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An advocate of inter-faith relations

I wanted to relocate myself to a place where people of different faiths lived in harmony. The God's Own Country was the natural choice, he tells Sangeeth Kurian

David Alan Hart

When David Alan Hart, an Anglican priest and a lecturer in theology and religious studies at King Alfred's College, Winchester, U.K., decided to resign his lucrative job and settle down in Kerala, it came as a `shock' and `surprise' to many.

An advocate of inter-faith relations, especially those between monotheistic traditions and Hinduism, Mr. Hart's sudden decision was prompted by the recent bomb attacks in London. "The fear of insecurity among the people was high following the incident and I wanted to relocate myself to a place where people of different faiths lived in harmony. The God's Own Country was the natural choice," said Mr. Hart, who is also the international secretary of World Congress of Faiths.

His rented home, Bhairavi, located on the banks of the Karamana river at Karumam, is now a hub of religions. The `puja' room of the house, an open enclosure near the dining hall, is a visible confluence of faiths, with the picture of the Sacred Heart sharing space with those of Saraswati and mosques. "I begin the day from here after meditating in yoga position for nearly 15 minutes," said Mr. Hart pointing to the enclosure. "For me, all religions are the same," he said. The basic underlying philosophy of all religions are identical, he added.

In fact, his desire for identifying with the new faith was so high that with the assistance of International Society for Krishna Consciousness, a spiritual society aimed at propagating the message of Bhagavad Gita, he converted to Hinduism and changed his middle name, `Alan,' to `Ananda Krishna Das.' "Hinduism has helped me to balance my understanding of faith. I now know that God is as much male as he is female," said Mr. Hart referring to the women deities of Hinduism.

But then his tryst with faiths does not end there: his daily meditation is followed up with a `darshan' at the Naga temple near his house. "The first time I went to the temple, the poojari used to look at me with suspicion. But now, he has accepted me. Now I feel we are one."

Mr. Hart is also the author of several books, such as Faith in Doubt: Non-realism and Christian Belief, One Faith? Non-realism and the World of Faiths, Linking Up: Christianity and Sexuality and Multi-Faith Britain: an Experiment in Worship.

His fifth book, titled Trading Faith: Global Religion in an Age of Rapid Change, which focusses on a new model for understanding religious practice and faith, is all praise for the State's religious harmony among the Hindus, Christians and Muslims.

The book, which has a foreword written by the president of World Congress of Faiths, will be formally released in the city on April 18.

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