Indian leaders slam Brown’s lack of engagement with British Hindus
PRESS RELEASE
India’s top spiritual and political leaders present at a ceremony to scatter the ashes of the temple cow Gangotri killed by the RSPCA voiced grave concerns on 13th February about Prime Minister Gordon Brown’s lack of engagement with the peaceful Hindu community in Britain. This happened on the same day that hundreds of protestors staged a mock slaughter of a cow by actors dressed as RSPCA workers outside Parliament and marched to the offices of DEFRA.
Four of Hinduism’s top spiritual leaders – the Shankaracharyas who are revered like the Pope – joined a British delegation on 12th February at the Maha Magha festival which attracts 5 million pilgrims at the confluence of the holy rivers Ganges and Yamuna to scatter the ashes of Gangotri. The delegation scattered a second urn of ashes at the holy city of Varanasi on 13th February, in the presence of several national leaders, monks and visitors.
Mahamantra Dubey, President of the Foundation for Religious Harmony, one of the most high-profile interfaith institutions in India commented, “The people in India are surprised and saddened by this utter lack of respect shown by the British authorities on a peaceful community. Hindus only wanted respect for life. But it seems Gordon Brown does not understand this request. We are disappointed that his recent trip to India did not enlighten him to the higher aspects of our peaceful culture. Perhaps he was more interested in the economic benefits of partnering with India and has forgotten that people are more important than money.”
A procession of Brahmin priests, monks, local leaders and British delegates set off in a boat to reach the confluence of the two rivers, where priests performed prayers and ceremonies, sprinkled everyone with holy water from the Ganges, chanted hymns. lit lamps and incense, and scattered the ashes of Gangotri.
National leaders in India have now decided to take the third urn of ashes of the sacred cow all the way to the source of the river Ganga, the Gangotri glacier by helicopter tomorrow and scatter the remaining ashes there.
“The thought that Gangotri, a cross between a Belgium Blue and a Jersey, had died so tragically, but had now attained a sacred destination in the presence of India’s foremost saints was profound,” said Gauri Dasa, President of Bhaktivedanta Manor. There is tremendous support emerging from India.”
“Leaders and the people of India are incensed that the faith of a billion people can be so easily disrespected in the UK,” described Raj Joshi, a member of the British delegation in India, who is Vice President of the Society of Black Lawyers. “There is now discussion in India as to what the PM Gordon Brown had learnt from his trip to India if within a short period of time his Government could allow for such desecration of a place of worship to take place.”
Swami Pragnyananda, President of the Pragnya Foundation, a worldwide Hindu charity with its headquarters in India expressed his deep sadness at the incident. “When Gordon Brown came to our country we received him with great respect and our traditional hospitality. Now, I find that he does not even care for our community in Britain enough to listen to them. We say in our tradition that one loses nothing by listening to others and being respectful. The Government led by Brown has shown they do not care enough for Hindus to listen to them.”
Barry Gardiner MP for Brent North, who had was present at the London demonstration outside Parliament reassured Hindus that the Secretary of State of DEFRA, Hiliary Benn MP was looking into the actions of the RSPCA and would look seriously at procedures and protocols of animal welfare.
Organisations that took part in the protest included the Hindu Forum of Britain, National Council of Hindu Temples, VHP UK, Hindu Council of Brent, ISKCON, Swaminarayan Hindu Mission and several other national and regional Hindu institutions.
