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Just a way of life

A book that discovers the nuances of Hindu practices and philosophies has just hit the bookstores

SHOWING THE PATH (From left) Vikash Niyogi, Mike Pandey and Ashok Dilwali at the launch

"Take pride in being a Hindu", says the book, "Hindu - Joy of Life" by writer Utpal K. Banerjee. The book talks about the inherent joy embedded in the religion as against theidea of original sin, a guilt that Hinduism does not contain. The book describes many facets of the religion, from Gods and Goddesses to beliefs and rituals, from consciousness to yoga, from the ancient texts to the great literary thinkers, from the performing arts to the festivals.

Published by Niyogi Books, the book was recently launched by well-known wildlife filmmaker Mike Pandey at the India Habitat Centre in New Delhi. On the occasion, Banerjee said, "In every ritual, joy is embedded, every festival is a collectiveof men. Hinduism is the religion of tolerance- sarv dharma sambhava, the book is all about awareness."

Self-critical

Ashok Vajpeyi, eminent poet, also appreciated the book but criticised certain sections. "The book jumps from Sama Veda to quotes by Jhumpa Lahiri, missing the links." He also said the book fails to trace the evolution of modern languages from Sanskrit. When young minds are riding high on Harry Potter broomsticks, how will the book manage to bring these young minds to the deep roots of their religion? "The book is published at absolutely the right time, when youths are turning to the West, they need to take pride in our rich cultural heritage. The readers, just by seeing the photographs and headlines, will be enlightened," said Aruna Chakravarti, eminent educationist and author.

Eminent educationist, Anita R. Thapar of the Chinmaya Ananda Mission said, "The youth should question our rituals rather than blindly following them. This way they would learn the intricacies of the religion. The youth should also take up religious and classical art studies."

Also present on the event were photographer Ashok Dilwali and Dikash D. Niyogi, the publisher.

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