Councillor mat bolo naa! By Ramesh Kallidai
I met Chunilal Chavda, Liberal Democratic Councillor for Alperton at the Hare Krishna Temple last Saturday. I escorted him across the spacious lawns and introduced him as “Councillor Chavda” to the temple trustees. Everytime I introduced him, he would immediately protest and say, “Don’t call me Councillor- just say Chunilal Chavda.”
Of course, his protest was made in a sincere spirit of utter humility. And of course, I could not help being naughty and was immediately reminded of an old Hindi serial in which a middle-aged lady always kept protesting, “Aunty mat kaho naa!”
“I was a victim of the racial discrimination at the Conservative Party,” he claimed later while we were having lunch. “I was a Councillor for the Conservative Party from 1984 till 1998. I wrote to the Conservative Party Chairman 5 years ago about the discrimination I experienced in the Party, but he has not even bothered to reply. That’s why I am now with the Liberal Democrats”
And why did he not receive a reply? “Because an Indian wrote to a white man and complained about another white man,” he said in a voice that was tinged with conviction and pain. “I would be cheating myself as well as the Hindu community if I said there was no discrimination. Discrimination does exist in Britain and it exists on a large scale.”
Chavda feels that the mammoth task of reducing discrimination can only be undertaken by organisations and groups of people, not by individuals. “They can collectively put pressure on the government, local authorities and employers to eliminate discrimination by following good practices,” he said. “Hindu children excel in school. So can someone tell me why they find it so difficult to find employment?”
Chavda finds great pleasure in helping individuals and families in his Ward with their housing, social and educational needs. He also feels proud that he helped persuade the Brent Council to sell land to the Swaminarayan Hindu Mission in Neasden, the Vallabh Nidhi Temple in Alperton, and the Roe Green Gurdwara and Community Centre. According to him, the main concern of the Hindu community in Brent is the law and order situation. “Our ladies like to wear 22ct gold jewellery. Moreover, Hindus are not aggressive or violent by nature. Therefore, they are easy targets for robbers and muggers,” he explained.
He believes that the number of Indians entering active politics is negligible compared to our population. “We are fortunate that we have the option of having politicians of our choice through ballot boxes. Unless we exercise our democratic right, it is not right and proper for us to keep complaining. I urge Indians in Brent to become active in schools as school governors, become lay visitors to prisons and help our people there. But more important, we should know our rights and demand them fairly but forcefully.” After we finished our lunch I bumped into the Temple President, Gauri Dasa, and introduced the Councillor. “No, no,” protested Chavda, as I thought he would. “Don’t call me Councillor, please.” Oh well. A Councillor is a Councillor is a Councillor. Right?!
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Ratnavali Devi Dasi is a Hare Krishna devotee with a difference. “I have a story to tell you,” she said when I bumped into her at Govindas Vegetarian Restaurant at Oxford Street. I looked longingly at my lasagne and wondered if the story would be long. Ratnavali rattled on completely oblivious to my lasagne-gazing and took me through a sad story about a Hare Krishna Brahmachari who had died in a Truck accident in 1975 after meeting the founder Swami Prabhupada. And then she sprung it on me completely without any warning, “Apparently I am this brahmachari reborn now in a woman’s body.”
I choked on my Lasagne and nodded politely. Ratnavali looked seriously serious. She suddenly disappeared and came back 5 minutes later with a file full of letters and documents. These gave a detailed account of how she had various visions and experiences about the long dead brahmachari even before she had heard of him. The file recorded letters and correspondence with various experts on reincarnation, who had all concluded that Ratnavali had indeed been the Brahmachari in her last life. I tried to skim through the lengthy file while trying to hold on to my dear lasagne. No luck. She watched me carefully to make sure I read every word. I ate a rather cold lasagne after what seemed like eternity. But then, I may have been a Cow in my last birth and may have been eating cold grass all my life. Moo!