National Sewa Week 2023 unites students from across UK

The National Hindu Students’ Forum (NHSF) UK represents over 4,000 Hindu students from universities across the UK. As well as organising weekly discussions, sewa activities, meditation and sports, NHSF also provides a safe place for students to explore their Hindu identity and cultivate key values.

This month, NHSF UK celebrated their annual drive known as the “National Sewa Week”. iGlobal reached out to the team to find out more about this exciting initiative.

“Often, we get so caught up in our busy lives, we forget to pause and help those around us. Sewa week is dedicated to helping others. It is a chance to give back to the community. Although sewa should be done all year round, this week allows organised events and active participation which helps to instil sewa bhav [attitude] in everyone,” explained the NHSF volunteers.

NHSF not only organised the Sewa Week, their social media platforms are also filled with inspiring and practical ideas of sewa activities that can be taken up by everyone who wishes to get involved. From organising a movie night to raise money for charity, planting trees on campus to painting the local temple were just some of the wide range of ideas suggested by the NSHF team.

The theme for Sewa Week 2023 was Lord Hanuman. When asked why this was, the volunteer replied: “Lord Hanuman is the embodiment of sewa. Despite his physical prowess and abilities, he was humble and dedicated to serving Lord Ram.”

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Referring to stories from the ‘Ramayana’, the volunteer explained how Lord Hanuman’s story reflects the power of sewa in difficult times.

“When Lakshman was severely wounded during the battle, Lord Hanuman was sent to fetch the life-restoring herbs from the Himalayas. When returning, he lifted and brought back the entire mountain and saved Lakshman’s life.

“Lord Hanuman’s courage and valour was always displayed without ego, everything was an expression of his selfless dedication to Lord Ram. Lord Hanuman can serve as a reminder that through love, service and devotion we can achieve greatness.”

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The National Sewa Week initiative, which is run every year, has successfully pulled off events such as Mandir clean-ups and charity fundraising. The events are planned and led by the diaspora and are very popular.

Some examples of how members of the diaspora participated in the Sewa Week include a group of students at Loughborough who volunteered at a local home for the elderly; some students at Nottingham University created cards to donate to the hospital’s paediatric department; and several nationwide students who cleaned up their local temples and collected food for local food banks.

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NHSF also collaborate with an ever-growing list of charities. This year, some of the collaborations included sewa initiatives with Akshayapatra and GoDharmic charities, as well other local charities.