August  8th 2008

For  immediate Release 

IEKF and the European Hindu Communities are deeply shocked at the Government’s attack on the non-violent protesters and media persons in Jammu. The Forum and the Hindus strongly condemn the Government’s action in manhandling of the media persons and attacking them with tear gas shells.

Courtesy: India Today

A flurry of excavations has uncovered startling evidence that presents a radically picture of the Indus Valley civilisation -- and calls for a complete revision of ancient Indian history.

By Raj Chengappa

To school students, history classes on the Indus Valley civilisation have always been simplistic. Even dull. Most textbooks talk of how the civilisation appeared like a meteor on ancient India's skyscape, shone brilliantly for a while and then was snuffed out either by marauding Aryans or sudden floods.

Svami B.V. Giri

Introduction
The aryan invasion theory has been one of the most controversial historical topics for well over a century. However, it should be pointed out that it remains just that – a theory. To date no hard evidence has proven the aryan invasion theory to be fact. In this essay we will explain the roots of this hypothesis and how, due to recent emergence of new evidence over the last couple of decades, the validity of the aryan invasion theory has been seriously challenged.

By the Indian Historian: P.L. Bhargava

The Ramayana is one of the greatest and noblest works in the literature of the world. Whether Rama, who is today venerated by millions of people, was a historical figure or not can only be determined if we impartially, objectively and dispassionately examine the vast evidence that luckily lies at our disposal.

Valmiki Ramayana is the "aadi" (original) Ramayana. Most of the scholars agree on the matter that Valmiki Ramayana originally consisted of five parts starting from the Ayodhya kanda chapter to Yudhya kanda chapter whereas the Bal-kanda and the Uttar-kanda chapters in Ramayana were additions at a later stage.

Rama is mentioned in the last book of the RV – X.93, 14.  Since Mandala 10 of the RigVeda was chronologically the last and likely was composed from 2200 to 1700 BCE, this timeframe makes sense since according to other corroborative evidence Rama probably lived around 2100 BCE.

As part of an ongoing dispute involving a Hindu pupil attending a Lincolnshire school where the Governors consider her choice of wearing a nose stud for religious reasons a contravention of school uniform policy, have requested further information from the Hindu Council UK.

The author in a previous article has already explained the religious significance of the nose stud in the Hindu context.

http://www.hinducounciluk.org/newsite/circulardet.asp?rec=60

Ask the Pandit: We go to the temple and worship Shiva-lingam with devotion to Lord Shiva but we hear at school that Shivalingam represents Shiva-phallus. Is this true?  A British Hindu Teenager  

Answer: No, Shivalingam is a characteristic symbol of the formless supreme being with explanation as hereunder. It was the European Indologists of the colonial era who inflicted this translation onto the Shaivite Hinduism whereas in South India you will find noble surnames ending with the word...lingham, to denote not a phallus but their peity to the indivisible God Shiva, Shivaa and Shivalingham.

Dear Friend

I conduct a day tour of London showing places associated with some of the Indian Freedom fighters. If you are interested please contact me. My address is

V S Godbole
14 Turnberry Walk
Bedford
MK 41, 8AZ
U K

Telephone Number 01234 357388
E Mail v.godbole3@ntlworld.com

A Joseph Rowntree Foundation Report summarised for Hindu Council UK by Jane Brotchie and Anant M Vyas: Please see the full Report under the link:
http://www.hinducounciluk.org/newsite/report/Electora_participation.pdf

Nearly a year of patient perseverance paid off to produce this specially prepared report for the Hindu Council UK by the dedicated staff of the esteemed Joseph Rowntree Foundation. It is in simple English understandable by most irrespective of individual educational background.

London, UK: On Sunday, 2nd December 2007, Ketan Patel, renowned investment banker, strategist, and best-selling author delivered the keynote address at an inaugural event titled 'The 2007 Indus Insight' organised by leading British Charity - Sewa International.

As a result of his time at leading investment bank, Goldman Sachs, Patel cultivated a powerful network of substantive authorities in various fields of work. This unique access to people in high places gave him the opportunity to discuss fundamental questions facing us, in particular, the strategies for creating peace, prosperity and freedom.

ArtsEkta Ltd, Northern Ireland's only Ethnic Arts organisation recently celebrated Diwali in the City of Lisburn.

The event was hugely successful and was attended by members of the local community as well as Indian, Chinese and the Zimbabwean community.  A showcase of traditional, classical dance and music was on display as well as european and African performances.

Question: Some Local Authorities asked for Hindu scriptural guidance on Recycling and Waste Reduction for their current publications on this important initiative.

• What the scriptures say about not being wasteful
• Quotes from the scriptures relating to waste reduction
• How Hinduism regards individual responsibility concerning the issue
• The impact of wastefulness on individuals and communities

The gloriously warm and sunny September Sunday saw thousands of devotees from diverse faith-communities through the streets of Southall, West London, for the 3rd successive year to celebrate Ganesh Chaturthi.

In an emotionally charged and divinely purified atmosphere, they moved slowly, clapping, dancing and chanting “Ganpati Bappa Maurya”, thus paying their obeisance to the Lord of the Universe, the remover of all hurdles from their lives.

Question

I am a floristry student at Capel Manor College, Enfield and am researching how flowers and plants are associated with Hindu life and culture and would be grateful for any information, or help you could give me.
In particular, I am looking at how flowers and plants are associated with events such as birth, marriage and death as well as religious events.

Thank you for your assistance,

Elizabeth Mortimer

Shree Jalaram Mandir in Greenford and the Hindu Association of South end-on-Sea cordially invite you to attend the immersion (visarjan) ceremony for Lord Ganesh from 10.00AM on Sunday, 16th September at the Shoeburyness seafront, South end-on-Sea, SS3 9AH.

The event will begin with a procession and a float at 10.00 AM at the Shoeburyness seafront. This will continue with a consecration ceremony in specially erected marquees, an elaborate ‘havan' ceremony, a Garba dance, speeches by VIP

JAI SHREE KRISHNA
Janamashtami 4th September
Birthday of the Supreme's Incarnation on Earth c.BC3100

[Krishna was the most dynamic, in degree of divinity the Ultimate Brahmm, whose life was full of miracles including bringing a dead child alive out of compassion in spite of the cycle of birth and death but above all he gave a sermon at the battlefield of Kurukshetra in the form of a divine song "The Bhagwad Gita", a holy book unparalleled by any other on Earth]

Mr Virendra Sharma said Labour had not taken Ealing Southall for granted.

Hindu Council UK extends heartfelt congratulations to Mr Virendra Kumar Sharma on his victory as the next MP for Ealing Southall. May he continue to better serve the diverse communities that elected him?

Whilst HCUK remains non-political, it is nonetheless quite pleased of its continued [albeit meagre] representation with the

Question

My question is can a janoi be given to a non-Brahmin boy? I am a nagar-Brahman woman married a jain man. I would like to know if I can give janoi to our son. Thank you.

Answer

Dear Madam, by ‘janoi’ (Janeu, janiya) you are referring no doubt to the sacred thread which is invested on a youth during the ‘Upanayana’, which is the samskara that initiates a person to society.

ARYABHATT (476 CE)

MASTER ASTRONOMER AND MATHEMATICIAN
Born in 476 CE in Kusumpur (Bihar), Aryabhatt's intellectual brilliance remapped the boundaries of mathematics and astronomy. In 499 CE, at the age of 23, he wrote a text on astronomy and an unparallel treatise on mathematics called "Aryabhatiyam." He formulated the process of calculating the motion of planets and the time of eclipses. Aryabhatt was the first to proclaim that the earth is round, it rotates on its axis, orbits the sun and is suspended in space - 1000 years before Copernicus published his heliocentric theory.

On Tuesday 15th May 2007 the first meeting for launching Saathi took place.

The initial meeting was a response to Satish Parmar’s - (Chairman of Saathi) research and findings that we need to create a meeting point for elderly.

The Hindu Council UK (HCUK) has today added its voice to calls to save the life of Shambo, the sacred bull at the Skanda Vale temple in Wales who is threatened with slaughter because he has tested positive in a routine tuberculosis test.

HCUK is urging its 500 member organisations (including all UK Hindu temples) and Hindus nationwide to write to their MPs, asking them to back Andrew Dismore MP, the Labour Member of Parliament for Hendon, who has raised an urgent question in Parliament and tabled a House of Commons motion challenging DEFRA’s decision that Shambo must be slaughtered.

Taxation with representation

Community Governance & electoral participation of British Hindus communities in UK

Despite Joseph Rowntree Foundations Findings of February 2007 that “Hindus are  most likely to vote of all the religious groups common in the British Hindus electorate.” there are many who don’t

The Tirupathi Temple Trust in Hyderabad has decided to open the doors of the famous temple to all sections of Hindus, irrespective of caste or creed. Hindu Council UK has welcomed the news with great jubilation. The Temple trust has proposed to send the priests along with the Deity of Lord Vishnu into the so-called “Dalits” or “lower caste” colony. The priests will be living for a week among the socially separated Hindus and will share food with them.

In pursuance of the Governemnet regulation of December 2003 preventing discrimination at work on grounds of sexual orientation or religion and belief ACAS has conducted research into discriminatory practices funded by the DTI.

QUESTION:

“I am General Secretary of the Hindu Temple of Geeta Bhawan, Derby which is more than forty years old. It is small. We are now constructing a new purpose-built temple. In the present temple the icons of Radha Krishna, Shiv Parivar, Durga Mataji and Ram Darbar are small. Many devotees want the icons to be installed in new temple to be life-sized. But the devotees who donated the present icons want to relocate the present icons - which are small, about 3 feet tall -in the new temple.

Ma is one of the most emotionally charged words in the languages of India. It is universally understood and has the power to bring the most powerful of us to our knees. Our mother is not only our barer and carer, but a divine power, the Shakti behind the extraordinary attributes of the Hindu Gods Brahma, Vishnu and Mahesh.

Ma is equally our motherland. A country that has culturally and spiritually enriched us for generations upon end and with whom there exists an eternal bond. Yet our glorious Bharat Mata is also home to the highest number of starving mothers in the world, even more than sub-Saharan Africa. Starving mothers equal starving children and in 2006, India ranked a tragic 117 out of 119 countries in the children’s Global Hunger Index.

I attended a talk by Rt. Hon Peter Hain MP on "The End of Policy" organised by the Foreign Policy Centre and hosted by Hill & Knowlton, 20 Soho Square, London W1A 1PR. The invitation was extended to me in my capacity as an executive member of the Hindu Council. Besides diplomats, politicians and business executives, there was a sizable participation from the voluntary sector, including Oxfam and Christian Aid. I was the only representative of the Hindu community at the gathering.