There is this temple near the community centre where I play badminton and I only recently noticed the sign it has outside. Now I am not a big fan of temple signs, not since the time I visited Jagannath Puri as a kid and saw this rather shocking sign in big and bold -- "ONLY HINDUS ALLOWED".
So when I saw this sign, I was curious whether temples in Singapore also did the same thing. Well, I was very pleasantly surprised to read what the sign said...
"THIS PLACE OF HOLINESS IS FOR PEOPLE OF ALL RELIGIONS AND RACES. THERE IS NO CONVERSION REQUIRED."
...until I read the last line.
"EVERYONE IS DEEMED TO BE A HINDU."
:|
Monday, August 02, 2010
Not a good sign
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20 comments:
Reading your blog from quiet some time now. I love the way you present things. That is simple and people feel kind of attached to that as sometime or the other we all have faced the same situation and thought of it the same way
Keep writing
and yeah, I think I am supposed to say "Gold" :-)
Think of "Hindu" as a visitor's badge :)
:(
You removed the desipundit links instead of replacing them
:(
Of course, all your blog posts are equally great, just like all who enter that Singapore temple are all deemed Hindus. But some were more equal than others :) :)
wierd!
:|
Silver.
lol .. not necessarily a bad sign .. can't it also be construed to mean that hinduism doesn't have any prescribed rules and regulations? :P
i wonder sometimes..would God really wanna be in such places..?!!
Bhagwan hain tere andar mein, mandir tho bas aina hai.
not sure whether I should LOL or :(
Tolerance and acceptance are becoming rarer by the day
and did I just win bronze?
~My medals tally is really adding up
I am not sure they meant any intolerance though the wordings are definitely not right and liable to be misinterpreted. I am neither a RSS fan nor an overtly religious being; infact, I visit a temple only when people force me to; yet I believe in Hinduism as a way of life. I have been to churches and chapels and love the serenity, calmness and the opportunity to introspect while being in Lord Jesus and Mother Mary's company - that's the Christian way of life and I enjoy being a part of it while inside a church.
-- Ritambhar
Sabko allowed hai at least yeh toh bhi achhi baat hai. "Hindu" term is open to be perceived in many ways, it 'might' not be the Hindu community/caste angle that we know of. Puchke dekhna mandir mein hi :)
Lekin kya bhai, 12 saal ho gaye aur yeh aisa racquet badminton court ke yaha aur aaj khabar mili? :P
sahi....
I never noticed anything as such.... but that might be because i hardly visit any temples !
May be i should. hmmm.
Actually "EVERYONE {WHO ENTERS} IS DEEMED TO BE A HINDU" is very good. Those who would be offended to be deemed Hindus should not enter the temple anyway.
#Visitlife,
Thanks. :)
#Arun,
LOL!
//You removed the desipundit links instead of replacing them
Yeah I realised I'll have to probably google and find the direct link to each. That's a job for another weekend. They will be back soon. :)
#Geomon,
:| too!
#mythalez,
Well then they should specify that. They can't just "deem" people!
#Nishu,
Hehe... good point. All depends on the definition of God I guess. :)
#Arun,
And the aaina shows everyone "deemed" to be Hindu?
#Nidhi,
:(
#Ritambhar,
Yeah even I like the serene atmosphere of churches. :) And even though I am not a kattar Hindu I won't enter a church that says "Everyone is deemed to be a Christian."
#Sedeep,
Poochhkar dekhna? Meri shaamat aayi hai? :P
PS: Racket wala joke bahut hi third-class tha. Viv ki level par pahunch gaya tu? :P
#~Lopa,
:)
#Arun,
Oooh I like that. :)
Reminded me of Ford's famous lines..."They can have any color they wan't, as long as it's Black!"
:D
The Singaporeans don't know English very well, so maaf kar do, they don't really understand what they are writing. They don't always mean what they say.
Chodo.
#Arun,
I have put back the Desi-pundited posts. Just for you. :)
#Bivas,
:D
#Neha,
Erm... that's not really the case here.
Actually the name 'hindu religion' was given only some hundred years ago by the British! Before that there was nothing like 'hindu' . Actually it is 'sanathana Dharma' or righteous way of life . In that broader sense all are one .
Actually the name 'hindu religion' was given only some hundred years ago by the British! Before that there was nothing like 'hindu' . Actually it is 'sanathana Dharma' or righteous way of life . In that broader sense all are one .
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