The recent sentencing of a 26-year old man from Hindu background for murder, in an incident arising out of a seemingly trivial incident at a nightclub was greeted by surprise by many Hindus.

“Violence? Hindus? No way!” Or so some people would like to believe. “All Hindu youngsters go to university and get good white collar jobs, and act as pillars of the community” Frankly, this is a self-delusional fantasy of many Hindu community leaders, which fails to grasp the complex and diverse experiences and problems of young Hindus growing up here.

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The Indian economy is booming – soon to become one of the world’s biggest economic powerhouses to stand with the U.S.A. and China. The future is one of hope, beckoning investors into the country all hoping to cash in on the growth.

Amongst them are the erstwhile children of India. The “NRI’s” or non resident Indians, or as they are now sometimes called the “PIOs” (Persons of Indian origin) Over twenty million of them are sitting (some for many generations) all the way from the United Kingdom, to Canada to the islands of Fiji and beyond. Originating from all parts of the Indian subcontinent some are now eying the ancestral homeland for both material and spiritual gain.

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Earlier this month we witnessed terrible ethnic violence in Mumbai city, where a Marathi supremacist group attacked poor North Indian migrants to the city. Those responsible for the attacks were cadre of the “Marathi Navnirman Sena”, a breakaway group from the infamous “Shiv Sena”.

The Shiv Sena is a political party that all Indian citizens will of course will be familiar with. Hindus in other countries such as here in Britain will have certainly heard of it, but probably have a mistaken view of the organisation.

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Over two hundred studies and over 2,500 books and articles have been published so far which examine the effects of violence in entertainment media on human behaviour. It has been blamed for causing psychological damage to children and leading to a rise in violent youth culture. But there are other forms of media related influence on human behaviour that are hardly ever mentioned or discussed. Take the example of Hindi TV serials, which actually tend to affect our mothers and aunties rather than children and youth.

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Am I a practicing Hindu? I’ve always thought myself to be, and so has virtually everyone who knows me – I pray at home everyday, perform the daily puja along with the members of my family, I have been involved in a number of Hindu community activities, I have helped friends organise Hindu society activities in universities, oh… and I occasionally write for Hindu Voice (maybe that counts for something too). But according to the definition announced by Britain’s first state-funded Hindu school, I would not quite make it - I’m not a vegetarian, I don’t go to a public temple regularly and I don’t abstain from alcohol in an absolute way.

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Often touted as the model of a modern Islamic state many were surprised at the recent upsurge of Hindu protests in Malaysia. A nation with a ten per cent Indian population and thirty percent ethnic Chinese after all could hardly afford to be perceived as biased, or so I thought.

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Diwali, as all of you are no doubt aware, is the most widely celebrated festival in the Hindu world. In any country which carries a significant number of Hindus there are massive Diwali celebrations. In many cases, non-Hindus are also drawn into the festivities, and as a result Diwali is extremely well known in most of the world.

If you ask most non-Hindus if they have heard of other Hindu festivals - for example Janmashtami, Holi or even Navratri - nine times out of ten you will draw a blank expression. But the vast majority will have heard of Diwali and know that it to be ‘Hindu festival of light’… 

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I was already nervous for my driving test; little did I know what I had in store for me from the driving examiner, who turned out to be closer to an immigration officer… 

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