Story:Debjani Chatterjee
Hindu Samaj members plus friends recently enjoyed a celebratory and educational day trip to picturesque Derbyshire and its historic mills. On Saturday 20th June, 29 of us boarded a coach at the Hindu Samaj Centre at 21 Buckenham Street, Sheffield S4 7JQ; it took us to the Derwent Valley’s famous World Heritage site.
We had run a very successful heritage project over three years. Phase 1: ‘British Raj in the Peak District’, was led by the multitalented Dr Chamu Kuppuswamy, Hindu Samaj member, law lecturer, classical Indian dancer and first South Asian ranger with the National Trust. When she left Sheffield, a University of Sheffield colleague from the History Department, Dr Esme Cleall, led Phase 2: ‘Global Cotton Connections: East Meets West’, in partnership with the University of Nottingham and a Nottingham community group.
For project details, see the blogsites:
https://www.heritagehindusamaj.wordpress.com
https://www.globalcottonconnections.wordpress.com
Three unique outcomes of the project were:
1) a beautiful 40 page poetry book ‘British Raj in the Peak District: Threads of Connection’;
2) a large poster about our cotton connection;
3) three interesting leaflets about trails in the Peak District.
The Derbyshire trip was a great opportunity to launch the booklet and the poster at Cromford Mill, and also to look around Cromford and Belper mills. Many of the 16 contributors to the book joined its editor Dr Debjani Chatterjee in reading their poems at the launch.
Free classes in yoga and meditation are offered on Tuesdays from 6.30pm to 8pm at the Hindu Samaj Centre, 21 Buckenham Street, Sheffield S4 7JQ. These are very popular and open to all, whether beginners or experienced. The instructor Chandeep Singh takes a holistic view of yoga for health and wellbeing.