NEPAL Communists attack Hindu faithful: a child of 6 in grave conditions - Asia News
» 10/30/2007 11:32
NEPAL
Communists attack Hindu faithful: a child of 6 in grave conditions
by Kalpit Parajuli
During celebrations for the feast of Dashian, a group from the Communist Youth League launched an attack with knives and batons on a group of Hindu faithful gathered in a temple. Before leaving they warned: no more idol worship.
Kathmandu (AsiaNews) – A group from the Communist Youth League, which answers to the Nepalese Maoist Party, yesterday launched a knife and baton attack on a group of Hindu faithful who were celebrating the festival of Dashian, guilty of “idol worship”. According to early reports, there are 14 victims in grave conditions: among them a child of only 6 years of age.
The attack took place in Kalikot, 700 kilometres west of Kathmandu. The young aggressors then threatened the faithful, to force them to “abandon all idol worship”. Ramji Pun, present during the attack adds: “They attacked the worshipers without any warning and those who were inside the temple are among the seriously injured”.
Dashian celebrations last ten days during which ten Hindu gods and goddesses are revered. According Din Bahadur Magar, chief of the local Communist league, “Praying to statues and carvings of gods does not lead to heaven nor it gives us what we desire for. Then why to spend time, money and labour going to temple?" He added, "We have no any enmity with Hindu but with their practice. Therefore, we can oppose not only Hindus but also any other idol worshipers”.
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Sunday, October 21, 2007
AKI - Adnkronos international India: Muslim girl translates Hindu religious texts into Urdu
AKI - Adnkronos international India: Muslim girl translates Hindu religious texts into Urdu
India: Muslim girl translates Hindu religious texts into Urdu
Varanasi, 4 Oct. (AKI/Asian Age ) - Nazneen Ansari, a Muslim girl living in the holy Hindu city of Varanasi, in India's northern state of Uttar Pradesh has assigned herself a unique task of translating Hindu religious texts into Urdu.
Ansari feels that this will help people of both faiths understand each other better.
"I have done this to bring people closer to each other. There are many people who cannot read Hindi. Now, they can read Hanuman Chalisa [a key Hindu religious text] in Urdu and understand the meaning and moral of the text."
"This is my humble effort towards forging better understanding between the two communities," she told a news channel.
She has already translated Hanuman Chalisa into Urdu and is now working on the Hindu epic Ram Charitra Manas.
Hanuman Chalisa is a Hindi-language poem that has gained enormous popularity among Hindus. Many of them recite it as a prayer every week, generally on Tuesdays or Saturdays.
India: Muslim girl translates Hindu religious texts into Urdu
Varanasi, 4 Oct. (AKI/Asian Age ) - Nazneen Ansari, a Muslim girl living in the holy Hindu city of Varanasi, in India's northern state of Uttar Pradesh has assigned herself a unique task of translating Hindu religious texts into Urdu.
Ansari feels that this will help people of both faiths understand each other better.
"I have done this to bring people closer to each other. There are many people who cannot read Hindi. Now, they can read Hanuman Chalisa [a key Hindu religious text] in Urdu and understand the meaning and moral of the text."
"This is my humble effort towards forging better understanding between the two communities," she told a news channel.
She has already translated Hanuman Chalisa into Urdu and is now working on the Hindu epic Ram Charitra Manas.
Hanuman Chalisa is a Hindi-language poem that has gained enormous popularity among Hindus. Many of them recite it as a prayer every week, generally on Tuesdays or Saturdays.
Saturday, October 20, 2007
Is it Possible to be a Hindu Follower of Christ? | Christianpost.com
Is it Possible to be a Hindu Follower of Christ? | Christianpost.com
Is it Possible to be a Hindu Follower of Christ?
By
Michelle Vu
Christian Post Reporter
Sat, Oct. 06 2007 11:45 AM ET
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DALLAS, Texas – Is it possible to be a Hindu and a follower of Jesus Christ?
Related
* Interview: Dr. Ralph D. Winter on Frontier Missions in India
* Center for World's Unreached in India, Says Global Church Expert
Some of the world’s top missiologists are not only nodding their heads, but even advocating the practice.
Contrary to what most Christians might think, it is possible to be a fully devoted follower of Christ who remains truly and fully a Hindu – a Krista Bhakta, as they like to be called.
“You can’t say a Hindu is a person that believes in A, B and C,” said Raghav Krishna, a Brahmin Hindu Krista Bhakta whose real name is withheld for security reasons.
“Probably the best way to say it is someone that is born to Hindu parents is a Hindu and you can have any beliefs you want.”
At this year’s annual gathering of the International Society for Frontier Missiology, Krishna emphasized that there is no consensus over the definition of a Hindu. It’s notable that India has over 4,500 different communities so what are considered Hindu forms change depending on the individual’s community.
Keeping the Hindu forms can mean attending a house gathering for Sunday service instead of a church building, singing bhajans (Indian style devotional music) instead of English hymns, continuing the Hindu dietary restriction, and having a water ceremony instead of a baptism in a Christian church.
Common Misunderstandings
Throughout the conference, speakers addressed the common misconception that Hinduism is a uniform religion when in fact it is more of an umbrella identity for vastly diverse cultural and religious communities. Most Christians, however, tend to perceive the word Hindu to mean a singular, homogenous religion – an understanding that is both erroneous and misleading.
“Historically, quite a number of people – including William Carey – referred to the term Hindu Christian to mean Hindu in a civilizational sense and Christian in a religious sense,” pointed out H.L. Richard, who spent over 20 years working and studying Hinduism and Christian ministry among Hindus.
“Today, most consider this terminology too confusing and wonder why a follower of Christ needs to abandon a Hindu identity and adopt all the baggage that is included with the ‘Christian’ label,” he added.
Richard said the term Christian should also not be confined as only a religious reference. He pointed to Europe where the word Christian is primarily used in a historical and civilizational manner more so than a person’s way of life and religious beliefs. The scholar noted that Hindus understand the word Christian as a geo-political and civilizational description, rather than as a spiritual or religious one.
Why the Hindu Forms are Needed
Proponents of the Hindu Krista Bhakta movement argue that Hindus who turn to Christ should not be forced to abandon their culture and identity, but rather be followers of Jesus Christ while rejoicing that God made them Hindus and desire to serve Him as Hindus.
“In Islam and Hinduism, we’ve insist that people come out of their culture and that is not biblical,” said Dr. Ralph D. Winter, founder of the U.S. Center for World Mission and one of the founders for ISFM, to The Christian Post in September. “It is a misunderstanding of the Bible and it is not successful and never will be. It shouldn’t be.
“God doesn’t want to destroy their (Indians’) language or culture, He wants to refine them.”
Related
* Interview: Dr. Ralph D. Winter on Frontier Missions in India
* Center for World's Unreached in India, Says Global Church Expert
Krishna, for example, said that the western form of church is “foreign” to a Hindu person. He acknowledges that many Hindus who are in Christ can eventually adjust to Western worship forms, but said this comes at the cost of alienation from family and friends and a possibly closer relationship with God.
“The importance of social forms for me – because I was born in a Hindu family and I’m used to these forms – is they enable me to experience Christ in a much deeper way,” said Krishna.
Furthermore, supporters of the movement argue that followers of Jesus who remain Hindu and express their faith using Hindu forms are in a better position to witness in their community and avoid creating unnecessary tension within their families.
“The stumbling block in India has nothing to do with theology,” said Richard. “A triune God is absolutely non-problematic to Hindus. It is a problem for American rationalists and to Muslims, but no Hindu has a problem with the Trinity.
“The offense of Christianity is change of community,” added Richard, who is a strong proponent of new believers maintaining with integrity their Hindu culture.
“Why are you leaving us and going to them? How are they better than us? Isn’t there as much corruption in ‘Christianity’ as there is in ‘Hinduism’? Why are you shaming our people?” he listed as possible questions from the communities.
“So this community issue is absolutely basic and fundamental,” declared Richard.
Some of the younger attendees who were not familiar with the concept expressed skepticism at first when they heard that a person could follow Jesus as a Hindu, but later said they support the practice after understanding that Hinduism is not a religion, but a complex civilization that accepts multiple religious expressions within its various cultural forms.
“I still walk in Hindu traditions as long as they don’t contradict my faith in Christ,” explained J.V., a Brahmin follower of Christ who oversees a campus ministry catering to Hindu students in the United States.
The International Society of Frontier Missiology held its 2007 meeting Sept. 15-17 in Dallas, Texas, and convened missiologists, missionaries, and those working in the mission fields. The annual conferences focus on frontier mission – an area of missiology that concentrates on reaching the people with the least access to the gospel. The theme this year was India: Debating Global Missiological Flashpoints.
Is it Possible to be a Hindu Follower of Christ?
By
Michelle Vu
Christian Post Reporter
Sat, Oct. 06 2007 11:45 AM ET
[-]Text[+]
E-mail Print RSS More on Topic AddThis Button
DALLAS, Texas – Is it possible to be a Hindu and a follower of Jesus Christ?
Related
* Interview: Dr. Ralph D. Winter on Frontier Missions in India
* Center for World's Unreached in India, Says Global Church Expert
Some of the world’s top missiologists are not only nodding their heads, but even advocating the practice.
Contrary to what most Christians might think, it is possible to be a fully devoted follower of Christ who remains truly and fully a Hindu – a Krista Bhakta, as they like to be called.
“You can’t say a Hindu is a person that believes in A, B and C,” said Raghav Krishna, a Brahmin Hindu Krista Bhakta whose real name is withheld for security reasons.
“Probably the best way to say it is someone that is born to Hindu parents is a Hindu and you can have any beliefs you want.”
At this year’s annual gathering of the International Society for Frontier Missiology, Krishna emphasized that there is no consensus over the definition of a Hindu. It’s notable that India has over 4,500 different communities so what are considered Hindu forms change depending on the individual’s community.
Keeping the Hindu forms can mean attending a house gathering for Sunday service instead of a church building, singing bhajans (Indian style devotional music) instead of English hymns, continuing the Hindu dietary restriction, and having a water ceremony instead of a baptism in a Christian church.
Common Misunderstandings
Throughout the conference, speakers addressed the common misconception that Hinduism is a uniform religion when in fact it is more of an umbrella identity for vastly diverse cultural and religious communities. Most Christians, however, tend to perceive the word Hindu to mean a singular, homogenous religion – an understanding that is both erroneous and misleading.
“Historically, quite a number of people – including William Carey – referred to the term Hindu Christian to mean Hindu in a civilizational sense and Christian in a religious sense,” pointed out H.L. Richard, who spent over 20 years working and studying Hinduism and Christian ministry among Hindus.
“Today, most consider this terminology too confusing and wonder why a follower of Christ needs to abandon a Hindu identity and adopt all the baggage that is included with the ‘Christian’ label,” he added.
Richard said the term Christian should also not be confined as only a religious reference. He pointed to Europe where the word Christian is primarily used in a historical and civilizational manner more so than a person’s way of life and religious beliefs. The scholar noted that Hindus understand the word Christian as a geo-political and civilizational description, rather than as a spiritual or religious one.
Why the Hindu Forms are Needed
Proponents of the Hindu Krista Bhakta movement argue that Hindus who turn to Christ should not be forced to abandon their culture and identity, but rather be followers of Jesus Christ while rejoicing that God made them Hindus and desire to serve Him as Hindus.
“In Islam and Hinduism, we’ve insist that people come out of their culture and that is not biblical,” said Dr. Ralph D. Winter, founder of the U.S. Center for World Mission and one of the founders for ISFM, to The Christian Post in September. “It is a misunderstanding of the Bible and it is not successful and never will be. It shouldn’t be.
“God doesn’t want to destroy their (Indians’) language or culture, He wants to refine them.”
Related
* Interview: Dr. Ralph D. Winter on Frontier Missions in India
* Center for World's Unreached in India, Says Global Church Expert
Krishna, for example, said that the western form of church is “foreign” to a Hindu person. He acknowledges that many Hindus who are in Christ can eventually adjust to Western worship forms, but said this comes at the cost of alienation from family and friends and a possibly closer relationship with God.
“The importance of social forms for me – because I was born in a Hindu family and I’m used to these forms – is they enable me to experience Christ in a much deeper way,” said Krishna.
Furthermore, supporters of the movement argue that followers of Jesus who remain Hindu and express their faith using Hindu forms are in a better position to witness in their community and avoid creating unnecessary tension within their families.
“The stumbling block in India has nothing to do with theology,” said Richard. “A triune God is absolutely non-problematic to Hindus. It is a problem for American rationalists and to Muslims, but no Hindu has a problem with the Trinity.
“The offense of Christianity is change of community,” added Richard, who is a strong proponent of new believers maintaining with integrity their Hindu culture.
“Why are you leaving us and going to them? How are they better than us? Isn’t there as much corruption in ‘Christianity’ as there is in ‘Hinduism’? Why are you shaming our people?” he listed as possible questions from the communities.
“So this community issue is absolutely basic and fundamental,” declared Richard.
Some of the younger attendees who were not familiar with the concept expressed skepticism at first when they heard that a person could follow Jesus as a Hindu, but later said they support the practice after understanding that Hinduism is not a religion, but a complex civilization that accepts multiple religious expressions within its various cultural forms.
“I still walk in Hindu traditions as long as they don’t contradict my faith in Christ,” explained J.V., a Brahmin follower of Christ who oversees a campus ministry catering to Hindu students in the United States.
The International Society of Frontier Missiology held its 2007 meeting Sept. 15-17 in Dallas, Texas, and convened missiologists, missionaries, and those working in the mission fields. The annual conferences focus on frontier mission – an area of missiology that concentrates on reaching the people with the least access to the gospel. The theme this year was India: Debating Global Missiological Flashpoints.
'Secular' Nepal forgets Muslims on Eid- Hindustan Times
'Secular' Nepal forgets Muslims on Eid- Hindustan Times
'Secular' Nepal forgets Muslims on Eid
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Indo-Asian News Service
Kathmandu, October 14, 2007
First Published: 15:55 IST(14/10/2007)
Last Updated: 01:57 IST(15/10/2007)
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More than a year after it abolished Hinduism as the state religion and declared itself secular, Nepal, once the world's only Hindu kingdom, still remains Hindu in its psyche, with the government on Sunday failing to extend greetings to Muslims on the occasion of Eid-ul-Fitr, one of the Muslim festivals.
As Muslims in the parts of sub-continent celebrated Eid on Sunday after a month's fasting, the Nepal Muslim Ittehad Sangh's petition to Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala to declare Eid a national holiday fell on deaf ears.
The secular government however had observed a public holiday on Friday to celebrate Ghatasthapana, worshipping a holy pitcher and kicking off the biggest Hindu festival in Nepal that lasts for nearly a fortnight.
Strangely, the prime minister's office had not issued any public message, extending greetings to the Muslim community.
It was the communists and royalists who rose to the occasion.
The second largest party in the ruling coalition, the Communist Party of Nepal-Unified Marxist Leninist (UML), greeted Muslims, wishing for peace and progress.
Madhav Kumar Nepal, chief of the party, hoped the country would soon be able to hold the stalled election and progress to a peaceful and prosperous federal republic.
Earlier this month, Maoist chief Prachanda had issued a statement, extending best wishes for Eid.
A former prime minister, Surya Bahadur Thapa, who was appointed by King Gyanendra in 2003, also extended his best wishes as chief of the Rastriya Janashakti Party, hoping for peace, happiness and prosperity.
However, there was no message from the office of the prime minister, who is now also the head of state.
Since this year, Koirala has been observing all the Hindu festivals, including recently offering worship to Nepal's living goddess, the Kumari, an incident that created a standoff between him and the embattled king with the crowds hailing the monarch and shouting slogans against the premier.
Last month, Nepal experienced one of the worst sectarian violence in its history when the murder of a powerful Muslim landlord in apilavastu triggered killings, arson and looting.
Hundreds of Muslims are said to have fled their homes following the incident, with many of them fleeing to India.
The omission comes even as Koirala is braced for yet another crisis. He needs to hammer out an understanding with the Maoists by Friday or face the possibility of his government coming under attack.
The rebels forced the government to convene a special session of parliament on Thursday to discuss if Nepal's 238-year-old monarchy could be scrapped immediately through a vote among legislators.
The voting was to have been held on coming Tuesday.
However, on Sunday, the Speaker agreed to a request from the UML to postpone the session till Monday to allow the parties more time to try reach an agreement.
If they fail to do so and the vote takes place next on Sunday, the Maoists have warned they would oust the Koirala government if they lost the vote.
'Secular' Nepal forgets Muslims on Eid
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Free1Year MoneyMagazineSubscription Free Investor Research Reports
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Indo-Asian News Service
Kathmandu, October 14, 2007
First Published: 15:55 IST(14/10/2007)
Last Updated: 01:57 IST(15/10/2007)
IM on Yahoo
Add to Del.icio.us
More than a year after it abolished Hinduism as the state religion and declared itself secular, Nepal, once the world's only Hindu kingdom, still remains Hindu in its psyche, with the government on Sunday failing to extend greetings to Muslims on the occasion of Eid-ul-Fitr, one of the Muslim festivals.
As Muslims in the parts of sub-continent celebrated Eid on Sunday after a month's fasting, the Nepal Muslim Ittehad Sangh's petition to Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala to declare Eid a national holiday fell on deaf ears.
The secular government however had observed a public holiday on Friday to celebrate Ghatasthapana, worshipping a holy pitcher and kicking off the biggest Hindu festival in Nepal that lasts for nearly a fortnight.
Strangely, the prime minister's office had not issued any public message, extending greetings to the Muslim community.
It was the communists and royalists who rose to the occasion.
The second largest party in the ruling coalition, the Communist Party of Nepal-Unified Marxist Leninist (UML), greeted Muslims, wishing for peace and progress.
Madhav Kumar Nepal, chief of the party, hoped the country would soon be able to hold the stalled election and progress to a peaceful and prosperous federal republic.
Earlier this month, Maoist chief Prachanda had issued a statement, extending best wishes for Eid.
A former prime minister, Surya Bahadur Thapa, who was appointed by King Gyanendra in 2003, also extended his best wishes as chief of the Rastriya Janashakti Party, hoping for peace, happiness and prosperity.
However, there was no message from the office of the prime minister, who is now also the head of state.
Since this year, Koirala has been observing all the Hindu festivals, including recently offering worship to Nepal's living goddess, the Kumari, an incident that created a standoff between him and the embattled king with the crowds hailing the monarch and shouting slogans against the premier.
Last month, Nepal experienced one of the worst sectarian violence in its history when the murder of a powerful Muslim landlord in apilavastu triggered killings, arson and looting.
Hundreds of Muslims are said to have fled their homes following the incident, with many of them fleeing to India.
The omission comes even as Koirala is braced for yet another crisis. He needs to hammer out an understanding with the Maoists by Friday or face the possibility of his government coming under attack.
The rebels forced the government to convene a special session of parliament on Thursday to discuss if Nepal's 238-year-old monarchy could be scrapped immediately through a vote among legislators.
The voting was to have been held on coming Tuesday.
However, on Sunday, the Speaker agreed to a request from the UML to postpone the session till Monday to allow the parties more time to try reach an agreement.
If they fail to do so and the vote takes place next on Sunday, the Maoists have warned they would oust the Koirala government if they lost the vote.
Indian festival is boom for private detectives | Lifestyle | Reuters
Indian festival is boom for private detectives | Lifestyle | Reuters
Indian festival is boom for private detectives
Fri Oct 19, 2007 12:51pm BST
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By Rupam Jain Nair
AHMEDABAD, India (Reuters) - Parents in western India are hiring private detectives to spy on their teenage children during a nine-day Hindu festival when late-night dance celebrations attract tens of thousands of youngsters.
"It is strange to pay someone to keep a night watch on my daughters but it is better than regretting later," said S. Doshi, a 42-year-old mother of two girls, aged 17 and 19.
Doshi used a detective agency to keep a vigil on her daughters, who dress up in revealing clothes every night and hop across several dance venues, eat and go for long drives with their friends.
"Children can do anything. Drugs, unprotected sex and bad company are my main worry," said Doshi, a resident of Ahmedabad, the main city of the western state of Gujarat.
Detective agencies say they are the only solution to the parental concern during the Navratri festive fervor which ends this weekend.
Garba, a traditional Indian dance, is performed to pay respect to Goddess Durga and it is on a grand scale, with visits from Bollywood stars and music troupes.
"We follow the boy or the girl to make sure that they have gone to the dance venue and report to parents if they leave the ground or spend time at a friend's house instead of dancing," said Sanjiv Thakkar of Mission Detective Agency.
Parents provide a photograph of their children and even details about their friends to the detectives who charge 2,000 to 4,000 rupees for snooping around every night.
Detective agencies say anxious parents have meant business is booming during the festive season and most are forced to hire freelance detectives to cater to soaring demand.
"You cannot stop your children from going out with friends but you can keep a check on them," said Neeta Vashist, a gynecologist in Ahmedabad who conducts workshops for teenagers before the festival.
"Every year, I get caseload of unmarried girls seeking abortions after the festival is over," she said.
Gujarat, thought to be a conservative state, also sees a sudden rise in condom sales during the festival, according to Rajan Gupta, a member of the Gujarat Drugs and Pharmacy Association.
"Freedom for nine nights is what children enjoy but parents have sleepless nights," said Gupta, who has a 16-year-old son.
© Reuters2007All rights reserved.
Indian festival is boom for private detectives
Fri Oct 19, 2007 12:51pm BST
Email This Article | Print This Article | Digg | Single Page
[-] Text [+]
By Rupam Jain Nair
AHMEDABAD, India (Reuters) - Parents in western India are hiring private detectives to spy on their teenage children during a nine-day Hindu festival when late-night dance celebrations attract tens of thousands of youngsters.
"It is strange to pay someone to keep a night watch on my daughters but it is better than regretting later," said S. Doshi, a 42-year-old mother of two girls, aged 17 and 19.
Doshi used a detective agency to keep a vigil on her daughters, who dress up in revealing clothes every night and hop across several dance venues, eat and go for long drives with their friends.
"Children can do anything. Drugs, unprotected sex and bad company are my main worry," said Doshi, a resident of Ahmedabad, the main city of the western state of Gujarat.
Detective agencies say they are the only solution to the parental concern during the Navratri festive fervor which ends this weekend.
Garba, a traditional Indian dance, is performed to pay respect to Goddess Durga and it is on a grand scale, with visits from Bollywood stars and music troupes.
"We follow the boy or the girl to make sure that they have gone to the dance venue and report to parents if they leave the ground or spend time at a friend's house instead of dancing," said Sanjiv Thakkar of Mission Detective Agency.
Parents provide a photograph of their children and even details about their friends to the detectives who charge 2,000 to 4,000 rupees for snooping around every night.
Detective agencies say anxious parents have meant business is booming during the festive season and most are forced to hire freelance detectives to cater to soaring demand.
"You cannot stop your children from going out with friends but you can keep a check on them," said Neeta Vashist, a gynecologist in Ahmedabad who conducts workshops for teenagers before the festival.
"Every year, I get caseload of unmarried girls seeking abortions after the festival is over," she said.
Gujarat, thought to be a conservative state, also sees a sudden rise in condom sales during the festival, according to Rajan Gupta, a member of the Gujarat Drugs and Pharmacy Association.
"Freedom for nine nights is what children enjoy but parents have sleepless nights," said Gupta, who has a 16-year-old son.
© Reuters2007All rights reserved.
'Sanyas' lessons for Christian clergy-India-The Times of India
'Sanyas' lessons for Christian clergy-India-The Times of India
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: While the Anglican Church may shun Yoga, in Kerala the Syro-Malabar church - regarded as the oldest in the country - has decided to embrace the Hindu tradition of sanyas. This and other cultural aspects like bhajans are becoming a part of new curriculum for training the Christian clergy in the church.
‘‘Priests have to work in the Indian milieu. So it’s necessary that they learn about India’s strong spiritual foundations like the Gurukul system, Sanyas, and Varnashram’’ church spokesman Paul Thelekat told TOI. The curriculum, which is called the ‘Charter for priestly formation in the Syro-Malabar church’, has been reformed and promulgated and is going to be applied in every seminary, he said.
‘‘We were taught the basics of Indian philosophical systems as part of theory,’’ says Thelekat, but now there’s focus on practical learning.
The clerical curriculum includes an introduction to Hinduism. Although the usual training is given by Indologists, of late seminaries are being advised to take direct assistance of sanyasis, to prepare students for ascetic life. ‘‘Undoubtedly, there are a lot of good ideas in the Indic way of life which we must incorporate and use. Priests must imbibe the rich Indian traditions and be open to new ideas,’’ said Thelekat.
But then why all this fuss about Yoga in the UK? ‘‘That’s absolute nonsense. Even we were taught Yoga during our training. It’s a method by which you can recollect yourself. I do it everyday. It’s good not only for the body but also for the mind,’’ said the priest.
Early this year, a church was opened at Pariman in Kollam district with Jesus seated in padmasana and was called ‘Jagat Jyoti Man-dir’. While the church calls this Indianisation, critics are wary of all the changes, suspecting it to be an attempt to confuse people.
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: While the Anglican Church may shun Yoga, in Kerala the Syro-Malabar church - regarded as the oldest in the country - has decided to embrace the Hindu tradition of sanyas. This and other cultural aspects like bhajans are becoming a part of new curriculum for training the Christian clergy in the church.
‘‘Priests have to work in the Indian milieu. So it’s necessary that they learn about India’s strong spiritual foundations like the Gurukul system, Sanyas, and Varnashram’’ church spokesman Paul Thelekat told TOI. The curriculum, which is called the ‘Charter for priestly formation in the Syro-Malabar church’, has been reformed and promulgated and is going to be applied in every seminary, he said.
‘‘We were taught the basics of Indian philosophical systems as part of theory,’’ says Thelekat, but now there’s focus on practical learning.
The clerical curriculum includes an introduction to Hinduism. Although the usual training is given by Indologists, of late seminaries are being advised to take direct assistance of sanyasis, to prepare students for ascetic life. ‘‘Undoubtedly, there are a lot of good ideas in the Indic way of life which we must incorporate and use. Priests must imbibe the rich Indian traditions and be open to new ideas,’’ said Thelekat.
But then why all this fuss about Yoga in the UK? ‘‘That’s absolute nonsense. Even we were taught Yoga during our training. It’s a method by which you can recollect yourself. I do it everyday. It’s good not only for the body but also for the mind,’’ said the priest.
Early this year, a church was opened at Pariman in Kollam district with Jesus seated in padmasana and was called ‘Jagat Jyoti Man-dir’. While the church calls this Indianisation, critics are wary of all the changes, suspecting it to be an attempt to confuse people.
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