Young bright sparks and unsung heroes in the Hindu community were celebrated in an awards ceremony at the Shree Swaminarayan Temple, Dharma Bhakti Manor in Stanmore.
More than 250 parents and young children attended the 8th Education Achievements evening which celebrated the highest achievers in GCSEs including the temple-run Gujarati classes as well as university graduates.
The most coveted award of the night, a special young achievers award, was presented to Prisha Nirav Patel who, at the age of six, showed a very caring nature towards her family and friends when she looked after her sister while her mother was hospitalised for over two months following a serious accident.
Youngsters also took to the stage to dance and sing including the Indian national anthem.
The event which was organised by seven former GCSE students on January 31, also welcomed Navin Shah, assembly member for Brent and Harrrow, and Labour parliamentary candidate for Harrow East.
Khushali Assani, who led the organising committee, said: “We have learnt so much by organising this event, from hosting to organising the gifts, we have understood the amount of time and effort that goes into organising grand events.”
This year’s theme explored ‘women empowerment’ and young girls spoke about their views on the topic in recognition of three famous figures, Margret Thatcher, Indira Gandhi and Malala Yousafzai.
The aim of the event was to celebrate educational talent and to encourage the younger generation in their academic development.
A Temple spokesman Dinaben Patel said: “The temple understands that there is a need in today’s world to provide young adults the platform, where they can gain confidence and self-esteem. The children took roles of ushering, serving, hosting and coordinating all tasks relating to this event”.