28
Asian Voice - Saturday 17th December 2011
For more stories visit www.scribbledesk.com
Short Story by Neha Garg
Charlie Eldridge A tall, stretchy gentleman, with knobbly knees Called Charlie Eldridge, if you please One bright morning woke up to find, A cricket bat poking through his behind. With a yelp, Charlie jumped off the bed, And found another shock instead. His hands were transparent, so were his feet, This time Charlie gave a little bleat. What’s going on, dear old Charlie thought, Is it some virus that I have caught? I bet, it was from that pug called Susie, Off late, she had been looking a little woozy. Now, Charlie wasn’t an overly bright chap, (So the fact that he thought of even this, deserves a clap) He was wrong of course, as he’d usually be, Dear Charlie was afflicted with far worse, you’ll see. He put up a hand to ruffle his hair, As he usually did in the face of despair. What happened next increased poor Charlie’s dread, When his hand went straight through his head! Down and down through his body it went, Just passing through, never once making a dent. Finally, all the way down to his feet, Both of which looked as pale as a sheet. And it would have kept on going through the ground,
Had Charlie’s ears not picked up a sound. ‘Ahem!’ said someone as Charlie turned, He whimpered, and his stomach churned. ‘A .. A .. A,’ said Charlie, pointing at the man, His hand was shivering, his face drawn. ‘A Ghost, yes,’ said the man, stroking his beard, ‘Aren’t you a smart one?’ he sneered. ‘I am sorry?’ said Charlie, keeping his cool, He was not going to stand being taken for a fool. ‘Now, none of that, dear sir. I know stuff,’ ‘Ghosts are not real. Don’t you look so tough.’ The bearded one laughed, sank down to his knees, It was ten minutes before he stopped and wheezed. He wiped tears from his eyes, and chuckling still, Turned Charlie around on his heel. Facing a mirror, Charlie finally saw, The sight that made him drop his jaw. He looked exactly like the bearded fellow, The same see-through body, shaking like jello. Charlie still refused to believe what he knew, ‘Am I a ghost then? Am I like you?’ ‘Yes, Charlie Eldridge, this spookiness is yours to keep,’ ‘You see, last night, you died in your sleep.’
Jain delegation at the Vatican On 6th December a meeting took place between the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue (PCID) and a Jain delegation within the Vatican. The meeting was led by His Eminence Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran, President of the PCID, and Mr Nemu Chandaria, Deputy Chairman Institute of Jainology. This was the second visit by the Jain delegation who particpated in the “Assisi Days” in 1986, 2002 and this year. On 13th November this year the PCID organised a seminar on Christian-Jain Dialogue in collaboration with the Catholic Church in India and the World Fellowship of Religions at Acharya Sushil
Nemubhai Chandaria giving the Jain manuscripts Catalog to H H The Pope
Muni Ashram. In the said meeting which was held in an atmosphere of mutual respect and friendship, members of both delegations expressed satisfaction
over the cordial relations and cooperation that exist between both the Christian and Jain communities in countries where they live their day-to-day lives in proximity.
Muslim Aid launches Mosque Appreciation events Muslim Aid is organising a series of events in the UK to recognize Mosques and Institutions for their generous and valuable contribution to charitable causes in partnership with Muslim Aid the world over. The events will showcase Muslim Aid’s recent work in the emergencies in Somalia and Pakistan. Muslim Aid has received generous contributions from the community to fund its emergency relief and development pro-
grammes as well as distribute religious dues (zakat) on behalf of Muslim donors. The first of these events is being held in Birmingham on 3 December 2011. It will be followed by similar events in Manchester on 9 December and in London on 17 December. A spokesperson for Muslim Aid said: “We are proud that the Muslim community in Britain is part of the great tradition of caring for the poor and
the needy. Our Feed the Fasting programme in Ramadan and the Qurbani programme are funded entirely from community donations. Since its inception, Muslim Aid has placed great emphasis on joining forces with mosques and institutions in the UK to create awareness and raise valuable funds for the relief of victims of emergencies, long-term poverty eradication and developmental empowering programmes.”
Lords Popat and Parekh speak against the persecution of minorities Lord Dolar Popat & Lord Parekh took part in a debate in the House of Lords last week about the current situation of Christians in the Middle East, who have been reported to have become increasingly marginalised and isolated after the recent Arab Spring. The debate was initiated by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams and was brought about by the recent attack on Coptic Christians in Egypt by the military, which killed 25 people. The attack echoed anxiety felt across the Middle East in the aftermath of the Arab Spring, with many people concerned about the possible rise of extremism and the persecution of minorities across the region. The Archbishop of Canterbury proclaimed that Christians had enjoyed a long standing presence in the Middle East, but their position in the region was now more vulnerable than ever before. Lord Popat was one of the few Hindus who took part in the debate and declared ‘that this is not just a Christian issue but an issue for humanity.’ Lord Popat condemned the recent violence in Egypt and called upon the Government, ‘to speak out against any oppression of minorities on the grounds of religion.’ Speaking out against prejudice, Lord Popat said, was also a fundamental part of his Hindu duty. The persecution of minorities is a very important issue for Lord Popat, as he said he had experienced it himself when he was forced out of his home
Lord Popat
Lord Parekh
in Uganda by the brutal dictator Idi Amin for no other reason than for his ethnicity. Peers from all faiths, backgrounds and political parties who took part in the debate, supported Lord Popat’s calling for a united approach to ensure the rights of minorities were upheld and that Egyptians were supported in reaching their ultimate goal of establishing a true democracy. In the same debate Lord Parekh also raised questions regarding the factors leading to discriminations, harassment and violent attacks on the Christinas in Middle East and Britain’s suitable actions to stop it. He said there were several reasons that were largely responsible for such discrimination. “First, in many Middle Eastern countries, there is a deep concern to unite the country and secure its stability by adopting a particular view of national identity. That view is that the country belongs to its majority... Secondly, religious minorities in the Middle East, as in every other part of the world, tend to align themselves pretty closely with the established regime for protection, for status and for other obvi-
ous advantages. When that regime is challenged, as it is challenged when democracy arrives, minorities become a target, even a scapegoat... The third factor responsible for the rise of violence has to do with-let us be frank about it-our own foreign policy... The fourth factor has to do with the fact that some of these acts of violence have been provoked by Governments... The final factor has to do with our old friend alQaeda carrying on its crusade from God-knowswhere it was left off last and talking in terms of civilisational conflict. Its anti-Western and antiChristian propaganda, although limited to a few, continues, sadly, to influence a large number of people.” Speaking about the solutions he added, that we should speak for all minorities and not just Christians. This ensures others that they do not feel alienated. Also it must be ensured that ‘democracy’ does not make the same mistake as it made in Algeria several years ago. To facilitate these, he emphasised that people must read their own history sensibly and do not be misled by ignorance.
The Ahimsa Dairy Foundation launches cow and calf sponsorship scheme The Ahimsa Dairy Foundation, which supplies entirely slaughterfree milk from its herd of organic cows, has now launched a sponsorship scheme for people to help support its cows and calves. The Ahimsa herd are mostly named after Indian or English flowers and supporters can currently choose one of nine cows, or three calves to sponsor – although with several new calves on the way that figure will soon change. The cost of the herd’s retirement plan is built into the price of the milk, but the not-for-profit company wants to ensure it has a little aside to ensure their future as well as moving cows to their sanctuary and training young bulls. The company also want to
involve supporters with the daily lives of the herd. Sponsorship starts from £3, £5 or £10 a month and for this people will receive regular updates about their cow or calf and the Ahimsa Dairy project, which is dedicated to sustainable and ethical farming. Singer Chrisse Hynde said of the Ahimsa Slaughter-free Milk project: “Most animal rights minded vegans share the opinion that cows' milk is only for the consumption of calves and of course, when buying milk from the
meat/dairy industry, no milk is cruelty free. However, if cows are treated according to the high ethical principles of cow protection, as in the Vedic tradition of ancient Indian culture, where no cows are slaughtered, their milk provides unlimited benefits for human health and I am delighted to support Ahimsa Milk and welcome this latest initiative." ADF Director, Sanjay Tanna said : “ We were looking for ways to involve our supporters more deeply with the lives of our herd and the challenges of bringing slaughter-free milk to the breakfast table. We very much hope people will be keen to sponsor our cows and bulls and help us secure their future and expand our project.”