Week One!!!

After racking my brains on what snack to carry, I finally decided on idlis and molagai podi.

Getting to the National Museum, by 8.30 am, all of us in the Dragon and Lion groups laid out our array of snacks and short eats, for a hungry swarm to descend on, come 10.30.

We assembled in the auditorium for the first lecture of the season, on Hinduism. The speaker was introduced as a Mr. Siva Kumar-- a young lawyer and third generation Singaporean.

Siva Kumar spoke eloquently on Hinduism, on its development and progression from the pre-Vedic days through the Vedic period, through the middle ages; and to what it is to be a Hindu in secular India today. How Hinduism lends itself to secularism in its truest sense of the word, (which to me is the inclusion of all faiths and religions.) He illustrated his point of "acceptance of fate or karma" with witty stories and charming anecdotes from Indian folk tales.


His understanding and explanation of Hinduism so touched his listeners that there were queries from the audience on how to convert to Hinduism!
His answer to that was that Hinduism does not "convert". Accept and follow your own religion to the best of your ability, and you will be a Hindu!


A charismatic young man.

The second lecture of the day was by Bill Rives, a Professor and educationist at the Singapore American School. His was the daunting task of talking of the History of India from the time of the Indus Valley Civilization. Sadly this lecture was not riveting at all, and for all those who don't know much about India through the ages, did not create much of an interest.

That done we were given our research words for the week-- Boddisatva, Stupa and the Bodhi Tree. Week two is on Buddhism.

More in my next.