Nawal Bagaria: GP who set up care homes and helped found a Hindu temple in Edinburgh

The opening of Edinburgh Hindu Mandir and Cultural Centre in a former church in 2015 was a joyous occasion, attended by more than 1300 people. This was thanks in no small part to Nawal Bagaria, who was president until February this year, overseeing a thriving congregation that meets twice weekly for prayer, meditation, and community worship. Bagaria and his wife, Sheela, a gynaecologist-turned-psychiatrist, had made their home in Scotland since 1975, when he became a GP in the new town of Livingston. He recalled being asked at his interview what guarantee there was that he would stay in the area; he responded by committing to provide for the local community for the rest of his life. He was true to his word. Increasingly, the couple found that their interests lay in caring for the elderly and in 1988 they approached Livingston Development Corporation for a site where they could provide accommodation for older people unable to live at home. Overcoming objections from residents worried about additional traffic close to a primary school, they opened the 40 bed Peacock Nursing Home in 1989. Two years later it expanded to 80 beds, this second phase being opened …