Author: Krishan Dutt, London
Publication: Hinduism Today
Date: March - April, 2001
Introduction: Vivekananda Kendra's
popular study program
Jai Prakash Lakhani, a quiet, unassuming
gentleman from Wembley, is pioneering a unique field, the teaching of Hinduism
in English schools. A few Hindus have in the past experimented with propagating
Hindu dharma as a school subject, but it is Lakhani, popularly known as
Dalip, who, with his vision and determination, has been most successful.
Following my call for an interview, Dalip, founder of the Wembley-based
Vivekananda Centre, invited me to his class on the following Sunday at
the Hindu temple on Lady Margaret Road in the West London suburb of Southall.
Vivekananda Centre (VC) often represents
Hinduism at religious education conferences and seminars held at schools
and colleges around England to help religious education teachers gain a
better, more accurate insight into the Hindu dharma. The Centre has devised
a course to prepare students 'for General Certificate of Secondary Education
(GCSE) A-Level examination in London University. During 2000, the Vivekananda
Centre in Wembley prepared as many as 150 students to sit for their GCSE
examination in Hindu Dharma. The Centre also promotes the teachings of
Swami Vivekananda to youngsters keen to understand spirituality in a rational
way.
Vivekananda Centre, under Dalip's
guidance, arranges school trips to Hindu temples and monasteries in the
UK; participates in inter-religious debates and seminars; runs Sunday classes
on Hinduism for children at various venues in and around London in which
about 400 children take part on any given Sunday; puts up pictorial exhibitions
on the life and teachings of Swami Vivekananda in educational institutions
and community centers; creates plays on religious themes; and promotes
the sayings of Sri Ramakrishna on the radio. They maintain an internet
site' (www.btinternet.com/~vivekananda/centre.html) which includes a reference
page for school children who are researching Hinduism. They're particularly
happy with their latest play, "Sri Ramakrishna," and will send the script
to any institute wanting to try it out.
Dalip has lived in Britain for 37
years. He earned a master's degree in theoretical physics at King's College,
London. Now retired, he devotes most of his time to the activities of Vivekananda
Centre, which he founded seven years ago. During summer months he conducts
classes in Hinduism for young boys and girls at the Southall Hindu temple.
The one to which I was invited had attracted 45 participants.
During class, he talked on aspects
of the Hindu faith, mythology and philosophy as propounded in the ancient
Vedas. Dalip laid particular emphasis on the practical side of life. Desires,
for example, should be legitimate, within reason and not far beyond ones
reach. It is vital that one should be able to control one's desires. A
lot of misery in the world today, said Dalip, is because we are not able,
or willing, to keep our desires under control. He talked about how meditation
and yoga, practised properly and regularly, are of immense benefit. He
drew from the Upanishads and Bhagavad Gita. Dalip concluded, "While teaching
or learning the true values of Hindu Dharma, one should not be bogged down
with superstitious dogmas, but think and act in a rational way."
When I asked ten-year-old Bindu
what she thought of the Vivekananda class, she said, "Such classes are
helpful for English boys and girls to understand the Hindu way of life,
and I get more knowledge of the Hindu teachings." In Southall, Satya Pal
Kapur, Secretary of Vishwa Hindu Kendra which manages the Southall temple,
said, "Vivekananda Centre is doing a very good work, and we are pleased
to provide facilities for their classes on Hinduism."
