Generally, philanthropic activities in Hindu India are termed seva, which means service. While seva originally referred to an obligatory service and devotional worship of the gods and gurus, or spiritual masters, its focal point has shifted from individual religious practice to organised humanitarian service since socio-religious movements during the nineteenth century (Beckerlegge 2015). Nowadays, many prominent gurus and their organisations are engaged in various philanthropic activities such as education, medication, food charity, and care of orphans. This paper aims to explore how Hindu philanthropic activities, particularly food charity, give impetus to create ‘friendship’ among Indian diasporas in Leicester, although it is contrary to the logic of the Indian religious gift that should not involve reciprocal relationships. Leicester is one of the most outstanding cities of Indian diasporas in the UK, particularly after many Indian people, mainly of Gujarati origin, were forced to move from Uganda and other East African countries in the 1970s. This paper will examine case studies of a few charitable organisations focusing on seva, or volunteering, that I collected during fieldwork between April and November 2022. In many cases, volunteers are essential to manage and maintain the organisation because there are few or no paid staff due to financial or workforce shortages. Although volunteers work hard without any wage, most enjoy seva connecting themselves to the organisation, other volunteers, and the deity socially and spiritually. What should be noticed is the overwhelming emotions that drive them to do seva in such a passionate way, while some are engaged in seva with more practical motives. This paper will consider how the emotions drive Indian diasporas for passionate seva and then how it can create friendship over the boundary of different socio-religious backgrounds.
