TRIBUTE TO MANDELA

I am shocked with the passing away of Nelson Mandela, the towering figure of the world. He was 95. I am neither a politician nor a remarkable figure but his passing away makes me feel horror-struck  because I had the honour of shaking hand with him and he was remarkably a great statesman solely devoting his life for the sake of democracy and freedom in South Africa and around the world.  I had the privilege of covering the news of Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala’s visit to the Non Alignment Movement (NAM) Summit held in Durban of South Africa in 1998. ‘Shaking hand with Mandela’ is a glorious moment of my life. He is a towering political figure, respected and revered not only in South Africa but around the world for his commitment and sacrifice for the sake of democracy and freedom.

No any political leaders of the modern day world match up with Mandela after Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King. He is the symbol of principles and sacrifice and sense of responsibility. Despite spending 27 years in infamous prison Robin Island during the apartheid era in South Africa, he did not take revenge to his captors- the white rulers despite public outrage to arrest and take action against them. He set an example of tolerance in politics and reconciliation became a guideline to those who are aspiring to be leader. His principle for democracy and free society is the example  around the world.  He is the most respected and the most courageous leader of the globe.  

He sacrificed everything – 27 years in prison, his previous wife after she was accused of wrong doing and devoted his entire life for the principle of democracy, freedom and most importantly making reconciliation with the white rulers. He suffered, he struggled and ultimately he succeeded to achieve what he was fighting for-freedom in South Africa.  Mandela will be remembered for many generation as an exemplary leader of bravery, courage, principles and sacrifice.

I have a high opinion of Mandela for his values and principles for freedom, democracy and tolerance.  I also revered him for his reverence to Nepal. Before the inaugural session of NAM summit in Durban, Mandela had received 114 leaders of the world.  I was the witness of that event at the Durban conference centre, and among them he shook hand firmly and spent a few seconds/ minutes with five leaders.  Girija Prasad Koirala was among them and others were Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee, Cuban leader Fidel Castro, Palestine leader Yasser Arafat and president of Colombia who was then the chair of NAM.  Mandela giving time to Koirala was a respect for Nepal’s newly restored democracy.  Nepalese politicians must learn from the life of Nelson Mandela. He is an inspiring leader and we must learn his values and principles to make our life meaningful.

I pay tribute to this towering figure of the world. 

Maha Shivaratri

Aum Namo Shivan Nama! We are celebrating Shivaratri today. This is one of the greatest festival of the Hindus all over the world. Though we could not organise special formal religious programme on our own at our residence, which we wanted, we visited Hindu temple in Reading and paid homage to Lord Shiva. Chanting devotional Shiva bhajans and attending the arati was really inspiring and interesting, at least, we did something to give continuity to our great spiritual tradition of thousands of years. And it was really motivating to visit with all family members and friends. 

There are many stories about the tradition of celebrating Maha Shivaratri.  After  Samundra Manthan, Lord Shiva drank poison  then  went to the Himalayas to meditate. After the demons knew that powerful nectar was found , demons tried to steal it from the Gods because they wanted to be more powerful than the Gods and destroy and take over the heaven. After severe battles between the Gods and demons ( virtue and evils) Devas or Gods  became able to defeat the demons because victory is always with the good or truth and they received gift of immortality- the nectar. Drinking  the poison, Lord Shiva sacrificed himself for the safety of his universe and this is the remembrance of that day.

Another version of the story is this: After the  creation of the world,  Parvati asked Lord Shiva which devotees and rituals pleased him the most. The Lord replied that the 14th night of the new moon, in the dark fortnight during the month of Phalgun, is his most favorite day. Parvati repeated these words to her friends, from whom the word spread over all creation. Since then Shivaratri is being observed by Hindus across the globe.

IN MEMORY OF MY MOTHER

My mother had passed away three decades ago when I was a school boy. The memory and love of my mother is still fresh in me. Her absence is felt everyday and night. Like other loving mother, her love was really incomparable. She was very much worried about everything for us. Her deep devotion for our study was remarkable. I still remember that she used to tell us to read Durga and Chandi every day early in the morning so I  used to read by heart, and that became everyday activity of my life for many years- even after the death of my mother. Though I read those religious scriptures by heart, I did not understand the meaning- the essence of those text. Despite this, it helped me to learn about Sanskrit and it was useful to learn English in my later life. It also helped me to be very sensitive to the feelings of people specially to those of downtrodden - living in extreme difficulties. 

Most importantly, the insistence of my mother to study well, to have the feeling to others and to have pity and sympathy to people always encouraged me to be in that path forever. Like any sensible mother,  my mother taught me " help others if you can, if you cannot  then do not do any harm to others." That mantra given to me by  my mother is always with me as a philosophy of my life which I promise to keep it intact throughout my life.

Tomorrow is the anniversary of passing away of my mother. I have the memory of her passing away while getting treatment in a mission hospital in Nepal. Though I was not with her when she died, my father and sister were with her. When people returned after the cremation of her body in Ramdi, in the bank of river Kaligandaki, the first word of people I remember is " take out your cap." It is the custom not to wear cap after the death of parents. I wept and became almost unconscious for sometimes. Time passes quickly - it is more than three decades. My mother could not see our wedding, could not see her grand children which is the dream of every parents and grandparents. Above all, she could not see how we studied and how we are doing in our professional life.  Whatever, her dream was about our future, she must be happy that we have not done what she told us: " help others if you can, do not harm others."

Every year, we do Śrāddha ( श्राद्ध) on the day of her passing away. Śrāddha is remembering the ancestors.  "Sat" means truth, "Adhar" means basis.  Lliterally Shraddha means anything or 'any act that is performed with all sincerity and faith.'  In the Hindu religion,it is a way for people to express heartfelt gratitude and thanks towards their parents and ancestors, for having helped them to be what they are and praying for their eternal  peace. Our heartfelt tribute to our mother Ganga Devi. 

BANKERS' BONUS AND STREET SLEEPERS

Do not be too much greedy and selfish. The nursery rhyme cited in “The Wasteland” by great literary figure T.S. Eliot “London bridge is falling down, falling down” seems to be appropriate in the present context of London where selfish; money maker bankers have been engulfing the social values and shattered the society with their own new philosophy of “only money matters.”


As all over the world, London, the financial hub of the world was celebrating Christmas, the biggest festival of over one billion Christians around the world. There was contrast in the celebration as some people specially the London bankers have pushed the boat out with feast and festivities, joys and jubilation. While there were about 4,000 rough sleepers in London alone- and they are sleeping in the streets while the bankers, who took millions of pound as bonus, are enjoying idiotically and at the expense of the tax payers- each and every citizens of this country, however, rough sleepers, whose ambition is just to keep hand and mouth togehter, have been ignored. They are living 30 year shorter than average people of the city. Bankers, who are lavishly enjoying life at the cost of tax payers with millions of pounds of salary, bonuses and pensions, seem to be completely blind about the plight of so many people when in the heart of London 150- 300 people are camping outside the St Paul Cathedral for month’s for fairer society. Christmas is celebrated in memory of Jesus Christ, who sacrificed his life or was crucified for the sake of common people. According to the latest figures of charity Broadway, about 3,975 rough sleepers live in London. Most of them do not live there because they enjoy being homeless, do not like to work or live with family. The main reasons as most of the rough sleepers say in one voice, they do not have job, no family life or other problems like alcoholism or drugs which are serious social problems.

The country is under recession, the unemployment rate is going up, there is cut in each sector and in every corner of the country, there is pay freeze for some months and years, many industries are being closed making many people redundant. The root cause of all these problems is said to be the banking sector. The government is compelled to pump money to the banking sector in the hope of saving our economy so that the country vibrates like pumping blood to other organs of our body and save and make our economy prosperous. However, the bankers at the cost of the tax payers and at the cost of government’s good intention of injecting resources so that the whole country moves in the right track and at the cost of the very foundation and existence of the country, bribing and milking making the “London bridge is falling down, falling down” which has a symbolic meaning. It is the falling down of our economy. It is the falling down of our values and norms. It is the falling down of social and family values. It is the end of moral values like we saw during the summer riot in London and other parts of the country.
What is the difference between the plunderers during the London riot and the bankers? There is definitely some difference. One group burgled through arson and rioting wearing hoody and the other wearing suit and dining in the posh restaurants. The London rioters can justify their acts saying lack of opportunities for their living. But how can the bankers justify their plunder of millions of pound when millions of people have been living in extremely difficult circumstance? Like the London bridge in the nursery rhyme our social and family values are falling down. There is the degradation and draught of morality and integrity. We can improve the teenage rioters by better educating them, providing them employment and opportunities and teaching them about the importance of probity, decency and honesty. Most of them have said that they have “no future” as there is no any prospect of their future. Their action can be forgiven if they improve. However, how can we acquit the bankers for this mess and chaos of economic sector? Yes we can. But if the bankers do to mend this mess.

It is essential to understand the meaning of the nursery rhyme: give, be compassionate and self control (Datta, Dayadhvam, Damyat) as mentioned by the great literary figure Eliot, who had taken these from the Hindu scriptures Upanishads. Giving is the essence of all religions: Hinduism, Christianity, Islam and other religious denomination. While celebrating Christmas Arch Bishop of Canterbury Dr Rowan Williams has rightly said: “The most pressing question we now face, we might well say, is who and where we are as a society. Bonds have been broken, trust abused and lost.”

"Whether it is an urban rioter mindlessly burning down a small shop that serves his community, or a speculator turning his back on the question of who bears the ultimate cost for his acquisitive adventures in the virtual reality of today's financial world, the picture is of atoms spinning apart in the dark," he said.

UK was not a country of selfish, greedy materialistic people in the past like today but a country of altruistic, moderate and noble personalities but that image of the United Kingdom is diminished into the dust due to the devil like money oriented selfish bankers. To revive the glorious past, it is essential to think of Datta, Dayadvam and Damyat (be selfless, give, be compassionate and self control). Rewind the values to solve the present day crisis, will our bankers listen the message of Williams or follow the nursery rhyme which they remember quite clearly even today?

CROSS CULTURAL UDNERSTANDING:NEPALI WAY

Prime Minister David Cameron said recently that “state multiculturalism failed in the UK.” This generlaisation seems to have been deduced wrongly taking reference to minority of some extremist cases. However, multiculturalism has been thriving in the UK making it one of the most successful multicultural countries in the world. This holds true in the context of Nepali immigrants who are known for their low-profile existence but have made remarkable contributions through various dense associations and civic activities.
Greater Reading Nepalese Community Association (GRNCA), for example, has played a huge role in short span of time in the social and cultural integration in their new home- the United Kingdom, where the number of Nepali is estimated to be around 100,000, according to Centre for Nepal Studies UK (CNSUK).
GRNCA is one of the pioneer Nepali organisations that was established with the effort of around a dozen Nepalis in the UK with the aim to promote cross-cultural understanding through various activities including social, sports, cultural, religious events and festivals.

Former chairperson of the GRNCA Arjun Basnet, recalling establishment of the GRNCA with a dozen of his colleagues, says: “Identity strikes first, so we decided to be united in the name of our own motherland – Nepal - and formed Nepali community a decade ago.”
Nepal, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked sovereign state located in the Himalayas bordering China and India. Many Nepalese do not distinguish between Hinduism and Buddhism and follow both religious traditions. The country has the world’s only national flag that is non-quadrilateral in shape.
When the GRNCA committee was formed, there were only a handful of people including founding chairperson of its predecessor organisation, popularised as Reading Nepali Society, C.B. Gurung, so that they could meet, eat and drink together in a house during festivals.
Within a few years’ time, the number of Nepali grew to over 5,000 (according to a census conducted by CNSUK) in Reading area, which is a complex multi-cultural community mainly comprising Indians, Pakistanis, Nepali, Afro-Caribbean and Polish.

Through the platform, the Nepali community in Greater Reading area, also provides volunteer help and conducts research on lifestyle, social behavior and political leanings.
Basnet says, “Giving continuity to our rich social and cultural heritage so that the new generations do not forget their base and integration of Nepali community in the British system for overall improvements of lifestyles in the Greater Reading area is our main objective.”
The humble initiative now has spread to Reading Borough Council, Wokingham District and West Berkshire District Council where over 5,000 people of the community attend the programmes, which have been organised on regular basis for the last few years. Members of other religious beliefs say the efforts of Greater Reading Nepali Community are very significant in understanding and promoting cross-cultural understanding.
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SARASWATI PUJA IN THE UK

Nepalese community living in the UK celebrated Basant Panchami or the Saraswati Puja organising various programmes and encouraging children to pay attention to the study and Hindu values.


Basant Panchami which is known as Shree Panchami or Saraswati, the goddess of knowledge, is celebrated every year. Traditionally during this festival children are taught to write their first words and educational institutions organise special puja of Saraswati.

Shiva Cultural Centre and Nepalese Hindu Forum UK jointly organised a programme at Gorkha Hindu temple, Farnborough on the occasion where Pundit Shiv Niraula and Lama Kesang Ghale shed light on the importance of Saraswati, the goddess of knowledge, and urged parents to be role model because they are the first teachers of their children.

Religious Teacher of Swaminarayan School Kishan Devani shedding light on the significance of Basant Panchami said children are eager to know new things and can be convinced if we explain them scientifically. Highlighting the great Hindu religious tradition, he said our children should feel proud to be Hindu and be the best citizens.

Bhajan was presented by members of the Farnborough Sai Kendra on the occasion which was attended by a large number of people from Farnborough, Aldershot, London and Reading among others.

Chairman of Nepalese Hindu Forum UK, Major (Retd) Surya Upadhya conducted the programme while Pundit Shiv Niraula performed Aarati after the conclusion of the programme.

Meanwhile, Basant Panchami was also observed in Reading on the same day where over 3 dozen children participated and worshipped Saraswati, Goddess of knowledge.

BALAJI TEMPLE: CENTRE OF INTERFAITH

Religious harmony, peaceful co-existence, respect, love, non violence, fraternity and brotherhood and above all tolerance and pluralism are the essence of Hinduism, known as Sanatan Dharma- eternal religion. Giving that great tradition of the oldest religion of the world in the modern era when there is conflicts and clashes among the religions, South Indian Hindus have presented an exemplary effort of Hindu tradition of tolerance and even have created seven Faith hills inside the Balaji temple in Dudley, Birmingham UK. Who would consider giving place to other faiths with which serious clashes had occurred in the past?

Balaji temple which is established in the style of Balaji of Tirupati in South India has 7 faith hills representing seven major religions including the Islam which had invaded and forcibly converted many Hindus in South Asia during the raids for centuries. The Balaji temple, which was constructed at a cost of £ 6.5 million, covers an area of 21.5 acres of land making it the biggest Hindu temple in Europe.

Amidst this spiritual feelings inside and the chanting of the Vedic hymn, hundreds of people performed Satyanarayan Puja at the Balaji temple, which is the second biggest Balaji temple after Tirupati in India, on the occasion of Makar Sakranti day. More than 100 couple had booked the puja and hundreds of other people participated in the joint puja in the temple conducted by pundits of South India. A group of 20 members of the Nepalese Hindu Forum UK (NHFUK) also attended the puja in the temple. About 3,000 devotees visit the temple every week, according to the temple officials. The temple is set with a number of different shrines and other facilities and it has grown over a 10-year period to become physically the largest South Indian temple precinct in Europe.
Religious places are for all- irrespective of their colour and creeds. Religion should be like the definition of democracy by Abraham Lincoln who defines democracy “for the people, by the people and of the people.” So is religion. And religious place of any faiths should generate that feelings inside human beings- the feelings of compassion, friendship and love and only that can ensures the safety of our universe. In this context, the temple burgeons spiritual feelings even entering the temple premise which is located in a beautiful area with green faith hills created with the feeling of promoting friendship and understanding among the religions. This is one of the attractions of the temple complex that includes seven Faith hills created to represent seven major faiths in the United Kingdom. Lord Buddha's statue, carved by a local sculptor, was installed on one of the hills in May 2001.
Christianity faith hills was laid by Arch Bishop of Canterbury Dr Rowan Williams in 2008 bears a plaque with an inscription “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and love your neighbour as yourself.” The temple has set aside the hills devoting to different religious faiths including Judaism, Jain, Shikh, Islam, Christianity and Buddhism in accordance with the great Hindu tradition of tolerance, fraternity and brotherhood and respect to other beliefs.

Though Hindus respect other faiths and some sects even pray and worship the Gods of other faiths, this is most probably the first temple to give space to other religious faiths presenting a clear illustration of great Hindu tradition of tolerance and friendship.

After the puja, Indian origin children and students of School for Vedic heritage run by the temple, read the story of Satyanarayan giving life to the great Hindu scriptures which were passed from one generation to another for centuries.

The temple, which is constructed in the style of Balaji in Tirupati houses Ganesh, Murugan, Shirdi Baba, Navagraha, Lakshmi, Shiva and Hanuman Shrines. Faith guide of the temple Ram Athal said the temple also runs a School for Vedic heritage which organizes a weekly Sunday school for children between the ages of 5 and 12 in order to ensure the best possible teaching, understanding and practice of Hindu Dharma and values.

The temple runs a School for Vedic heritage which organizes a weekly Sunday school for children between the ages of 5 and 12 in order to ensure the best possible teaching, understanding and practice of Hindu Dharma and values.

"The aims of this school are to preserve and promote Sanathana Dharma, to inspire children and provide an opportunity for them to learn about their rich heritage, to develop a positive personality based on physical, spiritual and mental development and to create an environment where children learn, enjoy, make friends and learn new skills," according to the temple.

In order to gain a broad understanding and an appreciation of this vast field of knowledge, various scriptures and epics such as Ramayana, Mahabharatha,Shrimad Bhagavad-Gita , Bhagavatha Purana and the moral values, Bhakthi, Prayer, Worship and Pooja, Hindu Rituals in their historic context and their relevance today are taught in the school. The way of righteous living, known in Sanskrit as Sanatan Dharma is timeless and eternal and it is the foundation stone and a guiding light for every aspect of living, including one’s conduct in life, pursuit of knowledge and its objectives.

Chairman of the temple Dr N. Rao shed light in detail to the Nepalese Hindu Forum members about the construction of the temple. The plan of inaugurating the temple by then king Birendra of Nepal, the only Hindu Kingdom of the world ( but now Nepal is a republic and secular state) could not materialize due to his assassination in the mysterious massacre in the Narayanhity royal palace in June 2001. The reverence to Nepal, where over 80 percent of the population is Hindus, is still there to the Hindus all over the world.

One of the founders, Dr K Somasundara Rajah said: "We used to have the use of another temple but then the congregation got bigger and in 1974 some of our group thought we should get our own temple. We said we should build a replica of the Tarupati Temple in South India which is situated in The Tirumala Hill in Andhra Pradesh. The temple covers an area of about 10.33 square miles. Like seven faith hills in Balaji temple in UK, there are seven peaks, representing the seven heads of Aadisesha which we can read in our scriptures as Seshachalam. The seven peaks are called Seshadri, Neeladri, Garudadri, Anjanadri, Vrushabhadri, Narayanadri, and Venkatadri. The temple is on Venkatadri, known as the Temple of Seven Hills.
It is said that Dr Rajah and Dr Narayan Rao among others have spent 30 years planning the temple which is one of the most sacred sites in the Hindu tradition. This initiative will definitely help not only promote and preserve rich Hindu cultures and tradition but also create harmony, goodwill and friendship and peace among different religious communities in the United Kingdom and present an example for others around the globe.

HOW IS PAKISTANI COMMUNITY IN THE UK PROMOTING CROSS CULTURAL UNDERSTANDING?

“Bismi Allaahi Arrahmaani Arrahiim...” recite a group of children of Pakistani origin at a community mosque in Reading. The children recite Quran almost every day so that they better understand the teachings of Prophet Mohammad. “ The essence of Islamic teaching is to be merciful,” says Ahmad Raza, Imam of Reading Islamic Centre. That is what was the teaching of Prophet Mohammed, said the young British educated Imam. 

Most of the children attending the mosques have recently arrived from Pakistan or their parents are religious and want to give continuity to their traditional way of teachings of Islam. I asked some of the children reciting the Quran why they read Quran every day, most of them said that it is their religious duty to pray and recite Quran five times a day.

According to the Islamic website Salaam there are a total of 1,689 mosques in the United Kingdom and majority of the mosques are said to be of the Pakistani community. Prayers, reading of the Quran, meetings and events are being held in the mosques regularly and they have been giving continuity to their religious practices.

Imam Raza says that the people living in the United Kingdom are more religious and practice religion strictly than in Pakistan. There is fear and threat in Pakistan and the Islamic extremists bombed mosques in various places in the recent days when the government adopted tough measures to wipe out the menace of terrorism whereas people are free to practice their religious beliefs in the United Kingdom. One highly skilled migrant from Pakistan says: “We are very free here, we can pray even during the time of our duty.” The prays and reciting help promote cross cultural understanding as we learn about the teachings of prophet “to be merciful and respect others’ beliefs,” he said.

Newspapers report that the Pakistani community is isolated and not fully integrated into the British way of life as they do not mingle with people of other religious faiths. Imam Raza agrees and says: “Older generation was completely isolated at least from the British public because of the lack of English language but the new generation is more than British.” Majority of the Pakistani Muslim youths are completely westernized and broke ties from Muslim language and cultures. Now the community is integrated as there are mix marriages and a large number of Pakistanis are in politics, business and other fields and that has helped for more interaction and understands each others.

In the Indian sub continent people like to mix up, visit each other without appointment or information, said Mrs Sahila Sheikh, who came to the UK 20 years ago. But the situation here is completely different, she said, adding “I have friends of different faiths and I have visited temples, Gurudwara and Churches and there is no problem for me to mix up and interact with people of all faiths.”

Pakistani Muslim community is part of the interfaith group which “enable members of different faiths to learn about each other's beliefs, practices and traditions to create greater friendship, harmony and understanding.” According to Reading Interfaith “We begin in our own community, working to eliminate prejudice and fear by promoting knowledge and appreciation of each other. For more than twenty years we have organized events in Reading to experience each other's worship, witness each other's ceremonies, enter into dialogue with one another and celebrate our common commitment to spiritual values.

As part of a multi-cultural society Reading Interfaith Group celebrates diversity and the opportunities we have to grow in our own faith tradition by communicating with each other. It is recognised that all our starting points are different.”

Pakistani community, who were first brought to fulfill the labour market of the UK in the 1950s and later the flow of Pakistanis increased, is the second largest ethnic minority community after Indians and has a total population of 747,285 in the census of 2001, according to the Office of the National Statistics. However, it is estimated that the number has crossed 1 million in 2010. The Pakistani community, which comprises 1.3 percent of the total UK population, is the second largest ethnic minority group after Indians with 16.1 percent of the total ethnic minority population. Islam is the second largest religious faith group in the United Kingdom after Christianity. After Saudi Arabia, UK is the home of second largest Pakistani Diaspora and  Pakistanis live in various places of the UK.

Total UK Population 2001 census 58,789,194

Ethnic Group       Population                      Percentage

White British         54153898                         92.1
White Mixed         677117                             1.2
ndian                    1053411                           1.8
Pakistani             747285                              1.3
Bangladeshi         283063                             0.5
Other Asians        247664                            0.4
Black Caribbean  565876                            1.0
Black African       485277                             0.8
Black Other         97585                               0.2
Other Groups     230615                              0.4


Source: Office for National Statistics

The perception of the people in the west about Muslims and especially Pakistanis after the 9/11 attack in the USA and 7/7 London bombing is not positive as some of the suicide bombers were home grown Pakistani origin. And there are still many people who think, the Pakistani community in the UK have been supporting the terrorists. There is suspicion and fear in both sides. Famous Bollywood actor Shahrukh Khan and UK’s International Development Minister Shahid Malik were detained in US Airports because of their Muslim names. Both of them oppose terrorism and extremism. There are threats to the west from Islamic extremists and there is fear from the west in the Muslim community. The threat of the Islamic extremists is real.

However, the religious, community and professional leaders completely oppose the acts of violence and terrorism and said in one voice “the acts of only a handful of extremists in the name of Islam cannot represent the whole Muslim community.”

British Pakistani businessman Imran Ahmad is reported in the local media as saying: “I think there's still a good general understanding in the UK that the actions of a few do not represent all Muslims.” That is completely true. A migrant of Pakistani city of Peshawar, who works as a security officer said: “If all Pakistani are terrorists then Britain could be under ashes.” A handful of extremists should not

Dr Tahir ul-Qadri, from Pakistan has issued a strong statement declaring fatwa against the Islamic extremists al-Qaeda, suicide bomber and terrorists. In his Fatwa, Dr Qadri said: “Islam forbids the massacre of innocent citizens and suicide bombings.” Imam Raza said Pakistanis support his views.

Most important aspects of breaking down barriers and building trust, mutual understanding, opening horizons and promoting cross cultural understanding is through the appreciation of others views, beliefs, meeting, entertaining, negotiating and holding talks among different cultural and religious groups. In the recent years, especially after 9/11 and London bombing, the Pakistani community has been taking initiative to build trusts and strengthen relations with different faith groups. To achieve this objective, the Pakistani Community Centre in Reading has held events inviting guests from other faiths including local MPs, councillors and others.

“It is great fun and great occasions to be together with people of different walks of life and religions”, said Robert Wilson, Member of Parliament, attending the Christmas dinner programme at the Pakistani Community Centre in which people of different faiths and walks of life participated to celebrate  Christmas festival .  People of different faiths attended the programme organised by the Muslims to mark the Christmas festival. “It has given a very positive message to the general public that we all are one though we speak different languages and follow different religions and have come from different countries”, says Mrs Hilary Edmond, a local community worker.

“Working, meeting, dealing, entertaining, negotiating and corresponding with colleagues or clients from different cultures can be a minefield,” states a multi cultural training centre manual about the success of business that also applies to promote dialogue and understanding among different communities. Such events build good relationship with communities, help understand each other better and build an environment of trusts at this time of mistrusts against the Muslims in the west. With the significant increase of Pakistani community in the United Kingdom for the last few years, the number of community centres and activities have also multiplied that will help bridge the gap between the western and Muslim cultures.

In addition to the religious and community organisations, there are many professionals organisations of the Pakistani community working to promote better understanding of the Pakistani professionals and bridging the gap with other cultures and faiths in the west.

“Strengthening community building relationship,” is our motto said the Pakistani Professionals Forum (PPF) which includes doctors, engineers and other professionals working in various fields in the United Kingdom.

Chairman of Dr M. Farrukh Hussain said: We aim to develop the mutual understanding of professional Pakistanis by enhancing friendly co-operation among them. We aim to consolidate and strengthen our community.

“Most importantly, through trust-promoting images of Pakistanis worldwide, we aim to set an example of peaceful co-existence with other religions, races, communities including the people who don't have belief in any religion. In short, humanising humanity,” said Dr Hussain, a Consultant Psychiatrist.

According to Pakistani embassy in London, “The Pakistani Diaspora in the UK is a source of great strength to the bilateral relations and reinforces the two governments’ efforts towards solidifying relations.” Pakistan is a major ally in the fight against Islamic extremists therefore the cross cultural understanding among different communities is very important in the context of the United Kingdom. The words of former Prime Minister Tony Blair clearly reflect that feeling. “We celebrate the diversity in our country, get strength from the cultures and the races that go to make up Britain today."

Voxpop


I asked people about their views on "Pakistani community in the United Kingdom" just outside the train station in Kings Cross, Central London which is a mixed ethnic community area on 15th March, 2010. Out of over 4 dozen people inquired, only 20 people responded, among them 8 were British, 3 European national, 6 Asians and 3 others.


Seven people said that Pakistanis are the part of the UK community, 4 people said Muslim religion promoters, 3 said terrorist and suicide bomb supporters and remaining others said part of the cultural diversity, an important ally of the west, goodwill ambassadors to promote ties between the two countries and honest people.


Though it does not represent  the  feelings of the United Kingdom, it shows positive aspects of the Pakistanis as large majority of the people consider Pakistani community as part of the UK, goodwill ambassadors and honest people.

Follow this link to read the full story:

Bill's Video
 Sundus's blog

This article is as part of the ICFJ and UN Alliance of Civilisation joint reporing project with Bill and Sundus.

SHY TO A CAMPAIGNER

I had a different feelings about the use of social networking despite  attending  trainings and academic programmes on various occasions in the past. For me, before the training, social networking was like waste of time. In fact, I did not use social networking sites for my professional purpose. I had Facebook and Twitter accounts since these came into existence. But the use was almost zero until I participated in this training programme.

EYE OPENER

My attitude about the use of these tools completely changed with the training of the ICFJ . I now realised the importance and I  have started to use these tools regularly. With the use of facebook, twitter and other social networks, I have become like an addict in positive sense. The training helped to explore its importance, share experiences and ideas among the participants across the western and Arab World. More I use, more I become interested and more I like to dive into the depth of digital tools. It has given me new ideas. It paved the way for unlimited resources and contacts across the globe. It really opened my eyes.

DAILY USE

Thanks to the ICFJ that I have become a daily user of the social networking. I was sceptical when The Guardian newspaper , the first newspaper to embrace twitter, started to publish in twitter last year. Now I have started to use twitter and facebook on regular basis. I had to make so many calls and send emails for a brief time to discuss some issues with officials, now I  can catch people like  David Miliband, Fareed Zakaria  in twitter.  So are facebook and other social media. It has provided unlimited sources of resources with sharing ideas and professional interests and research. This will help me for my research and writing in the future. It is really exciting!

ADVANTAGEOUS

I learnt the technique of blogging. I knew the importance of links and how and what to  link.  Made links to important news media. Connected  friends in my blog. Added RSS. The ideas of adding video, image, audio and giving links to other sites was an exciting experience.  I renewed my Facebook and Twitter accounts.  I started to use Twitter and Facebook regularly. All these tools have different values and importance. They are fruitful. The importance of RSS cannot be compared with  Facebook or Twitter   as they have different features and value. These tools are better than the others for me.

Over 150 people  are connected with me in Facebook and Twitter within a short span of time- within a few days. This is amazing!

After watching the devastating scene of Haiti earthquake , we have campaigned for Haiti help. There is positive response from people. Some have donated through Oxfam  and  various other  UK organisations. It is powerful, instantaneous, effective and links us  all together. The links and interconnections is so strong that connects the whole world therefore Facebook is very effective.

BETTER USE

The beauty of online is the combination of  text , video , images and various other tools. We should utilise these tools appropriately following journalistic ethics, norms and values. These are also effective for campaign and research in addition to journalistic works. In addition to my regular professional works, I will also utilise these tools for the research of my book on immigrants, social networking and campaigning for freedom of the expression.

COMMENT OR CULVERT

Allowing readers to make comments is one of the beauty of the digital media. Comments not only increase the popularity of your media but also engage them and help make it possible for direct communications between the media  organisation and readers.  Allow to make comments but do not  allow to misuse it.

DEMOCRATIC DEBATE

One of the objectives of the comments is to make a civil and democratic debate on the issue. Make it more interactive and effective two way communications. That helps make society more democratic and exercise freedom. Comments help to proide instant feedback from the readers so the news organsiation can ammend the way they are presenting news and articles, add some new features in accordance with the interests of readers that increases page views  and generate additional revenue for the news organsiation. It is the ornament of the media and society where debates are discussed in an open, lively, free and democratic manner.

" CESSPOOL"

However, there are many drawback of comments. Readers post offensive and unsolicitated comments. They violate journalistic rules and ethics. Abusive words and languages are used in the comments. Comments are posted unanimously. The comments are unrelated to the topic. Ethnic, racial, religious and politically motivated  hatred comments are posted.  Look this Nepali news site where more than 75 comments are posted within a few hours time.  This is about the speech of a Communist (Maoists) leader's speech against the prime minister of Nepal. Almost all the comments are politically motivated and abusive languages are used. It is not only against the journalistic ethics, norms and values but also against social norms and law. Though the readers need registration (at least name and email), the comments are real "cesspool."

I have worked in news agencies and newspapers  most of the time so comments were  not allowed except letter to the editor column. This is published after editing. However,  I worked for one of the news site http://www.outlooknepal.com/, a very popular site among the Nepalese and South Asian diaspora in the UK, which is now closed, used to be full of unsolicited comments with adverts of viagra and so on. The founders of the news site later decided not to allow comments.

WHAT MEASURES?

It is essential to make sure that comments are made in accordance with the ethics and norms. Flagging, filtering, limiting and making registration compulsory for comments is appropriate to control "cesspool " comments like this Guardian newspaper  does. However, I prefer moderation of comments if the news site can afford.

RESTRICTING FREEDOM?

Not allowing comment is not restricting freedom. Comment is an extra feature and it is the choice of the news organisation to allow or not. It is better to restrict comments than allow freely without following any ethics, norms and guidelines. Comments must be related to the topic and should be free from hatredness, insult and abusive words and language.

MY NEW REPORT

BOGUS COLLEGES

I am planning to write about bogus coleges  in London. As you know there are some  bogus colleges which are known as visa colleges. The Nigerian man who was arrested in the bomb plot in the USA recently was also trying to get visa through such college. Some of the colleges do not have necessary infrastructure and do not teach students  but just provide visa letter and attendance certificate to present  to the Home Office for visa.

MULTIMEDIA ELEMENTS

 I want to add multimedia elements in the report with voice, video and image. This a serious issue so there will certainly be an ethical concern as people will not be ready to be shown on video or image without which my report will not be credible.

ETHICAL ISSUES?

I know some students who are ready to record their voice. So there will be no any problem and no ethical issue will raise. Some present and former teachers and employees or those who are familiar with such bogus works will be ready to speak on video. But their faces will not be shown because they will not be ready to face difficulties. With the positive manipulation of digital images, their face will not be shown but all details will be revealed.

I think, the officials will be ready to provide information without hesitation and there will be no any problem of taking their images or record their voice or show their face on video.

Some students are ready to provide photos of the class where very few students present. I have to make sure whether the photos taken by students is real or not. So I will check myself before using it in my blog. For copywrights of the photos, I will seek permission before I use.

WHY MULTIMEDIA?

We have discussed in the past about the credibility of news. One of the aspects of credible news is the use of multimedia. That makes the report more reliable and trustworthy. Combination of text, video, audio and images make online perfect. This is the beauty of the web. So it makes our blog more credible, reliable    informative and attractive.

DIGITAL MANIPULATION

SEEING IS BELIEVING

One image is more powerful than 1,000 words. In fact it is true. Reporting truth is the basic of the basic of journalistic ethics. Digital manipulation cannot be exception to this fact. We see and believe so it must remain as it is.

NO PLUS NO MINUS

There should be no any alteration, deception, manipulation and false representation of the original photos. Truth, accuracy and facts should be in tact in the images.Click here  No plus no minus is the simple rule to digital manipulation.

We can do anything with the image  being within the ethical norms but we cannot do anything to change its originality, facts, truth and accuracy.

HISTORY

We can trace the  history of photo  manipulation since the newspaper started to publish photographs.  The first incident of  photo manipulation was recorded in early 1860s. Then US President Abraham Lincoln's photo was altered  from a portrait of John C. Calhoun. It is said that the same photo became the basis of the five dollar note. View these photos.

With easy new technology, photo manipulation business is thriving. There are many instances of tampering of images in the recent years including Adnan Hajj's photos of Lebanon and several other photographers in the USA and other parts of the world.

 FAKE REDUCE DOWN

Many such photo corrupt photographers have reduced down to the dust. Susan Sontag says: "photographs, which fiddle with the scale of the world, themselves get reduced, blown up, cropped, retouched, doctored and tricked out."

GUIDELINES

According to the Reuters news agency guidelines , certain amount of editing and positive change like crop  size  and balance the tone and colour of the image  including "basic colour correction, subtle lightening darkening of zones, sharpening, removal of dust and other minor adjustments" is acceptable in manipulation.

"No excessive lightening, darkening or blurring of the image, cloning, healing or brush tools are not to be used tampering" the photos. Seeing is believing so it must not be tampered  destryong the originality and facts.

What do you think of these photos? Is it ethical and acceptable? Do the facts, accuracy and truth remain same?