Hindu Dharma Blog

I THINK we need to support the suggestion by Yayasan 1Malaysia to form a Consultative Council on Religious Harmony (”Form a Consultative Council” — NST, Jan 13).

This council should have representatives from various religious communities and other relevant parties.

It is our conviction that this consultative council will provide a platform to leaders to deliberate on religious issues and suggest remedies.

Through such communication and interaction will emerge the solutions that will accommodate the interests and aspirations of the diverse communities.

Any particular religion and its details should be left to scholars of that religion and its followers to deliberate on and decide on matters related to the faith.

However, there has to be a platform for representatives from various religious communities to deliberate on and seek remedies for problems and issues that sometimes arise out of interactions of people of different faiths.

In a multiracial and a multi-religious country such as Malaysia, where we interact with each other on a daily basis, there are bound to be instances where issues or even misunderstandings arise.

Through discussion and deliberations, we can continue to help people respect the diversity among us and continue to cultivate mutual respect.

We believe that Malaysians, on the whole, have come a long way in safeguarding racial and religious harmony in the country, and setting up this consultative council will further enhance the bond between the different communities.

N.S. RAJENDRAN, President Malaysian Hindudharma Mamandram

This editorial appeared in the New Straits Times on January 20, 2010.

Our National Level Hindu Dharma Basic and Intermediate Course 2009 will be held as follows:

Date : 16.12.2009 (Wednesday) to 20.12.2009 (Sunday)
Venue : Sri Subramaniar Temple, Batu Caves
Registration : 2.00 to 4.00 pm (16.12.2009)

• The Course will end with lunch at 2.00 pm on 20.12.2009 (Sunday)
  

• Hindus from 15 years of age are welcome to participate.

• Malaysia Hindhudharma Mamandram has a track record of more than 25 years conducting religious courses. This course will be handled by renowned speakers and experienced lecturers. Main aspects covered include Hinduism (including history, religious texts, saints and sages, home pooja, temple worship, moral education, yoga), thinking and learning skills, motivation, moral education, discipline, forum, visit to cave temple,  discussion and presentations.

• Students will be required to take a pre-test before the start of the course and they will also be required to take a post-test at the end of the course.

• Organizing committee will provide participants with:
  • Accommodation
    
  • Food
  • Notes
  • Writing materials
  • Certificate of Participation
    
  • Report Card
• Participants are required to bring the following:
  • personal items
  • stationary/writing materials
  • proper attire
  • pillow and bed-sheet
  • other personal items
• Fees : RM50.00 per participant.
• Please visit http://www.mamandram.org for more details or contact:
  • Mr.R. Ganesh - 012-6736101
  • Mr.A.Radhakrishnan - 019-2648667
  • Mr.S.Ramesh - 019-3994735
    

Please pass this message to all those who maybe interested and could benefit.
Thank you and see you there.
God bless all.

Anbudan,
N.S.Rajendran
President
MHDM

Hundreds of people have died in a deadly temple stampede in Jodhpur in north-western India. The Chamunda Devi temple is an ancient temple where thousands of devotees had gathered to celebrate the start of the Hindu festival of Navratri.

from BBC News
Scores die in India temple crush

At least 147 people have been killed in a stampede at a Hindu temple in the north-western Indian state of Rajasthan, the state government says. Scores more were injured, many seriously, in the crush at the Chamunda Devi temple in Jodhpur.

A wall near the temple is said to have collapsed, causing panic among thousands of devotees marking the start of the Hindu Navaratri festival. There have been a number of recent deadly stampedes at Indian temples. The BBC in Delhi says this is the fourth time this year that lives had been lost - probably needlessly - during a stampede at a religious festival in India.

He says crowd control at such events is usually rudimentary and the police simply not trained in effective crowd management. Last month 140 pilgrims were killed in a stampede at a mountain temple in the northern state of Himachal Pradesh.

The Chamunda Devi temple is inside the huge 15th Century Mehrangarh Fort, high above Jodhpur’s “blue city”. It is popular with tourists and local people - particularly at this time, the start of the nine-day festival of Navaratri.

About 100 members of the MIC Youth wing protested the demolition of a Hindu temple by the Ampang Jaya Municipal Council without following proper procedures. The demonstration was held in front of the Selangor state secretariat.

from The Star
MIC protests against demolition

SHAH ALAM: About 100 MIC members demonstrated here to protest the demolition of a Hindu temple by the Ampang Jaya Municipal council recently.

The crowd, which included Indian NGOs, protested at the main gate of the Selangor secretariat building yesterday morning.

Organiser T. Mohan, who is MIC Youth chief, said the PKR government had lied to the people that they would not tear down any places of worship.

“They said no temples would be destroyed, what happened now?” Mohan told reporters the MIC was unhappy with the state government’s action to demolish the Sri Mahakaliaman temple after he presented a memorandum to Mentri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim’s political secretary, Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad.

The 19-year-old temple was built on forest reserve. It was destroyed and rebuilt several times between 2002 and 2007.

Asked why the MIC did not solve the issue then, Mohan said the party had taken action and that was why the temple was rebuilt.

Kapar MP S. Manicka­vasagam has threatened to quit his post in the Selangor state government if no action is taken against council officers who demolished a Hindu temple without proper authorization.

from The Star
Kapar MP to quit PKR if no action is taken

KLANG: Kapar MP S. Manicka­vasagam has threatened to quit as the Selangor Parti Keadilan Rakyat liaison committee deputy chairman if no action is taken against council officers involved in a Hindu temple demolition exercise in Ampang re­­cently.

Manickavasagam, who is also a PKR supreme council member, said he might even quit the party if he was not satisfied with action taken by the state government.

He said action should be taken against the Ampang Jaya Municipal Council (MPAJ) president, its en-forcement chief and other officers involved as the matter was not referred to the state govern-

ment before the temple was demolished.

“The council president also did not inform the two Indian representatives in the council’s board of the action. I have recently learnt that MPAJ sent notices of demolition to 10 other temples in the municipality.

“I feel action must be taken especially against those directly involved as this is serious,” he said. Selangor Health, Estate Workers and Caring Government Committee chairman Dr A. Xavier Jayakumar said he was not satisfied with the council’s interim report.

“MPAJ is conducting an internal probe as the demolition took place without the knowledge of the state exco or MPAJ president, who was in Mecca when it happened,” he told reporters when he visited the temple on Sunday.

Dr Xavier said the temple committee should also take responsibility as they did not apply for permission from the state government to build the temple.

“The mistake is on both sides. The demolition without prior notice from the state government and the building of temple without the state’s approval,” he said.

Temple committee chairman S. Murugiah said they did not receive any notice for the demolition.

by Baradan Kuppusamy

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 29 — The Indian community is rife with talk that Kapar MP S. Manikavasagam, a vocal defender of Indian rights, has resigned as Deputy Liaison Chairman of Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) Selangor with immediate effect.

All three Tamil dailies headlined stories today reporting his resignation in protest over the demolition of the Sri Maha Kaliamman temple in Ampang Jaya last week.

His aides said he handed the resignation letter to the PKR Selangor chairman this morning. However, Mike, as he is popularly known, later issued a statement saying his resignation will take effect unless action is taken against the errant municipal officials that demolished the temple.

“I will quit as deputy chairman of the PKR Selangor liaison committee if there is no strict against taken against the Majlis Perbandaraan Ampang Jaya officials who were trained by the Barisan Nasional government and who are not professional in carrying out their duties,” he said in the statement, adding he has met the mentri besar’s officials on the matter.

Manikavasagam called for an inquiry committee to investigate the incident and take action against the officials involved, adding he also understood that the municipal council has issued notices to demolish other temples despite the orders being cancelled.

But his website had an unattributed breaking news item confirming he has resigned in protest and wants an apology from the Ampang Jaya Municipal Council for demolishing the temple, a small structure that was about 30 years old and sitting on land classified as agricultural.

Manikavasagam’s aides said he is demanding an apology from the council for breaking a promise that no temples would be demolished in Selangor without the approval of the PR-ruled state government.
In addition, his relationship with Selangor exco member Dr Xavier Jeyakumar has been heading south over this and other issues. Manikavasagam has previously claimed that Dr Xavier has failed to “defend the temples.”

Dr Xavier said last week the Ampang temple was unregistered, but did not say that was the reason it was demolished. However, Indians were infuriated by the “unregistered” remark and that is said to be one of the reasons why Manikavasagam quit today.

Dr Xavier also urged Indians to look at the bigger picture of how PKR was helping Indians and not just attack the party for “failing to defend” temples.

Manikavasagam disagrees, saying “not registered” is unacceptable as that was the excuse given by the BN government to demolish scores of temples in the state and across the country.
“The majority of Indians voted PKR to save their temples and Tamil schools. If the temples are not registered, use your power as the new government and give the necessary registration,” an aide told the Malaysian Insider.

“We voted opposition to protect our heritage, not for the new government to give us excuses,” he said.
There are over 7,000 “temples” in Selangor - from roadside shrines to the Batu Caves temple complex - and many are deemed “illegal” because they are sitting on public land, road reserves or land classified as agricultural or commercial.

Dr A. Xavier Jayakumarare, member of the Selangor state executive council, has said that the Sri Maha Kaliamman temple that was demolished last week was built on forest reserve land and that the temple committee was partly to blame for the demolition. He also said that the Ampang Jaya Municipal Council had not informed the state government before the temple was demolished.

from New Straits Times
Xavier: Temple was built on forest reserve

KUALA LUMPUR: The Sri Maha Kaliamman temple committee must share equal responsibility for the demolition of the temple, Selangor state executive councilor Dr A. Xavier Jayakumarare said.
Xavier said the temple was built on forest reserve land and the Ampang Jaya Municipal Council was right to take action.

He said, however, the council should have sought permission from the state government before demolishing the temple.

“The state government was not informed of this matter.

“According to our guidelines, local authorities must seek permission from the state executive council before demolishing any place of worship,” Xavier said after visiting the temple site at Kampung Tasik, Ampang yesterday.
He said the council had been directed to submit a report on the demolition but declined to say if disciplinary action would be taken against anyone.

Xavier said the temple committee chairman, S. Murugiah, had also been advised to write to the state government for approval before rebuilding the structure.

He also described the demolition as a small issue.

“This is a small issue compared with other more serious problems affecting the Indian community. Why don’t we look at the bigger picture?”

Ampang member of parliament Zuraida Kamaruddin has denied that she had said “temple committee workers had demolished the temple to carry out renovation works“.

Her political secretary, who was at the site yesterday, said Zuraida was “misquoted” by several newspapers on Saturday.

The Hindu temple at the heart of a new controversy in Ampang was in fact demolished by its own committee for renovations. The Ampang Jaya Municipal Council (MPAJ) had been accused by various parties for illegally destroying the temple, but it has emerged that this was not the case. Ampang MP Zuraida Kamaruddin from PKR has confirmed that the temple committee itself tore down the shrine.

from The Star
Temple demolished for renovation

KUALA LUMPUR: The Hindu temple in Ampang had been demolished by its own committee to make way for renovation and a face lift.

Ampang MP Zuraida Kamaruddin said the public condemnation of the demolition and accusation lashed at the local council and state government was unfounded.

The PKR MP said MIC president Datuk Seri S. Samy’s allegations were completely unfounded and untrue.

“The truth is the temple was demolished by its own committee to make way for renovation and a face lift. They did this of their own accord and did not consult nor seek approval from the state government beforehand.

“We did not even know about the demolition until it happened,” she said.

According to her, the Ampang Jaya Municipal Council (MPAJ) was currently investigating the issue and was still waiting for the local council’s report.

Swami Baskar Thondaiman, a proponent of Saiva Siddhanta from India, was in Malaysia recently. He was interviewed by New Straits Times and the write-up will be available on Sunday, September 14. NST has a video clip of the Swami being interviewed, where he spontaneously burst into song.

He used the song to illustrate his teaching that everyone has a powerful inner energy and that anything is possible if this energy is awakened. He also suggests that all thoughts must be fixed on the Supreme Being. The song the swami sings a popular movie song on the mythology of Lord Shiva.

Video Clip - Swami from India who energizes people

The Malaysia Hindu Dharma Mamandram Penang Arul Nilayam’s Silver Jubilee Dinner was highlighted on the September 10, 2008 edition of Tamil Nesan. The write-up focused on MHDM’s call to include religious education in school curriculum. The article featured pictures of the Silver Jubilee function that took place in Penang last month. Read the full article from Tamil Nesan.