Unique Example of Unity: Christians Join Hindus in Voluntary Work at Temple


Unique Example of Unity: Christians Join Hindus in Voluntary Work at Temple

Daijiworld Media Network - Beltangady

Beltangady, Apr 20: Over the past few weeks, the district has been embroiled in a series of communal debates and controversies, especially between the Christian and Hindu communities.

But here is an instance of camaraderie between the two, an act that has not only set an example of communal harmony, but also taken a positive step towards harbouring peace.

Suryanarayana Temple in Naravi here was the scene of perfect harmony, when a group of Christians volunteered to lend their hands in getting the temple all set for next month's Brahmakalashotsava. The temple is undergoing renovation work for the event, and the group members joined their Hindu brothers in clearing up the premises.

Parish priest of St Antony's Church, Naravi along with 150 other Christians volunteered for the work. They were heartily welcomed by the Hindu volunteers at the temple. Together they worked, and it was heartwarming to see the sense of brotherhood and unity that emanated from both sides.

It was indeed a splendid lesson for those who try to divide the society on communal lines, and for those who play the communal card for their selfish motives.

  

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  • Dr. Cajetan Coelho, Goa, India

    Sat, Apr 30 2011

    Shramadhan is the way forward in our community building enterprise. Well done.

    DisAgree Agree [1] Reply Report Abuse

  • Joviel D'Cruz, Udupi

    Thu, Apr 21 2011

    Good gesture. Nice to see nuns and preiest along with other brothers and sisters, voluteering at the cleaning work of a temple. I thinks this kind of work should continue various parts of the state, to build a peaceful atmosphere among the religions. Jai ho.
    I salute the Naravi preist for the initiative !

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  • Amit, Mangalore

    Thu, Apr 21 2011

    This kind of gesture would surely boost inter-faith harmony. But, some cant digest and must be thinking how this could happen when they really working hard to ignite between communities.

    DisAgree Agree Reply Report Abuse

  • cyril mathias, udupi

    Wed, Apr 20 2011

    Wel done.Communal harmony can be achieved through these magnanimous small symbolic acts.But beware of bugs and bactirias who might spoil your sauharda.

    DisAgree Agree Reply Report Abuse

  • Mustafa, ksa

    Wed, Apr 20 2011

    Some panels below claims christians are peace loving people. Hope their gestures
    limited to the Indian Christian not Western and its leaders.

    DisAgree [1] Agree Reply Report Abuse

  • Asha Rao, Bangalore

    Wed, Apr 20 2011

    Sabka Malik Ek Hai!

    DisAgree Agree Reply Report Abuse

  • Louis D'Souza, Udupi/Kuwait

    Wed, Apr 20 2011

    Good work, so nice, to watch this picture, we should help and must restore good relationship despite opposition from some groups who are trying to divide our unity. I was visiting St. Antony’s church & Jerosa Convent Naravi, every year till 2005 during my vacation since 1994. My aunty, my dad’s eldest sister Sr. Bridget was there in that convent and last her breath over there. God bless Naravi convent nuns and parishioners. Sister’s used to give me jack fruit and Bimbla so many fruits. It’s a nice place. I will never forget this parish & convent in my life span. They took so much care of my sister aunty. Sisters of charity, and they proved that charity begins at home.

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  • Sunil, Mangalore

    Wed, Apr 20 2011

    @shetty,Mangalore

    Please don't connect a humanitarian act to any political party. If Hindu and Christian work together and help each other does not mean they support BJP or Congress. People only want peaceful, corruption free country.

    DisAgree Agree Reply Report Abuse

  • shetty, Mangalore

    Wed, Apr 20 2011

    Bad news for congress party & some lessons as well..

    DisAgree Agree Reply Report Abuse

  • Austin Lobo, Long Beach, CA

    Wed, Apr 20 2011

    It's amazing, that people of different walks of life, religions and creed come together to exemplify unity in diversity. Hope to see many more acts of harmony and help grow as people rather than a hindu, christian , muslim or buddhist. God bless us all.......

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  • Sunil, Mangalore

    Wed, Apr 20 2011

    I think now i should say this truth from my life experience. Being a christian, I trust my hindu brothers and have freindly relatioship more than any other community. I judge my freinds on good character & behaviour. I still have great respect for them.

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  • Sunil, Mangalore

    Wed, Apr 20 2011

    I agree with you, Prakash/Kuwait. People are jealous and helpless seeing our goodwork,sympathy and humble character. So no need to worry, just listen to your heart and continue.......

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  • Naveen Shetty, Mangalore

    Wed, Apr 20 2011

    I am one of the fortunate guys who got a chance to enjoy Naravi during my summer holidays. (During 1987 to 1997). I really admire the people of this place and the way they lived in harmony with one another. Despite the hectic work (During the vacations) all guys had at their paddy fields many people used to gather at the church ground opposite to a small eatery near the School to play cricket. During those days I enjoyed the serenity of the place driving through the thick forests and swimming at the river. At nights we used to for fishing using nets. I still remember going through the woods and using ‘Barchi’, ‘Makkeri’ to catch the fish. There were different names for each ‘Gundi’ of the river like ‘Laga Gundi’ ‘Meena Gundi’ etc. One should not forget the work done by the Church in educating the people in the area through the church school. I also remember how everyone how all people irrespective of religion used to bring vegetables and rice to the Orphanage run by the church. I am sure this comrade is alive and kicking in this small hamlet called Naravi.

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  • sudarshan shetty, ganjimut

    Wed, Apr 20 2011

    Dear Ranjith Rodrigues, Fantastically written. God bless you. Need courage to write the truth.Seems written with inner voice.

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  • Harold D'cunha, Mangalore, India

    Wed, Apr 20 2011

    Dear Mr. A. D'souza. Agree with your point saying dog's tail cannot be straight. If this has appealed you, good. Keep it up. One has to change himself and his outlook.
    Parish priest of St Antony's Church, Naravi along with 150 other Christians volunteered for the work at Suryanarayana Temple in Naravi. Good example. This good gesture will cement the existing bond of brotherhood in our society.


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  • Prakash , Kuwait

    Wed, Apr 20 2011

    This is a lesson for those who spread disharmony in the world. Christians will never stop their 24hours good service anytime, anywhere.

    DisAgree Agree Reply Report Abuse

  • Frank Menezes, Valencia.US

    Wed, Apr 20 2011

    Mr. A. D'souza - That is the problem of negative thinking and your tail.

    DisAgree Agree Reply Report Abuse

  • Iqbal, Mangalore

    Wed, Apr 20 2011

    Unfortunatly some hindus are engaged in destroying churches here.

    DisAgree Agree Reply Report Abuse

  • Clara Lewis, Kemmannu/Dubai

    Wed, Apr 20 2011

    In India all religions lived together with peace and harmony.

    The history of Indian secularism begin with the protest movements in the 5th century B.C.The 3 main protest movements were by the Charvakas(a secularistic & materialistic philosophical movement),Buddhism,& Jainism.All three of them rejected the authority of the Vedas and any importance of belief in a deity.

    Jawahar Lal Nehru,the first Prime Minister of India was great Champion of Secularism & secular Politics.Thus in case of India one can say by and large it is secular in as much as it is religiously plural and tolerant but there are politically divisive forces quite active and create communal pressure and widen the gap between religious community thus bringing Indian secularism under threat.There are some rationalists and secularists who reject religion in its entirety but such rationalists or secularists are extremely few.In fact in India an overwhelming majority of people are religious but tolerant & respect other religions & are thus‘secular’in Indian context.It is perhaps due to influence of ancient doctrine that truth is one but is manifested in different forms,as also described in various other religions like Islam, Sikhism, Jainism, Budhism, Christianity,Jewism,etc.

    India is a country where religion is very central to the life of people.India’s age-old philosophy sarva dharma samabhava,The reason behind this approach is the fact that India has never been a mono-religious country.

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  • Peter Pereira, Pune

    Wed, Apr 20 2011

    A very good act indeed. I salute Priest, Nuns and all brothers and sisters who have set a record by this deed. When I was in Gulf countries, all my room mates were Hindus and we were living like brothers. Nowadays, few fanatics have sown the seed of hatred and have divided the society for their selfish gains. Brother Kishore, Udupi/Dubai, what made you to feel last para is not required ? Don't you see it says the right thing or you do not want to accept the truth ? Have a nice day friend.

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  • Prakas, Kundapur/Saudi Arabia

    Wed, Apr 20 2011

    Good example. God bless you all.
    This is how we lived during my childhood. Celebrated all festivals, helped each other in need etc etc. But now handful of people like .... for some political gains wants to divide the community.
    Now it's for us to know their wicked intentions & throw them out.
    Keep-up the good work Mangaloreans... we feel happy ....nice to live like this.

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  • Ravi, Mangalore

    Wed, Apr 20 2011

    Very good people. We are citizens of this country and should live in this country without making any discrepency between caste and religions.

    @A. D'Souza, Kodialbail politics is different and humanity is different. In this case we have to work together like a human being and shouldn't bring politics in this matter.

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  • Rudy (Mantrady), Naravi / Mantrady

    Wed, Apr 20 2011

    Congratulations to for setting an example of brotherhood and secularism (I was born and raised in this village).

    We need to spread love and respect for every religion, rather than destroying religious places due to personal agenda. Off late, Christian have been targets in their own land due to some fanatics. No religion speaks of violence and hate-redness, but it is man who exploits it for his selfish motives. Lets not get misguided and divide our country by religion due to some politicians and miscreants.

    DisAgree Agree [1] Reply Report Abuse

  • Ashley, Mangalore

    Wed, Apr 20 2011

    Mr. A. DSouza,

    Unfortunately it is people like you are a bigger pain than anything else. I think it is imperative for a person to first learn to separate politics, religion and humanity and then start commenting on things. If something happened in your home, would you look at the religion caste creed of the person who came to help? If we as Roman Catholics and Christians at large have the kind of mindset which you have then i seriously wonder about the future of communal harmony. Give it a chance guys.. grow up

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  • KISHORE, Udupi/Dubai

    Wed, Apr 20 2011

    There are lots of example Hindu helped Christians & Vise varsa. But we have habit of communalizing issue like some commentetors doing & also in the news last para is not requird. "It was indeed a splendid lesson for those who try to divide the society on communal lines, and for those who play the communal card for their selfish motives"

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  • KRPrabhu, Mangalore

    Tue, Apr 19 2011

    The voluntary work by chiristians at Sree Suryanarayana Temple,Naravi is really nice to hear.One should not be elevated by comments by few here because some of them are habitually writting against Hindus and other organisations in this forum.

    My personal view is that whenever such gesture is undertaken it is purely because of goodness locals who are involved.It should also be understood that Hinduism is the most tolerent religion on earth and it has contributed tremendously for the growth and sustainance of other religions in India from anciant times.This attitude has never diluted till now but only faced onslaughts from all sides.

    It is worth noting that during during the Tippu's rule many churches in DK were destroyed and many were saved by brave Hindus which speaks volumes of goodness of Hindus at heart.One of the oldest church in DK i.e., Kirem church was also attacked by Tippus soldiers but because of bunt community there their attempt was foiled and church was saved.Even today during the annual fest of the said church the members of bunt community/particular family are being honoured by the Priest of the church by offering arecnut,beetle leaf and bunch of banana plantains as mark of their bravery and good gesture.This is all history and always been cherished.

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  • David Rodrigues, Kayyar/Bangalore

    Tue, Apr 19 2011

    GOD BLESS OUR INDIA.Keep away the politicians.

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  • ISMAIL K PERINJE, PERINJE/YANBU-KSA

    Tue, Apr 19 2011

    Dear Brother A.D.Souza Kodialbail,here is the point-we are all citizens of India and will remain brothers and sisters forever.Try to appriciate good work done by your own community in tiurn which will yield envoirnment of peace and love among the communities.All involved in this kind of inter-community valuntary work has be appriciated.WORK WELL DONE KEEP IT UP .JAI HIND

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  • Alban D Souza, Udyavara Mumbai Doha Qatar

    Tue, Apr 19 2011

    Christians always peace loving people, and this activity shows that christians respect other faiths even. So We christians also like otheres love and respect our Indian cultures and traditions as it is an example in big meto cities specailly in Bombay living together and participate in all religious festivals and get togethere. This is our India and we all belong to this great nation. Let us unite together to build up greater India.

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  • Robin, mlore

    Tue, Apr 19 2011

    Well this is a good example led by the christian community, no matter wat happens in the region, it has been proven time and time again, that christians are peace lovers.
    And specially for people like Ryan, Mang/dxb - cant you guys stop pulling politics in between, and for your info no one is Italian anymore, I believ they all are Indian citizens.
    Cheers..

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  • pradeep, Mangalore

    Tue, Apr 19 2011

    we should keep A. D'Souza, type of people away from this then only we can strighten things :p

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  • Ganesh, Mangaladevi, Mangalore

    Tue, Apr 19 2011

    i love my mother India.
    all Hindu, chris, muslim, sikh all are my brothers and sisters.
    simple things is we are one and we are Indian.

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  • Alwyn, Mangalore - USA

    Tue, Apr 19 2011

    The scarified life of Nuns and Priests are very precious and worthy. It is impossible to find the real value of them. They do all the work just for mankind without expecting any rewards or any gifts. I am proud to say that I am a catholic because of this reason. Help others but never expect even thank you.
    May God bless all the people who helped and hope others will realize the necessity of help.

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  • Ryan, Mang/dxb

    Tue, Apr 19 2011

    Hope this brings end to some peoples Italian rules.

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  • Lawrence D souza, Nakre Karkala - Oman

    Tue, Apr 19 2011

    Anyone those who did’s good thinks their belongs to me says Jesus………

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  • Ranjith Rodrigues, Bangalore

    Tue, Apr 19 2011

    What a heart-warming scene. This sort of camaraderie should be propogated by our community elders, in every social venture to build bridges between communities.

    Don't hindus work in construction when a christian institution (school or a hospital) is being built or vice-versa? The only difference is that here people are working not for any compensation, but only for goodwill and inter-community assistance. We are all, afterall, children from the same stock, and our christian ancestors were hindu at some point, and children from the same mother, some of whom got converted into christianity, and the rest remained hindu. Regardless of whether the christian is from Goa, mangalore or kerala, we were all hindu at one time, and we should never forget that. And therefore, as christians we should be gracious enough, to assist our hindu brethren (WITHOUT ANY AGENDA), because this is also what our christian principles teach us.

    It is easy to find fault with other people's causes or religions, and probably say my religion is better than yours (like how Baba Ramdev is competing with Anna Hazare for more followers to their corruption free India cause), but soul searching our own morality, conscience, and being magnanimous, rising above pettiness, and doing our work sincerely and honestly is what matters in the end.

    Sorry for the lecture. Just felt very happy seeing the picture of sisters (nuns) working in a temple.

    Jai ho India!

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  • Ravindra Nayak, Mangalore

    Tue, Apr 19 2011

    Good Work Keep it up. God Bless you all.

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  • Kennedy, Udupi / HongKong

    Tue, Apr 19 2011

    This is the undevided south canara district i saw in my childhood. Hope same will return back soon. ... God Bless India.... God Bless Karnataka....

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  • Walter, Bajpe/Boston/USA

    Tue, Apr 19 2011

    It has been a pleasure to read this message of unity between our brothers and sisters. When God created Adam and then Eve, and when they got married, neither Adam was Hindu nor Christian, nor was Eve Hindu nor Christian. God commended them- be fertile and multiply. That is what they did. That marriage was for all mankind, thus Christians and Hindus are brothers and sister along with rest of the religious people. Worshiping God is an individual faith as to how he or she would like to communicate with God.

    If the Ten Commandments are universal for all people, and they came from the same God, who are we to judge the difference between religions? The example from Naravi is outstanding- every one should follow it. Then peace will prevail through out the world. Pope John Paul II is the perfect example, who saw every one with the eyes of God as being the children of God. That great man saw the world and liberated it from communist system and united the world. We must advance these great examples and be an example for others. Congratulations to the Naravi people.

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  • Max & Jessie Rasquinha, Mangalore/Houston, Texas

    Tue, Apr 19 2011

    Gesture of "Reciprocity" goes a long way in our daily life of endeavour in India. We are a secular nation and the secularism will continue to flourish as the population grows each day. Charity begins at home, and home where the community that we belong.

    Our community and our society is intertwined in every step of the way. The closer we remain the more help we can render to one another regardless of our faith, our language and our gender. Our diversity of culture and faith need closer integration so that our communal harmony will enjoy greater momentum creating more respect and love towards each other. Do unto others before you expect others do unto you.

    We congratulate whole-heartedly those who have shown their willingness in the temple project. Let the willingness continue to prevail and let us work together for greater solidarity for greater peace and harmony. What a nice feeling of joy to cherish during the Holy Week season of prayer, penance and forgiveness. The journey of thousand miles of goodwill begins right in our backyard.

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  • Jossey Saldanha, Mapusa

    Tue, Apr 19 2011

    This further strengthens my belief that there is one GOD and he is the creator.
    We are all his children and we can live in harmony.
    Our politicians are the main culprits who keep on dividing us for their narrow selfish gains.
    UNITED WE STAND DIVIDED WE FALL.

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  • Jerry Moras, Canada

    Tue, Apr 19 2011

    Hats off to you, St Antony's Church community, Naravi. You understand only one religion - humanity. First we got to be person or human being and then we identify different ways to worship God.

    God is most often conceived of as the supernatural creator and overseer of the universe. Theologians have ascribed a variety of attributes to the many different conceptions of God. The most common among these include omniscience (infinite knowledge), omnipotence (unlimited power), omnipresence (present everywhere), omnibenevolence (perfect goodness), divine simplicity, and eternal and necessary existence.

    Conceptions of God can vary widely, but the word God in English—and its counterparts in other languages, such as Latinate Deus, Greek Θεός, Slavic Bog, Sanskrit Ishvara or Deva, or Arabic Allah—are normally used for any and all conceptions.

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  • A.S.Mathew, U.S.A.

    Tue, Apr 19 2011

    Heartwarming news to read and
    soothing picture to watch.

    The neighbours of different
    religious backgound are being
    divided by the crooked politicians,
    but mutual love is a
    divine mandate of the Creator.

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  • A. D'Souza, Kodialbail

    Tue, Apr 19 2011

    Looks Great but what is the point ?
    A dog's tail can not be straightened after all !! Let us be frank.

    DisAgree Agree Reply Report Abuse

  • santhosh suvarna, mangalore/ cameroun central africa

    Tue, Apr 19 2011

    This is called india .

    It was indeed a splendid lesson for those who try to divide the society on communal lines, and for those who play the communal card for their selfish motives
    GOD BLESS BOTH HINDUS & Christians should be always united like one family in same roof .

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  • STALIN MISQUITH, Bahrain

    Tue, Apr 19 2011

    This shows that christians are peace loving people. Stop hatred... Let us, all hindu and christian brothers unite together for the communal harmony.
    Nagesh Mamu where r u? You are like a frog in a "well"!

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