(Herald Sept 2010)

(RathaYatra Saturday 11th September 2010)

(Pictures of the event)

(July 2010)

THE chairman of the Plymouth Hindu community group has been given an award for his service to Plymouth's
black and ethnic minority groups.
Manoj Joshi, who organises the city's annual festival of Krishna, won the Fata He BME Volunteer of the
Year Award 2010 at a ceremony dedicated to the city's BME volunteers, held at Plymouth Guildhall.

The city's Lord Mayor, Cllr Mary Aspinall, presented him with his award at the event, which was organised and
sponsored by Fata He, a city group which promotes equal opportunities for BME groups and individuals.

Ossie Glover, chief executive of Fata He, said: "Manoj got the award for all the hard work has put in as a volunteer.
Last year he organised the Krishna festival in the city centre. Fata He supported him — but he did so much.
He also gives his time for many other community activities and we thought he was a worthy winner."
(More details & pictures)

(Herald Monday June 7th 2010)

(Saturday 5th September 2009)

HINDU FESTIVAL 'FIRST', HELPS PUT CITY ON THE WORLD MAP

HINDUS from all around Britain and the Continent converged on Plymouth
for a major festival at the weekend.
The first Ratha Yatra festival in the South West attracted more than 3,000
people to Plymouth city centre, organiser Manoj Joshi said.
The colourful festival, complete with music, flowers and a giant chariot,
celebrates the welcome given to Krishna when he returned home.
A decorated chariot from the Hindu temple in Watford led a procession
to a tent in the city centre, where devotees chanted and sang.
Mr Joshi said the organisers fed more than 1,500 visitors to the festival,
which originated at Puri, the temple town in Orissa, on the east coast of
India, but has been spread worldwide by the Hare Krishna movement.
Mr Joshi said that holding the festival in Plymouth was a great honour for
the city's small community of 100 Hindu families.

(click here for pictures of the event)