addition to the continued well running of the BSNL, I have a few priorities that I would like to share with you all:
- Rebuilding our membership participation and take it even further
We have gained many new members over the course of the last few years, but many of our more established members have ceased to participate in the functions that we hold. We would dearly love to see a return of those faces and their families. - Helping members, but also giving back to Community
This can take many forms but as a Community we should be providing more compassion and support to some of the more vulnerable members of our Community - Make the BSNL more relevant for our younger members.
There has been a sharp decline in the numbers of members attending BSNL events from the 20 -45 age group. We all understand that university, marriage, families and personal lives begin to take more of a hold on time that we may have, but this age group is the future of the BSNL and if we are to continue to have a Community that we can call our own, we need to do something to show our younger members that the BSNL is a relevant and necessary part of their lives - Continued Development and Support for all Sub-Groups
We have been so fortunate over the last few years with the various Sub-Groups and offerings that the BSNL has. The eGroup, in particular has been a shining beacon over the years and its success has been a testament to the work that the Sub-Committee and volunteers have put in and our aim is to echo this success in all of the other Groups that we currently have and will aim to have in time. - Bring More Sponsors to BSNL events
We have over the years been lucky to have various sponsors, both supporting and subsidising events and Groups and we would like to formalise this more over the forthcoming year - Re-Evaluation of the BuildingFor many years now, BSNL House at 128 East Lane has served our purposes but it is clear that we do need to think about how we can make the space that we have work more efficiently for us and serve the needs of our Community better. There are various options that will need careful consideration and discussion and I would encourage all of you to participate and if you can also volunteer your expertise to these discussions.
We are all indebted to all those over the years who have cared for, worked on, and given of their time to maintain and improve the building that we do have at our disposal.
- Good Governance
This is essential for the success of any organisation and is now more important than ever. Board members play a vital role in serving the BSNL. They bring passion and commitment as well as skills and experience to leading the Samaj and set the long-term vision and protect the reputation and values of our organisation. To make a difference a board needs to have proper procedures and policies in place, but it also needs to work well as a team and have good relationships within all parts of the BSNL.
The purpose of these principles is to assist our Trustees to provide strong leadership, enhance our decision making and demonstrate our accountability This will in turn assist you as our members and the causes the BSNL was set up to benefit.
Finally, I would like to express my personal thanks to YOU ALL for your continued support, my family and all the families of the Board of Trustees who selflessly support us with serving the BSNL.
Please don’t hesitate to let me know what you think will make us even better. Any suggestions, offers of help and feedback would be gratefully welcome.
With my very best regards to you all,
Harsha Trivedi
Chair of the Board of Trustees
Brahmin Society North London
07956586926
BSNL going green
Our environment is very important to us, it’s the only one we have. We, as BSNL Trustees, have launched a new campaign to go green. These include reducing our plastic waste and use of disposable cutlery, to making changes to the way this newsletter gets delivered.
Subgroups have already started by using reusable steel plates instead of disposable plastic ones.
Going forward, all members with an email address registered at an address will no longer receive newsletters in the post. This will not only help us save the environment, but also save your Samaj some money.
Contact Anjanaben Thaker if you still want to receive newsletters.
Messages from the subgroups
At our Brahmin Society Elders Group, we have continued to give our “young at heart” over 65s BSNL members a great day out – packed with fun and enjoyment and a delicious vegetarian lunch every Tuesday.
Our Manoranjan programs include celebrating our Hindu festivals, singing bhajans and film songs to live music accompaniment, sharing chintans, playing antakshri, bingo and other games, telling jokes, organising special events, having presentations and discussions on various topics and a lot more.
And to help organise and deliver these services, we have our wonderful BSNL eGroup subcommittee and lots of enthusiastic volunteers – all giving their services for free.
We have too many volunteers to name here, but we all appreciate their services very highly.
Brahmin Society Elders Group is every Tuesday from 12.00pm to 4.00pm
For more information about our Brahmin Society Elders Group please contact:
Mr Vinodbhai Mehta
Trustee in-charge
BSNL Elders Group
07770 730202
BSNL Open Mic
BSNL’s Open Mic is a place for people who love singing and playing music and would like to perform in front of friendly and supportive members. This provides a platform for members to come and build their confidence, overcome stage fright and to learn from other singers.
The aim of the BSNL OPEN MIC is to find and grow talent within BSNL.
Usually, the evening will involve various members singing from karaoke tracks.
The age’s range from young to old and it is a fun filled evening.
We also encourage audience participation, so members are welcome to come and cheer and support singers. Average attendance is 25-30 members at each event.
If you have urge/talent to sing, play, listen or dance, please come along.
We meet every 4th Friday of the month from 7pm to 11pm. It costs £5 per singer to sing and £3 entrance fee as audience. Light refreshments and non-alcoholic drinks are provided during the evening.
If you want to be part of what’s App group either as audience or singer or musician, please contact
Anand Pancholi on 07974439307 or Pathik Vyas on 07590 818653
Chandrashekharbhai Thaker
Trustee in-charge
BSNL Open Mic
07956 967 046
BSNL Men’s Social Club 2020
Men’s Social Club recommenced after the Xmas break on 8th January. The first session was meet and greet event together with members and their partners. This gathering was immensely enjoyed by all attendees. Excellent food and company.
We aim to enhance our activities in 2020 for our members.
This year we are planning to have a carom competition with external group of players. Lalitbhai Joshi has thrown an open challenge to members who show a keen interest in the game.
We also have members who are now passionate about chess. We have two Jagdishbhais who can be seen to refer to YouTube or Google for the finer rules.
Card games as always draws not only the regulars at a certain table, but at times, we have to arrange more tables. You can bet your bottom dollar that Ranjitbhai Gadhvi provides winning hand all the time.
Warmup exercises by Vinodbhai Nathvani and Hemrajbhai is participated by all followed by a joke’s secession and then Lunch. Anilbhai, Ranjitbhai and Lalitbhai’s jokes provide lots of laughter.
Singing sessions are also becoming popular. The shy dark horses are participating. Thank you Vinodbhai Nathvani for sourcing the songs and the talent.
Pastries, Biscuits and Indian savouries with a warm cup of tea usually prepared by Bhupatbhai is eagerly awaited by all and enjoyed whilst reading the latest news from our selection of papers.
Lunch donations by members are always welcome. Lunch is always a focal point.
Your lunchtime contributions haven’t gone unnoticed. Thank you all.
We are looking forward to the ‘Dave Allen’ show as promised sometimes this year. We will provide the Ginger Ale.
Chandrashakerbhai has been fixing our members phones and laptops not forgetting the cleaning of tables.
We hope to produce a talent of stars from singing, table tennis and darts by the end of the year.
Watch this space.
Men’s Club is every Wednesday from 11.00am to 4.00pm
Gunvantbhai Dave
Trustee in-charge
BSNL Men’s Club
07877 565 747
BSNL Young Brahmins
Our new trustee on the block, Ameet Sharma will be planning new events for all the YB’s.
In the meantime, we have 5 a side football every Friday at Claremont High School on an all-weather AstroTurf.
This is from 7.00pm to 8.30pm and costs £5 per game.
Please note due to the nature of this sport, it is only open to those over 16 years old. There is no upper age limit.
For more details and information on playing and joining the teams, please contact
Ameet Sharma on 07903 674 820 or Minesh Bhatt on 07515 447 954
BSNL Appeal for the Homeless
Help us to help homeless people living on the streets of London by helping to make sandwiches for them.
Our volunteers make between 150-200 sandwiches each week for the homeless at our hall and the demand is increasing. We need more volunteers so please come forward and help us to help in this wonderful seva.
You don’t need to commit every week (though this would be useful) but can do so on an ad-hoc basis.
Venue: BSNL Hall
Day: Saturday
Time: 9.30am to about 11.30am
If you are interested in coming and helping, please contact
Anjana Thaker – 07949 830 273
Harshaben Trivedi – 07956 586 926
You will be added ono the WhatsApp group, which will keep you updated.
BSNL Tesco Grant Activities
Tesco Grant activities will commence again from 24th March 2020 once the weather gets a bit better.
We plan on doing the following;
- Outdoor Dance classes by Binal Trivedi
These will be every Tuesday from 10.30am to 11.30am
- Harmonium Classes by Narendrabhai Jethwa
These will be every Wednesday from 4.30pm to 5.30pm
- Outdoors Yoga by Jyoti Joshi
These will be every Thursday from 10.00am to 11.00am
Please don’t miss out come and join the fun of experiencing all these activities in the open air.
Please contact Vandana Joshi on 07944 913 208 to register your interest in any of these activities
BSNL Bollirobics
These recommenced from Monday 27th Jan 2020.
These are led by Binal and are in the evening at the BSNL Hall from 8.00pm to 9.00pm.
Come and join in the fun and laughter of getting fit and staying healthy
Cost for 10 weeks: £50 for Members, £70 for Non-members.
Please contact Nilima Raval on 07719 325 173 for more information.
BSNL Classical Sangeet classes
These will recommence from Tuesday 4th Feb 2020 for existing students.
These will be led by highly recommended teacher, Prabhat Rao and will be in the evening at the BSNL Hall from 7.30pm to 9.00pm.
The classes will run for 10 weeks and the term will end on Tues 7th Apr 2020.
Cost: Fees are £70 for the full 10 weeks for BSNL members.
New students who are interested in joining should contact Anjana Thaker on 07949 830 273 and if there is enough interest, a new class can be set up for complete beginners.
BSNL Appeal for the Homeless
Help us to help homeless people living on the streets of London.
Please donate any unwanted winter clothes and blankets in good condition (adult clothes only).
Donations to be dropped at BSNL Hall on any Saturday morning between 9.00am and 11.00am.
This appeal will run up to the end of February 2020.
BSNL members can bring these clothes to any BSNL organised event at the Hall too until the end of February 2020.
BSNL Ladies Club
These will recommence from Friday 7th Feb 2020, from 11.00am to 3.00pm.
We will do activities such as singing, dancing, cookery classes, painting and artwork, coffee mornings and many more.
Come and have fun with the ladies of BSNL.
No Men allowed!!
Contact Vandana Joshi on 07944 913 208 for more information
BSNL Hall Hire
The BSNL Hall is available for hire at very competitive rates for BSNL members.
As we have two halls, upstairs and downstairs, each with their own set of toilets, there is total flexibility on what you can hire. In addition to this, there are food warming facilities available in both halls.
Contact the BSNL Hall Hire team on 07483 904 979 to discuss your needs.
Remember the Hall was acquired for use for the Samaj and its long supporting members.
Forthcoming Events for 2020…
Mahashivratri Pooja
21st Feb 2020
Har Har Mahadev!!
This is, as usual, going to be held at the BSNL
Hall from 7.00pm onwards.
Pooja will commence at 8.00pm promptly
and this will probably last about an hour.
Thereafter, there will be farrar prasad
available for all attendees.
If you would like to sit in the pooja, attend
the event or volunteer at this event,
please contact Parul Jani on 07940 584 321
or Gunvantbhai Dave on 07877 565 747
Holi Celebrations
9th March 2020
Rang barse bheege chunarwali, rang barse
BSNL will be celebrating the popular Holi festival at our Hall from 7.00pm onwards.
Festivities will begin with a short prayer, followed by the lighting of the Holika bonfire, after which all assembled will have the privilege of making their offerings to the fire and performing darshan.
Weather dependant, there may be a short session of dhuleti (colour play).
If you would like to attend the event or volunteer at this event, please contact Vandana Joshi on 07944 913 208 or Parul Jani on 07940 584 321.
SAVE THE DATE on these
Forthcoming Events for 2020…
SAVE THE DATES
BSNL are in the process of planning the following events, more details to follow via emails and social media
- Hanuman Chalisa will be on Sat 4th April 2020
- Navratri celebrations are going to be from Sat 17th October 2020 to Sat 24th October 2020
- Sharad Purnima garbas will be on Sat 31st Oct 2020
- Diwali in London celebrations will be on Sun 1st Nov 2020
- Ladu preparation day will be on Thurs 5th November 2020
- Navchandi Havan will be on Sat 7th Nov 2020
For participation in any of these events, please contact Parul Jani on
07940 584 321
BSNL Announcements
BSNL are proud to announce the following good news
- Congratulations to Ashish and Neha Purohit on the arrival of their daughter, Reyna. Congratulations also to Manishbhai and Meeraben Purohit for becoming grandparents and to Hemendrabhai and Jyotsnaben Purohit on becoming great-grand parents.
- Congratulations to Keyur and Zahra Joshi on the arrival of their daughter, Aaliyah. Congratulations to Ramnikbhai and Ninaben Joshi on becoming grandparents.
- Congratulations to Rikil and Teena Raval on the arrival of their son, Shay. Congratulations also to Chandrakantbhai and Nilimaben Raval on becoming grandparents.
- Congratulations to Kishan and Ameesha Joshi on the arrival of their son, Nirvaan. Congratulations also to Bhagirathbhai and Jyotiben Joshi on becoming grandparents.
- Congratulations to Sanjay and Priya Rawal on the arrival of their daughter, Aurora. Congratulations also to Krishnabhai & Kalpanaben Rawal and Kamleshbhai & Kiranben Upadhyaya on becoming grandparents.
If you have any other news to share, please let the secretary know and we will put it out to our members, it is your Samaj too!!