My father, Amrit Lal, who has died aged 93, was a key figure in the creation of the Edinburgh Hindu Mandir. In partnership with his wife, Saroj Lal, a pioneering race relations campaigner, he helped transform a derelict church into a spiritual and cultural centre for the city’s Hindu community.
Amrit was born in Jandali Kalan, near Ahmedgarh, in Punjab. His early years were marked by disruption, deprivation and loss. Two brothers and a sister died in infancy; his father, Lachman Dass Tangri, was a vet in the Remount Veterinary Corps of the British Indian army, and was frequently transferred from post to post, while his mother, Parvati Devi Dhand, had no formal education. The family had little means; Amrit frequently went to school barefoot.
