The Hindu heritage of Kenya
Most visitors to Kenya want to experience the country’s world famous wildlife. A land of great contrasts such as mountain ranges, forests, lakes, desert as well as the coastal areas, Kenya’s wilderness areas are famous world wide. The name Kenya has become synonymous with the great wilds of Africa.
But there is also another side of Kenya unknown to most visitors and that is its rich Hindu temples and Sikh Gurudwaras which form well-known landmarks in each and every town and city in Kenya.
March 26th, 2007 at 3:07 pm
Sir,
I’m very happy to see that indians/indian culture are thriving atleast some where in the corner of the earth. It usually happens that the seeds of an old tree grow in a far ditance. i’m looking forward for a massive and storm-like refoms in india which will make indians think like indians. when that will come?
March 26th, 2007 at 8:19 pm
So glad to hear about Hindus and Sikhs in Kenya. I think they should get more involved in politics and social organisations. This way they will never have to suffer the fate of Indians in Uganda.
Also, help should be given to the Native Kenyans, along with spreading Sanatan Dharma to these native Kenyans.
March 26th, 2007 at 11:10 pm
Very Nice article and i can relate to this beacuse im from kenya and was living there for 10 years. Lol Diamond plaza is a fun place. There is more temples there but theres alot of corruption among hindu people and the native kenyans and that creates an unstable relationship resulting in massive murder and robberies.
March 27th, 2007 at 1:14 am
Good article (has Hindu Voice EVER printed a bad one?). There should be more information about positive Indian/African relations. From what I’ve been told; Kenyan Desis are little more involved in their country than many of their Ugandan counterparts were. As Dilip said: “they will never have to suffer the fate of Indians in Uganda”.
I know that (thanks to Arabs and Europeans) colonization is a dirty word. But had Africa been colonized by Indians the continent and her people would be much better off today.
Peaceful Hindu “conquests” in Java and Bali certainly didn’t hurt those people. The Dharma is closer to traditional African beliefs than Christianity or Islam.
March 27th, 2007 at 2:19 am
Dear Sir
your article is praiseworthy but you did not menton anywhere the name of Arya Samaj movement in kenya.They operate schools,dispensries and apart of that had been one of the oldest insitution established there. They own a very beautiful shopping complex known as Vedic House.I am sure a mention of Arya Samaj has not been intentional!
Surendra Kumar
March 27th, 2007 at 9:12 am
TELL ME HOW MANY AFRICANS ARE BENEFITTING FROM HINDU TEMPLES.
ARE THEY ALLOWED OR EVEN EOCOURAGED TO BE PART OF TEMPLES???
ARE WE ABLE TO OVERCOME BLOOD-SUCKERS IMEGA FROM THEIR MINDS???
WHAT HINDUS ARE DOING TO ERADICATE POVERTY, DISEASES, ILLITERACY, MEDICAL AID TO AFRICANS???
WHAT IS THE USE OF PILES OF BRICKS AND MARBLE TO STARVING CHILDREN OF KARIOKO, PUMWANI AND BONDENI???
HOW MANY HINDUS HAVE GONE INTO JUNGLES OF ABERDARE AND KENYA MOUNTAINS ???
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RAMESH JHALLA
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March 27th, 2007 at 10:21 am
Well I’ve been told of local African converts and even priests officiating at Hindu temples in Kenya. And I wouldn’t be surprised to learn if the indigenous population are benefiting from the Arya Samaj’s services.
Also you might find these articles worth a read to broaden your horizon on the subject of Hinduism in Africa
http://www.hinduismtoday.com/archives/2003/7-9/63_ghanananda.shtml
http://www.hinduismtoday.com/archives/1998/8/1998-8-24.shtml
March 27th, 2007 at 1:59 pm
Oh, what a pathetic & grim picture Mr. Ramesh Jhalla paints of Kenya. Sir, you really ought to take a trip to Kenya and see for yourself that the ’starving kids in Pumwani, karioko and Bondeni is a thing of the past. I have also recently been there and could see the Krishna temple in Ngara is doing everything it can to bring the local Africans in and the temple has several serving there. There are several schools in the Mt. Kenya region run by Hindus and have African children only who learn there. Mantras along with local curriculum are also taught there. Also the Sikhs are doing the same and converting many Africans and both the Hindus and Sikhs run ongoing free medical programmes for those that are unfortunate including africans also. Nyeri and most of Kenya have Hindu schools and colleges for bith Indian and African children.
As for going into the mountains and Aberdares, you will find herds of buffallos only!
March 27th, 2007 at 11:11 pm
’scuse me Mr Jhalla, but why do Hindu’s have to help out in Africa?
They have enough people helping out from around the world… are u ever going to stop be a killjoy and actually celebrate Hinduism for Hindus instead of pushing on a social activist agenda on us.
We are, thank God, not the UN.
If you feel so badly about the Africans maybe you can head off there and help them out themselves… millions of Hindus living in poverty in the Motherland who I think would benefit from our help,
Now I know you will come back with some idea of Dharma and God is for us all, and social responsibility of Hindus in Africa after we took so much from them… but Hindus did not go there as conquerers… that was some other people….
Hindus do not have to apologise or do anything…
They can start looking after themselves for a change and if another Uganda does happen… well look at the state of Uganda now…
March 28th, 2007 at 9:50 pm
Namaste
’scuse me, Mr. Jack B, but why shouldn’t Indians who live in Africa help out Africa? So immigrants have no responsibility to their adopted countries? Should they remain separate and aloof and play no part in local politics and culture? If a foreign born minority community feels nothing but indifference and/or contempt for the majority native people: then why should the latter allow the former any peace? Segregation only leads to resentment and, eventually, hatred and violence. How does that help Hindus? Or anyone?
Desis who participate in local affairs are not only serving the Dharma (in my opinion), they are also building a power base. If Ugandan Indians had had more political influence (in the army, for example); I doubt that a psychopath like Idi Amin would have been able to decimate the population.
March 29th, 2007 at 7:57 am
I agree with Shahalad. The thing is that local Hindus are doing a lot for the Kenyan Africans and a lot is being done in terms of medical centres being set up by the Sikhs and Hindus for free treatment for all those who find it difficult to afford treatments. Same goes for foodstuffs being distributed by several Hindu groups in places like Kibera and City of Nairobi to the children and other needy people. Education is free for the poor which is being provided by the Kenyan Government.
There are Hindus who have earlier taken part in the country’s politics and the army has Sikhs already who hold high posts at the moment. Hindus and Sikhs are playing a significant role in Kenya for several years now and for it to ever become a Uganda is unthinkable. The Kenyan Africans are far more peaceful than the Buganda people and the two cultures are far apart.As for Mr. Jhaala, my opinion is that he seems to suffer from permanent depression.
April 1st, 2007 at 10:08 am
You two “african Hindus” obviously did not read what I was writing. There is nothing wrong with Hindu’s in Africa helping out the native populations as they are part of the natives populations themselves.
You talk about segregration etc and yet your identify yourselves as African Hindu’s and “kenyan africans” etc … so a bit of a contradiction don’t you think.
The main point i was talking about was people Mr Jhalla who want to make the Hindus (all Hindus not just the african ones) be the “saviours of the world”.
If you guys in Africa want to help out, hey you live there that is your responsibility - just don’t tell us who don’t live in Africa to help out.
Not our problem, lots of decent but disadvantaged people living here and in India.
April 1st, 2007 at 9:52 pm
‘You talk about segregration etc and yet your identify yourselves as African Hindu’s and “kenyan africans” etc … so a bit of a contradiction don’t you think.’
There is no mention of segregation in my post so I don’t see where your point is.
April 2nd, 2007 at 8:47 am
Ramesh Jhalla: You really just complain complain complain, without knowing anything about the truth of what you are talking about. Your letters in Asian Voice newspapers are the same.
African Hindu was right when he said: “As for Mr. Jhaala, my opinion is that he seems to suffer from permanent depression.”
If you must know, Hindu establishment in Kenya are inclusive and do quite a lot for other Kenyans. Look at this picture for example:
http://www.foreignaid.com/fieldnotes/crowd2.jpg
It was a medical camp organised by the country’s Hindus, but helping the natives. There are many more examples like this. Mr Jhalla, you reall do need to take some Prozac or something.
April 6th, 2007 at 3:42 pm
Sir/madam
I am Rajneesh Kumar Gupta, pursuing my Ph. D. from School of International Studies, JNU, New Delhi (INDIA) on the theme of “ROLE OF INDIAN DIASPORA IN EAST AFRICA: CHALLENGES OF INTEGRATION, 1963-2003.”
I am glad to know that People of Indian Origin in the East Africa are preserving own culture as well as contributing positively to their country of adoptation.
I request you to kindly enlight me with some more information about Indian/Hindu people in the region.
I would be visiting to Kenya in the month of June, please suggest me some person/organization with whom I can interact there.
Thanking you
with regards
Rajneesh
rajneeshkgupta@gmail.com
April 26th, 2007 at 12:06 pm
Ramesh Jhalla sees himself as some type of prophecy in the way he speak so dramatically, it is my view that we Hindus owe the native africans nothing but its our natural personality to help those around us so we do. A word of advice Jhalla stop writing in to Asian voice, they could use your space to print someone else’s view.