Bhaven Pathak MBE – honoured in the Queen’s Honours List this year for Services to Business and British Hinduism – explores how British Indians and their sewa, or selfless service, deserves to be better recognised by the system.
In this series of intimate conversations, he platforms volunteers and leaders of national and local charities and paints a picture of the values which underpin a community which is always at the forefront of society when it's in need.
Nishkam SWAT is a charitable organisation based in west London, whose primary function is to unite and transform financially disadvantaged communities. In the first episode of Sewa Series, Bhaven Pathak speaks to Founder Randeep Lall about what inspired him to launch the first UK Sikh charity to take langar (community kitchen) to the streets 13 years ago, and how they have bound together thousands of volunteers in the selfless service of society ever since.
Hanuman Dass is the Founder of Go Dharmic – a humanitarian organisation inspired by dharma or religious duty. In this episode, he delves into his inspiration and mission behind setting up the organisation and how his dharma guides him through it.
London born and raised Ajay Chhabra is an actor, producer and culture-prenuer, the son of a Partition survivor and the great grandson of an indentured labourer. He recently starred in the Bollywood mystery ‘Bell Bottom’ and ‘Tom & Jerry: The Movie’. His curiosity with life and death and everything in between led to the creation of award-winning outdoor performance company Nutkhut, with Simmy Gupta. Nutkhut, which means mischief, creates festivals, digital artworks and theatrical moments to give back to society through the gift of the arts.
Ajay is also an advisor to the Mayor of London and a board member of three other national organisations and is a Governor of the Commonwealth Foundation. In this episode, he reflects on his life’s work and giving back to society.