MHA PUJA 2015 AND NEPAL SAMVAT 1136

On 15th November 2015, Pasa Puchah Guthi UK (PPGUK) organised its annual Mha Puja and Nepal Samvat
1136 event at Hanwell Community Centre, London. This year’s event was iconic as for the first time,
PPGUK conducted a traditional Mha Puja with individual mandas for 50 guests.

The event was opened by PPGUK President Mr. Kapil Shrestha who welcomed and greeted guests.
President of PPGUK Board of Trustees, Mr. Mahanta Shrestha highlighted the need of preserving
culture in the foreign land and expressed his delight to see Nepal Samvat being celebrated in the
Nepalese Embassy in the UK. Special guest, Mr. Babu Kaji Dangol praised PPGUK and its consistent
effort over the years to maintain Newah culture and strengthen the community in the UK.

The celebrations of the evening could not be started without first honouring three prominent Newah
personalities: Shankhadhar Shakhwa, Chittadhar Hridaya and ShiddhiDas Mahaju. Mr. Dangol then
unveiled the 15th issue of the annual Guthi Magazine.

The ambiance of the evening was submerged with excitement to begin the traditional mha puja.
As such, 50 guests were directed to make their way towards the floor mandas and to commence
the puja. All guests were then given Samay Baje consisting of Chewra, Chuyala, Bhuti, Egg,
Aloo Achaar, Shell, Garlic and Fish.

Another interesting addition to this year’s event was the Dhimey Baja procession. It was led by
past General Secretary, Mr. Sanyukta Shrestha and PPGUK Vice President, Mr. Ojesh Singh. The
procession was carried around the hall and was followed by the current Executive Committee members
who then sang the National Anthem on stage with the rest of the guests.

However the festivities did not stop there. Dazzling cultural performances advanced the celebrations.
Ms. Sharmila Singh and Mr. Nishchal Dahal enchanted guests with their song performances, while
Mr. Madhan Thapa, Mr. Ujjol Ram Shrestha, Mr. Hari Ram Shrestha, Mr. Nishchal Dhakal, performed
musical entertainment. This year also included outstanding dance performances by Ms. Krisha
Manandhar, Mr. Nirajan Rana, Ms. Namrata Rana, Ms. Pratistha Tirpathi, Ms. Ocean Rana, Ms.Diya Limbu
and Miss. Jeeya Joshi.

After enjoying a delicious dinner of Nepali and Newah cuisine, guests were further enticed with
the various prizes of the raffle draw. The lucky winner of the first prize won a free Qatar return
ticket to Nepal. All the money collected from the Raffle will go to PPGUK’s earthquake relief
activities.

Towards the end of the evening, copies of the annual Guthi magazine were distributed to the guests.
Certificates were also handed to the volunteers and artists. Mr. Singh concluded the event by
thanking all guests, volunteers and supporters of the event and the Guthi as a whole.