Who is a practising Hindu?

Posted by Harsh Nevatia Nov 21, 2007

A year back I wrote a blog “Who is a Hindu?” Yesterday I came across an article “Practising Hindu? London school to decide” by Prasun Sonwalkar that gave a definition of a ‘practicing Hindu’. This definition was given by a Hindu school in Britain named Krishna-Avanti Primary School. The criteria of being a practicing Hindu are as follows.

• Praying daily
• Worshiping a deity either at home or at a temple
• Accepting and following Vedic scriptures, in particular the Bhagavad Gita
• Doing voluntary work at temples at least once a week
• Attending temple programs at least fortnightly
• Abstaining from all meat, alcohol, smoking and drugs

Krishna-Avanti Primary School is Britain’s first state-funded Hindu school. I am against state funding of religious schools, but Britain funds Christian and Islamic schools and therefore why not Hindu schools. This is an acceptance of the contribution made to British society by its Hindu citizens and recognition of their needs.

My first reaction to this definition was negative. I have nothing against the conditions per se. They are laudable. But to me Hinduism is a tolerant religion that does not impose practices but tries to inculcate them from within. Therefore I was uncomfortable with the imposition of conditions.

But as I read on my apprehensions vanished. Schools are required to have in place stated and credible admission conditions. For a religious school the criteria have to be relevant to the faith. What impressed me was the statement from the authorities that the “policy is not meant to exclude people”. If seats are available then students from families that do not practice the above requirements will be admitted. Ultimately the school is looking to induct students from other faiths as well. I sincerely hope they mean it.