He wears that long, white/cream, translucent silk garment that many know as a dhoti. He walks barefoot and visits any temple he can find. Sometimes, in traditional temples, they stop him with a stern, this is a Hindu temple - for Hindus only because his skin is white, with a ruddishness that waxes and wanes like the moon. He fobs them off with a I am a Hindu in chaste Tamil. They (the so-called sentinels) don't know what to say and let him pass. Inside, he clasps his hands, bows, prays and does what every devout Hindu does.
He looks like a foreigner'. He is, in the conventional sense. But, isn't everyone? I don't know of a single human being who was borne by mother earth. All were borne by mother human females. Everyone or at least everyone's ancestors, at some point of time, were foreigners' somewhere. So, that's no big deal!
Is he a Hindu? Yes, but he wasn't born one. What then is a Hindu? One who visits a temple? One who wears a tilak'? Or one who believes h e is a Hindu?
He must be an ISCKON'ite one might think. He isn't. But then, who knows, maybe, he is!
He has an altar at home. He lights incense and he prays there, too. He wears a ring, an astrologer advised him to wear. He enters a house (his new home, that is) after performing a vastu Puja on a day chosen by a priest. He arranges his furniture and other home paraphernalia in keeping with the dictates of Vaastu. A picture of Ganesha wallpapers his desktop.
He is an American. A Catholic and hold your breath for you're not going to believe thisa priest, too. Yes, a Catholic priest
Think about itthis is what a thinking person ought to beone who is able to draw whatever he finds useful, in any way, from any religionits philosophy, its beliefs, its rituals, its superstitions', too, if you have such a word in your lexicon!
He drinks his beer, smokes his cigarettes and all in moderation.and he can talk about different religions of the world, both past and presenthe speaks half a dozen international languages with relative fluencyincluding the ancient Latinhe can discuss about a range of subjects and with impressive eruditionand accept criticism about the religion that gave him priesthoodbut not without reason! He is a patriot but will criticize his country and the follies of its leaders with a sardonic smile
He thinks therefore he is! He agrees, though, that a tree may not think (but then, who can tell for certain), but it still is...
He thinks and explores...therefore, to me, he is a Hindu
I wonder if I will ever be a Christian Hindu or a Hindu Muslim Christian...I wonder how beautiful the world will be when there are more Hindu Christians, Muslim Christians, Muslim Hindus, Christian Muslims, Jewish Hindus, Zoroastrian Buddhists, Buddhist Hindu Muslims, Buddhist Jain Muslims....
Rajesh Kanoi (Jack) is a published writer, now living and working in China. Many of his short-stories, poems and articl es have been published, including a book of short-stories, 'From China With Love' (Lipstick Publishing).
http://www.writingup.com/blog/oneinabillion http://o3.indiatimes.com/kjack/archive/2005/06/28/150869.aspx
Author:: Rajesh Kanoi
Keywords:: Christian, Hindu, Muslim, Buddhist, Vaastu, Ganesha, Puja, Iskcon
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