I must admit that being the guy who said just last year that I find it very hard to think of any reason to like cricket, I may come across as a bit of a hypocrite writing this piece. [Editor: You don’t sound like a bit of a hypocrite Rudra, you sound like a total hypocite!]
Lord Rama has once again been embroiled in an Indian public controversy, after several years of lying in the background. This time, it is the fate of the ‘Rama Sethu’ - the coral bridge linking the southernmost tip of India together with Sri Lanka - which brings the Lord out into controversy. In Hindu tradition, this bridge was made by Lord Rama and his army, in order to cross the sea and rescue Sita from the captivity of Ravana.
As Hindu Voice has documented earlier this year, the current Indian Government is planning to destroy this bridge to improve sea travel and trade, as part of the so called ‘Sethu Samudaram’ project.
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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’.
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.
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.
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 ARTICLE
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.
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Being a bit bored and fancying a trip to the cinema, I decided to watch any random film and ended up watching “Good Boy Bad Boy”, being the only current Indian film I hadn’t seen. The title itself sounds stupid and so I didn’t have high expectations for it, but I gave it the benefit of doubt.
