In a somewhat bizarre story, a man was suspended from work for wearing a ‘tilak’ (red or white religious mark) on his forehead, in none other than India itself, the motherland of Hinduism! The tilak, as many of you will know, is a common mark worn by Hindus, which has various religious significances, as well as being used for identity or style.
It was recently suggested to us in a ‘letter to the editor’ that all Hindu mandirs in the UK shouldbe encouraged to have a gym room as part of their premises, with the logic that it would provide an important service for the community in terms of health, increasing youth participation etc.
Do you think that this is a good idea or is a gym out of place in a Hindu temple?
If there is one Indian film which everyone likes - even people who normally hate Hindi films – it’s Sholay. A timeless classic, it has not lost its appeal even now, over 30 years since its first release in 1975. It is on record as having more cinema shows than any other film in history, in any country in the world.
Remaking classic films is a favorite past time of the current generation of Bollywood producers and writers, who often appear strapped of new ideas, so it was only a matter of time before some smart ass tried to do a rehash of Sholay, which Ram Gopal Varma provides in ‘Aag’.
My mom normally does the daily puja in the house. And when she can’t my sister does it. But last weekend my parents were away and my sister couldn’t do the puja for some reason either, so I said that I’d do it. Well to be honest, she could but I wanted to do the puja because I had an exam I hadn’t really studied for the next day. I told her that that I’d perform the puja so long as she stayed outside the temple-room and directed me as to what to do. She said what’s the point, I wasn’t gonna listen to her anyways.
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On the whole, very few British Hindus would deny that Britain is quite a tolerant and pluralistic society in terms of religion. However, every now and again incidents occur that challenge this perception.Â
Just recently a yoga teacher who led a weekly yoga class for children was expelled from two churches at which she held weekly sessions. Louise Woodcock (right), 41, the group’s teacher, was told that yoga is un-Christian and “impinges” on the spiritual agenda of the churches, due to its roots in Hinduism.Â
In the first of a two part series, Natasha Jalota shares her true-life experiences of victimisation on a university campus, at the hands of a guy she met during freshers.
Earlier this month, the final go ahead was given for the first Hindu state school in Britain to open. Situated in the London Borough of Harrow, the ‘Krishna Avanti Primary School’ will have a capacity of 236 pupils and will be opening its doors to its first pupils in September 2008. On Monday September 10th, the local council voted in favour of granting planning consent for the school at its proposed site, on Camrose Avenue, Edgware. Currently there are 6,687 Christian, 37 Jewish, 8 Muslim and 2 Sikh affiliated Sikh schools in Britain. CLICK HERE TO READ REST OF ARTICLEÂ
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From September 16th to 22nd, Chinmaya Mission UK held yet another excellent series of talks on Hinduism. The talks were delivered in English, and the subjects ranged from topics such as ‘Meditation Demystified’, ‘Self-Image’, ‘But Why…?’ to discourses on Chapter 18 of the Bhagavad Gita.
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The British Museum is currently displaying a selection from its collection of Indian paintings to celebrate the 60th anniversary of Indian Independence, which occurred this year. Around fifty works dating from the late 17th to the early 20th century will give an insight into the great beauty and variety of Indian painting. Gifts and recent acquisitions will be a particular feature of the exhibition.Â
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