Hindu Vivek Kendra
A RESOURCE CENTER FOR THE PROMOTION OF HINDUTVA
   
 
 
«« Back
Hall heralds the Hindu civilization

Hall heralds the Hindu civilization

Author: Nicholas Keung
Publication: Toronto Star
Date: January 20, 2004
URL: http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=1074553808623&call_pageid=968350130169&col=969483202845

Museum going up on three levels in Richmond Hill First such shrine to be built in North America

Like many Hindu faithful, Budhendra Doobay learned about his religious heritage at home from his elders. But things have changed for their immigrant children growing up in modern-day households, where kids are sent to temples during religious festivals to rediscover their past and connect with their ancestry. "Young people do not understand Hindu rituals, customs and heritage. Some of them are learning it from people who don't fully understand the religion, and they are bored by going to the temples," said Doobay, 63, the past chair of the Federation of Hindu Temples of Canada. Five years ago, while entertaining some school kids at Richmond Hill's Vishnu Temple that he helped found in 1983, Doobay, a former head of vascular surgery at Hamilton Civic Hospital, came up with an idea to engage the younger generations in Hinduism in a more interesting and dynamic way. That's when the concept of North America's first Museum of Hindu Civilization was conceived. After some aggressive fundraising, the 250,000-strong Hindu community in Greater Toronto has collected half of the money towards the $5 million project and the museum's first exhibition is slated to open in late April in Richmond Hill. The Yonge St. museum, just north of Highway 7 and attached to the existing Vishnu Temple, has 17,000 square feet of exhibit space divided into three levels and is expected to draw 300,000 visitors a year. Featured will be:

Artefacts and displays dating back to 2,500 B.C. for the period of Indus Valley Civilization, covering the Smriti/Shruti and Indo-Aryan periods.

Classical and medieval theism with displays explaining Hindu symbolisms, rituals and their origins.

Displays of the contemporary living culture of Hindu heritage. Over the coming weeks, a long white sheet of marble with relief murals will be placed at the museum's Yonge St. entrance. Against the backdrop of a 5 1/2- metre bronze statue of Mahatma Gandhi, three flagpoles will be hoisted to reflect the time when Gandhi spun cotton in a pre-colonial struggle for India's independence from British rule. To bring the museum up to speed with the changing technology, a cosmic theatre will be built on the second level, cutting through the top level, using a 3- D visual medium to show visitors the birth and evolution of Hinduism. "Our goal is not only to bring Hindu civilization to the Hindi people but also to all non-Hindi people who are interested in our religion and philosophy," said Doobay, a native of Guyana who came to Canada in 1975. Asha Seth, a director of the museum, said communities of all stripes from Christians to Sikhs and Buddhists have all financially contributed to the project, which encompasses Hinduism's philosophy of peace and harmony. "The whole world is one family," she explained. "The museum will simply enrich the multicultural fabric of Canada." Doobay said the museum is now in full gear preparing for its first exhibit, Temples of Time, to be launched on April 26 as a preview of what the facility will look like when it is completed in three years.
 


Back                          Top

«« Back
 
 
 
  Search Articles
 
  Special Annoucements