Founders
Dr Natubhai Shah: born 16 September 1932, India (British Citizen). Academic; Retired Medical Practitioner. Married Bhanumati Shah, 1 son, 1 daughter. Education: MBBS, 1957; PhD, Jain Religion, 1998. General Practitioner, India, 1957‑68, Leicester, UK, 1968‑96; Retired, 1996‑; Fellow, Royal Society of Medicine, 1998‑;
Jain Community work: Established Jain Centre, Leicester that has become place of pilgrimage for Jains throughout the world and major tourist Centre for the Leicester City; Main person involved in developing the Jain Centre, Colindale in North London since 2010;Chairman Jain Network, Founder President Jain Samaj Europe, President Jain Social Group London 1983-85, served as Chair, Trustee or EC member in many Jain Organisations
Academic Work: President Jain Academy; member of the Leicester University Court, established Jain Studies in DemontFort University Leicester, SOAS London, Mumbai University and Faculty of Comparative Religions, Antwerp, where he is Visiting Professor Honorary Fellow, University of Birmingham, 2002-2005 and SOAS 2006-2010
Wider Community Work: Chairman Ahimsa for Quality of Life; involved in wider community welfare work
Interfaith Work: Serves as EC member / Trustee of Interfaith Network UK since its establishment in 1987: Trustee Faith Regeneration Network since 2002 Chair Council of Dharmic Faiths, Chair Barnet Hindu Forum, Vice Chair Barnet Multifaith Forum, Member RE Council England and Wales, Member Barnet SACRE, Co‑Chairman, Jain‑Christian Association, Jain‑Jewish Association; Co‑ordinator, London Council of Jain Organisations:Faith Advisor UNICEF, Patron: National Coalition Building Institute, United Religion Initiative UK, International Interfaith Centre, and Oxford
Represents Jainism at the highest level in UK government, local authorities and other institutions; Jain Representative, Commonwealth Day Observance, Westminster Abbey since 1993‑; Member of Faith Advisory Committee, Golden Jubilee Celebration, Buckingham Palace, 2002
Publications: Executive Editor, Jain quarterly magazine, 1982‑91; Jainism: The World of Conquerors, 2 volumes (author), 1998; Numerous articles in community publications and 2 in academic journals.
Honours: Award from Delhi Jain Mahasabha, 1987: Honoured by Jain Organisations of UK, 1988; Honoured by Jain Community, 1989; International Leader in Achievement, International Biographical Centre, Cambridge England, 1990; Man of the Year 1991, American Biographical Institute; Private Luncheon with HM Queen Elizabeth 11, Buckingham Palace, 2000; Jain Ratna Award by Prime Minister of India, 2001.
Dr Natubhai Shah is actively involved in many activities for the improvement of the Spiritual and Physical Quality of Life for Jains and Wider communities
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Anil Bhanot OBE is the founding member of the Hindu Council UK and of the Council of Dharmic Faiths UK. He is a Chartered Accountant running his own practice in London since 1990 and for charitable activities he runs the Rita Trust.
He has consulted the UK government on various legislative issues, particularly those affecting the UK Hindu community and regularly represents in the Hindu community on policy matters
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Bhai Sahib Mohinder Singh Ji comes from a line of spiritual leaders and is the third in succession. Since 1995 Bhai Sahib Ji is the selfless visionary Chairman of the Guru Nanak Nishkam Sewak Jatha (Birmingham) UK – a religious charitable organisation with branches in India and Kenya. In 2010, its Nishkam Civic Association was presented with the Queen’s Golden Jubilee Award for outstanding voluntary services to the community, and its Education Trust’s plans to open a Free School, was one of sixteen applications approved by the UK Government.
Having been granted the conservation and restoration projects of several sacred Sikh shrines in India, Bhai Sahib Ji has earned and enjoys great respect from the Sikh Panth (Sikh fraternity). In June 2010, the Jathedars of the five Takhats (seats of authority) of the Sikh Dharam, as well as the President of the Shiromani Gurudwara Parbandhak Committee – an ‘apex’ organisation representing some 24 million Sikhs globally, collectively conferred upon Bhai Sahib Ji the rare and prestigious title of ‘Bhai Sahib Bhai’ at Akal Takhat, Amritsar, India. This is the first time in history that a British Sikh has been awarded the title. He is also Chairman of the British Sikh Consultative Forum and acts as a Consultant / Advisor to Sangat Trust Television Channel.
Bhai Sahib Ji is a charismatic and tireless worker in the fields of International Aid and social justice. He is a Patron of Divine Onkar Mission, and hosted two of the inaugural thirty Tony Blair Faith Foundation’s Faiths Act Fellows. He is also a passionate supporter of the Jubilee Debt Campaign since its inception, and a Trustee of Birmingham Citizens, a social action organisation.
Bhai Sahib Ji is also a member of the Elijah Board of the World’s Religious Leaders and European Council of Religious Leaders; International Trustee of World Conference of Religions for Peace; supporter of the Council for a Parliament of the World’s Religions; Trustee of Museum of World’s Religions (UK); and Patron of United Religions Initiative. He is a recipient of the Juliet Hollister award from the Temple of Understanding, New York, for intra and interfaith work internationally, and one of fifty people awarded in October 2010 by the organisation for being an Interfaith Visionary. In September 2010 he was part of an official delegation with Her Majesty the Queen, welcoming His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI to the UK for the official State Visit.
For his services to faith propagation, community service, education and research, Bhai Sahib Ji was awarded a PhD Honoris Causia from the University of Central England in 2002, and another Honorary Doctorate in 2006 from the University of Birmingham.
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Dr Girdhari Bhan: President of the VIshwa Hindu Parishad UK
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Yann Lovelock:
Yann Lovelock has been one of the planners of CoDF since the beginning. Interfaith Officer for the Network of Buddhist Organisations, he lives in Birmingham and has had a life-long interest in interfaith dialogue. As a former writer and translator, he also brings his linguistic skills to the team and has a particular interest in education and the way the dharmic faiths should be taught. In the past he was one of the founders of the Buddhist Prison Chaplaincy Organisation and later served as Vice Chair of the West Midlands Faiths Forum. He is presently an Executive member of the Inter Faith Network UK.
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Dorab Mistry: Ex President Zoroastrian Trust Funds of Europe
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Ramesh Pattni: Chair, Interfaith Committee, Hindu Forum of Britain, Co-Chair Hindu Christian Forum
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Madhava Turumella: Broadcaster, Author, Hindu Priest http://www.madhava.net. National Executive Committee Member, Hindu Forum of Britain
