Last week we celebrated our very own Dr Dev Patel’s 50th birthday with a surprise gathering and Havan ceremony at the practice.
We are extremely proud of Dev, one of the first specialist dentists, one of very few dual specialists in the country and also Director of Implants at Eastman, UCL.
Dev and Angela have built up a very special practice in Dental Rooms and several family members gathered together, with the Dental Rooms team, to surprise Dev with festive decorations, an elaborate chocolate cake (cake is very important at our practice!) and a beautiful Havan ceremony.
Havan is an ancient and sacred fire ceremony. A purification ritual, it can be performed in households and workplaces and is said to bring many benefits, ideal for celebrating milestones such as both Dev’s 50th and Dental Rooms 10th Anniversary, including;
- Bringing success and prosperity your way
- Eliminating all kinds of hardships from the path you are on towards achieving success
- Bringing financial stability and growth in life
- Helping you recover from serious illnesses
- Helping you improve academically!
Together with Dev and Angela’s parents, the team gathered, all barefoot, to sit in a circle around the priest, fire and various offerings. There was much chanting and everyone got to make an offering into the fire. Red and gold protective kalava or kautuka threads were tied around everyone’s wrists and, in keeping with tradition, some very tasty homemade halva (a type of semolina pudding) was distributed to everyone (second portions were allowed!). Finally, the Dental Room girls were all given a gift of jewellery, brought by Dev’s mother – a lovely ending to a special, shared experience.
