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Zimbabwe Hindus to observe celebration involving women fasting & praying for husband
 
The Hindoo Society Harare (HSH) in Zimbabwe is organizing “Vad Savitri Poonam” on June eight, which its announcement describes as a day when “women hold a fast and pray for their husband’s safety”.
 
It further elaborates the celebration as an occasion when “wives tie threads around a banyan tree and pray for the well-being of their husband. Women worship a banyan tree…Women give water to the tree, sprinkle red powder (kumkum) on it, and wrap cotton threads around tree’s trunks. Then they go seven times around the tree.” It will reportedly be held in the HSH complex in Ridgeview area of Harare.
 
HSH, a registered welfare organization whose history goes back to 1916, celebrated the 25th anniversary of majestic Shree Omkar Mandir in Ridgeview area of Harare on April 15-16.
 
This temple, completed in 1992, is the centerpiece for various spiritual activities for the Hindu community. Motto of HSH, which runs this temple, is: To promote and preserve the Hindu religious and cultural heritage and to strive for inter-religious harmony, understanding, and universal brotherhood.
 
HSH also runs Cameron Street Omkar Mandir (inauguration stone of which was laid in 1929), Westridge High School (“character building” is one of whose missions), Westridge Primary School, Gujarati School (foundation stone laid in1928), Mahila Mandal, Shishu Mandal and Yuvak Mandal. It conducts various bhajan events, twice-weekly yoga classes, Hindi lessons, cultural/social activities; organizes daily aarti at both the temples, Havan on Sundays; and offers funeral assistance for bereaved families; etc.
 
Meanwhile, distinguished Hindu statesman Rajan Zed, in a statement in Nevada (USA) today, commended efforts of HSH and Zimbabwe Hindu community towards realizing, maintain and running two Hindu temples and conducting various activities around these.
 
Rajan Zed, who is President of Universal Society of Hinduism, further said that it was important to pass on Hindu spirituality, concepts and traditions to coming generations amidst so many distractions in the consumerist society and hoped that HSH would help in this direction. Zed stressed that instead of running after materialism; we should focus on inner search and realization of Self and work towards achieving moksh (liberation), which was the goal of Hinduism.
 
Gunvant Bhai Shah is HSH’s President. Hinduism is the oldest and third largest religion of the world with about 1.1 billion adherents.

Welcoming Varadkar as next Irish PM, Hindus hope fair treatment of minorities under his rule
 
Hindus have welcomed Hindu descent Dr. Leo Varadkar, 38, on being in line for being the youngest and 13th Prime Minister (Taoiseach) of Ireland.
 
Distinguished Hindu statesman Rajan Zed, in a statement in Nevada (USA) today, said that Hindu community world over was pleased at his elevation to this position and was hoping that he would ensure that minorities were treated with equality and respect they deserved in Ireland under his command.
 
Ireland needed to understand that it was getting diverse and thus pluralism and co-existence would be a wiser and more mature approach, Zed, who is President of Universal Society of Hinduism, indicated.
 
Rajan Zed urged Varadkar to fix Ireland’s education system and make it fair for minority religions/denominations and non-believers as Ireland Government appeared to have failed to put an end to religious preferences in admissions to schools. Religion should not play any role in admissions to Irish schools and religious discrimination in tax funded schools was quite unfair and should be unacceptable in 21st century Ireland. Practice of religious majority controlling the school doors and schools indulging in kind of state-sanctioned indoctrination was simply wrong and should end, Zed noted.
 
Zed further said that either all major religions/denominations and non-believers’ viewpoint should get equal time in the curriculum of state-funded schools or no religion should be taught or religion should be taught after school hours to those who opted for it. Imposing a different religion/denomination on primary school age children while they practiced another religion/denomination or no-religion at home could be very confusing and conflicting for the little kids.
 
Rajan Zed also urged Varadkar to work with both the houses of Ireland Parliament (Oireachtas)—Senate (Seanad Éireann) and House of Representatives (Dáil Éireann)—to re-evaluate the matrix of opening prayers by revising the Standing Orders of Dáil and Seanad, so that prayers of other religions could be read by invited diverse religious leaders. Ireland was a diverse society now and the Parliament of a parliamentary democracy like Ireland should be representative body of all its citizens, including the minorities, Zed added.
 
Moreover, Ireland needed to urgently empower and integrate its maltreated and vulnerable Traveller community; the largest minority of the country and a distinct group that existed for centuries; who reportedly faced blatant discrimination and social exclusion, Zed stated.
 
Rajan Zed pointed out that Traveller community in Ireland reportedly regularly faced prejudice, poverty, racism, hostility, stereotyping, scapegoating, harassment, illiteracy, unemployment, and distrust; experienced discrimination at an individual and institutional level; lacked in accommodation and access to credit; received inadequate healthcare; frequently denied access to various goods, services, and facilities; deficient in access to decision making and political representation; lacked equality of access, participation and outcome in education; etc.
 
Varadkar’s father was reportedly a Hindu doctor from Mumbai.