Arun Mummalaneni and Sreeni Vavilala, Chair and Trustee of the Basingstoke Multi Cultural Forum joined local MP Maria Miller for a celebration of Diwali on Monday 16th October in Downing Street.
Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights, is the most popular of all the festivals from South Asia, it is also the occasion for celebrations by Jains and Sikhs as well as Hindus.
The reception was hosted by Secretary of State for International Development, Priti Patel and was attended by the High Commissioner of India, prominent Hindu, Sikh and Jain leaders along with noted Indian business leaders from all over the country.
Arun said, "It was a great honour to represent the Basingstoke Multicultural Forum at this national celebration of Diwali.'
Maria said, "I am pleased that Basingstoke was so well represented at this important event. We have an increasingly diverse population in the Borough and the BMF does an outstanding job in building links between these new communities."
To mark this celebration, third floor of the Downing Street was lit up with candles and the big halls beautifully decorated with Hindu idols of lord Rama and Sita.
Arun Mummalaneni and Sreeni Vavilala are also founder members of the Telugu Association of Basingstoke TAB-UK, south Indian community organisation based in Basingstoke.