From a Wembley birthday party
to a 57-year-old samaj.
It started with a birthday and a question — what if we held a Diwali function for our community? The answer became this association.
The idea, at Vivian Hall, Wembley
The idea of forming a Valam association was first discussed at Vivian Hall in Wembley, during a birthday party organised by the late Mr. Harishbhai Purohit for his sons Jay and Jatin. It was proposed to hold a Diwali function for our community.
The people who actively worked to make this proposal a reality were Bipinbhai Mehta, the late Dineshbhai Gor, the late Manubhai Upadhyay, the late Balmukundbhai Upadhyay, the late Pravinbhai Bhatt, and Mrs. Kumudben Shukla.
The first Diwali Sammelan — our beginning
The first Diwali Sammelan was held — and that was the birth of our association. In those days there were no elections; the President was nominated for the day. Our first President was Mr. Manubhai Upadhyay, with the late Dineshbhai Gor and the late Pravinbhai Bhatt as secretary and convener.
Mrs. Hansaben Purohit, Mrs. Vidyaben Upadhyay, and Mrs. Jyotsnaben Bhatt prepared the food. The expenses were paid by the President himself.
The second gathering — and a model takes shape
The second Diwali gathering was held with the help of volunteers and the office bearers. Charges per person and per family were introduced to meet expenses. Chairpersons were nominated for the day of the function — among them late Manubhai Upadhyay, Bipinbhai Mehta, late Balmukundbhai Upadhyay, Dineshbhai Purohit, late Pravinbhai Bhatt, late Bhanubhai Purohit, Markand Upadhyay, and Sukhdevbhai Gor.
Valam Sandesh — our community newsletter
The first issue of Valam Sandesh was published. Originally circulars were photocopied and sent to community members. Pravinbhai Bhatt, Dineshbhai Purohit, and Rameshbhai Pandya played a major role in early issues, with later editorial work by Rameshbhai Acharya, Lalitbhai Pandya, Anupam Purohit, and Upendrabhai K Gor.
A formal constitution — the UKVBA is born
The UK Valam Brahmin Association as it is known today came into effect when a proper constitution was formulated and all office bearers were elected for a one-year term. From 1982/83, the committee personally approached community members who voluntarily donated funds to give the Association a substantial balance to cover its expenses.
UK registered charity
After efforts beginning in 1990 and a long, careful struggle, charity status was finally granted — thanks largely to the untiring efforts of Mukeshbhai Pandya. The Association became affiliated with the Brahmin Federation of Europe and a member of The Hindu Council and Brent Indian Association.
Going online
The community began carrying its story forward via a website — extending the reach of Valam Sandesh and making events, news, and announcements accessible to families across the UK.
The first UKVBA website was made possible thanks to Binduben and Pareshbhai Mojaria, who generously provided hosting and domain services, and Mihir Gor, who designed and edited the site. In the years that followed, other Valam contributors carried the work forward, keeping the community's online presence alive and evolving.
57 years on — and still gathering
Sports days, cricket tournaments, ten nights of Navratri with a Yagna on Durga Ashtami, our flagship Diwali Dinner & Dance, the children's Christmas party, a Valentine's Dinner & Dance, havans, bhajans, and coach trips — the same spirit of seva and sammelan that began in 1969, carried into every year since.
From a single Diwali gathering in a Wembley hall to a registered charity with decades of tradition behind it — every president, every committee, every volunteer who cooked, organised, or simply showed up has carried us here.
— The Valam story, in one line