A multi-faith service will be held in memory of Queen Elizabeth II as the North East comes together to mourn.
The special service, led by Hindu Chaplin to the Armed Forces of Great Britain Acharya Krishan Kant Attri MBE, will be held at the Hindu Temple in Newcastle on Sunday. A havan ritual will be held between 12pm and 1pm before prayers between 1pm and 2pm.
People from all faiths and religions are invited to come along to the special service to pay tribute to the Queen as one community. Announcing the event, the Hindu Temple said the Queen oversaw "the transformation of British society into a multi-racial, multi-cultural and multifaith community".
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Equality campaigner, Hari Shukla, 88, has spent his life striving for racial and religious harmony in Newcastle and said the event will allow people to come together to pay their respects regardless of their faith. He said although the community mourns, people will "not forget" the lessons the Queen taught.
He said: "We are organising a service and have invited people from all faiths as we want to pay tribute to Her Majesty The Queen as a community. We are very grateful that in this area we live together as one community and share our values with one another.
"We are so sad about what happened but we won't forget what we have learned from Her Majesty. She ruled over the people of this country and the Commonwealth for 70 years. She believed in unity and she believed that everyone should be treated with respect and dignity."
Dr Shukla was honoured with a CBE, MBE, and OBE at Buckingham Palace over the years for his decades of work trying to unite Newcastle. He has since paid tribute to the Queen and shared his memories of meeting Her Majesty recalling how she "listened to him very carefully".
He said: "I met her three times and she was just wonderful and very kind. She listened very carefully to what I was saying. Every time she made you feel important, she always paid attention to the people she met. She wanted every person to have the opportunity to grow and that is what we learned from her."
Dr Shukla said he will work to "pass on her lessons to the next generation". He said: "In this country, people live in freedom with responsibilities. We work hard so we don't forget people in our community who are less fortunate than ourselves and there are lots of people who are making contributions to the well-being of the whole country.
"We just want to say thank you to The Queen for what she has done for us and we will continue to follow her guidance. The Queen was so dedicated she even welcomed our new Prime Minister just before she passed away. We will not forget what Her Majesty taught us and we will pass those lessons on to the next generation."
The funeral will take place on Monday, September 19, with world leaders such as US President Joe Biden set to attend the service at Westminster Abbey. It will be televised and will be shown on a screen in Old Eldon Square, from around 9am to 6pm on Monday, September 19.
The special service for the Queen will take place at the Hindu Temple on West Road, Newcastle, at around 12.30pm. All are welcome to attend.
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