PLEA AS MORE AMBULANCES HEAD FOR STRIFE-TORN SYRIA

This article appears in today's Leicester Mercury:

Mohammed Elhadad, left, Leicester project leader for the UK Arabic Society, with other ambulance convoy volunteers

Pleas as more ambulances head for strife-torn Syria

by Tom Mack

Charities providing ambulances and medical equipment to war-torn Syria are hoping to get more support from Leicestershire.

UK charities have been working with the Red Crescent to deliver supplies to Syria since the civil war started there two years ago.

Next month, volunteers from Leicester will be joining a convoy delivering 15 more ambulances, bought with money raised by the UK Arabic Society and the Al Fatiha charity.

On Saturday, the charities will also be holding a fund-raising fun day in Highfields, Leicester, followed by a bucket collection at Pak Foods, in Chesterfield Road, Evington, on the following weekend.

Mohamed Elhaddad, Leicester project leader for the UK Arabic Society, will be leading the convoy.

He said: "It's a long, 3,000-mile trip through France, Italy, Greece and Turkey and it takes about seven days to get there.

"We sleep and cook in our vehicles to save money and along the way people sometimes open up community centres and other places for us to stay.

"There is a growing need for ambulances in Syria. We know that two parties are killing each other and our duty is to help the innocent people caught up in the middle of it.

"A lot of children are being hurt."

The UK Arabic Society first got involved with the Red Crescent in August last year and the first convoy took two ambulances.

Each ambulance costs about £5,000 second-hand from NHS trusts, plus about £3,000 more for equipment and the journey itself.

About £10,000 has been raised in Leicestershire since then, but the charities are planning to make much more in the coming months.The fund-raising day will be held on Saturday, between 11am and 4pm, at Uplands Primary School, in Melbourne Road.

Abdul Majid, 24, of Highfields, a volunteer for the Al Fatiha charity, will be joining the convoy in May.

He said: "I've done convoys to Gaza in the past as well and experienced living in that war zone, but this will be my first trip to Syria.

"We need to do whatever we can because what's happening to ordinary people there is unimaginable.

"A lot of people want to help us and it's non-Muslims as well as Muslims who support us."

Leicester's Lord Mayor, Councillor Abdul Osman, will be attending Saturday's event.

He said: "I think it's a very worthy cause. They've done a lot of work nationally and sent a lot of ambulances over to Syria and I understand they want to raise more money in Leicester.

"I wish them well and I'm sure there will be a lot of support from the generous people in this city."

To make a donation to the UK Arabic Society transfer money to the "UK Arabic Society", sort code 30-92-13, account number 0355 3576.

For more information, e-mail: info@ukarabicsociety.org.uk

KNIGHTS, CAMERAS, ACTION AS THE CITY SALUTES ST GEORGE

This article appears in today's Leicester Mercury:

Knights, cameras, action as the city salutes St George

by Tom Mack

Hundreds of people gathered in the sunshine to enjoy this year's St George's Festival.

Morris dancers, stilt walkers and youngsters dressed as knights and princesses were among the sights in the city's Cultural Quarter on Saturday afternoon.

There were also performances by young dancers, a chance to learn circus skills and live musical entertainment at the area's pubs.

CBeebies favourite Mike the Knight also made an appearance.

Claire Smith, 31, of Braunstone Town, was there with her two children, aged four and one.

She said: "We came down here for Mike the Knight because my children both love him.

"We've had a really nice time and it's beautiful weather."

Gareth Harper and Hannah Winn, who live in Braunstone Town, were also making the most of the weather.

Gareth, 30, said: "It's great. We came to see the parade of knights and princesses and we've also seen the morris dancing and I had a springbok and kangaroo burger from the market, which sounds like it might be hard to keep down!"

Hannah, 26, said: "I'm looking forward to seeing Mike the Knight because I always watch it with my five-year-old son."

Sisters Georgia and Ellie Bradbury, of Aylestone, were among the performers in Orton Square, dancing with fellow members of the Studio 79 street dance group.

Georgia, 13, said: "I was nervous but we've been rehearsing a lot in the last two weeks and it went all right."

Ellie, 10, said: "It's nice to see all the little children dressed up as knights and princesses."

The annual performance by Leicester Morris Men marked the beginning of their year of 60th anniversary celebrations. Dick Allsop, of Knighton, who danced with the group, said: "It seems the crowd is getting bigger and the weather is getting better each year."

Susan Shirley, 51, of Aylestone, was among the spectators.

"We're having a great time," she said. "I love the Morris dancing. It's a great tradition."

City mayor Sir Peter Soulsby was also enjoying the show.

He said: "There's a great mix of things going on. In the past, there have been one or two years when the crowd hasn't been very big. Of course, the weather helps a lot."

During the afternoon the nearby Phoenix cinema hosted live music from 12 young singer-songwriters and there were folk music sessions at the LCB Depot.

The Cultural Quarter festival ended with a ceilidh hosted by Leicester's Red Fox Band.

Elsewhere in the city centre on Saturday, the traditional battle between St George and Dragon was put on by the market's stallholders at 11am and 1pm.

BLINKERED VIEW OF BIBLE'S TEACHINGS

This letter appears in today's Leicester Mercury:

Blinkered view of Bible's teachings

Firstly, I must thank Mark W. Jacques in his letter ("Birth Rate Views", Mailbox, April 11) for confirming, as I suspected, that the Catholic direction on contraception is, in fact, not a Bible teaching, but an instruction coming from church leaders.

Also, to simply dismiss my comments about the truthfulness of Bible teachings as a protestant view is really taking a blinkered view of the real value of the Bible's teachings, which are just as relevant today as they were when God had His faithful servants pen His words all those years ago.

I understand the Catholic Church believes that through the Pope and Cardinals it has the right to make its own rules, but there is a great danger in this, if they are presenting them as God's will. The nation of Israel, God's chosen people, started to put the 'oral tradition' of men above the Mosaic Law and look what happened to them. They made true worship a burden on the faithful.

Its leaders, the High Priest, Scribes and Pharisees, sought prominence and it all resulted in them killing the Messiah, their promised saviour, because they didn't recognise him as the Son of God, the one that they were expecting. Why didn't they recognise who he was? It was because he didn't come in the way they wanted, a mighty military leader who would free them from the Roman yoke.No, he came exactly as the Old Testament showed in numerous prophesies, but because they thought that they knew better, they missed out and lost their favoured position with God.

As Romans 15:4 states " all things written aforetime, were written for our instruction, that through our endurance and the comfort from the scriptures, we might have hope". It would seem that history is again repeating itself.

Once again, man thinks he knows better than God. Making up their own rules that override Bible teachings, usually with bad results.

For example, the Catholic Church forbids the priesthood to marry and yet at 1 Timothy Chapter 3, clear instructions are given regarding the appointment of priests and bishops. Chapter 4 goes on to point out where the teaching that forbids marriage comes from.

I am not knocking the Catholic faith. I simply want the truthfulness of the Bible to be acknowledged and taught by those that claim to be its representatives on Earth because within its pages lie the hope for mankind.

Keith Coleman, Ashby de la Zouch

SIKHS BRING A SPLASH OF COLOUR & MUSIC TO LEICESTER

This article appears in today's Leicester Mercury:

Sikhs bring a splash of colour and music to Leicester

by Tom Mack

More than 15,000 people were drawn to the city centre yesterday for one of the most colourful parades of the year.

The annual Vaisakhi procession saw people from Sikh temples all over the region parade through the centre of Leicester from the temple in Holy Bones, near St Nicolas Circle, to the temple in East Park Road, Evington.

Drums and religious songs reverberated through the streets as the crowds made there way along the three-mile route, with drinks and snacks to keep them going.

The procession was headed by a drummer on the back of a vehicle, followed by more than a dozen barefoot sweepers, clearing the streets with brooms ahead of the flag and sword bearers.

For Sikhs, Vaisakhi commemorates the founding in 1699 of the Sikh community, the Khalsa, and for Hindus marks the start of the New Year.

The first vehicle in the parade, with musicians and the scriptures known as the Guru Granth Sahib, was followed by dozens of school children. Behind them were more vehicles and thousands more people.

As the parade made its way through the city, more and more people joined in.

Gurjeet Kaur, 32, of the Narborough Road area of Leicester, who was there with her family, said: "We come every year and it's always a very happy event.

"People come from a long way away because this is the biggest event of the year for us and although there are others elsewhere in the UK, this is the best.

"There are thousands of people.

"We love coming to follow it through the city and sing traditional songs.

"There are snacks along the way to keep our energy up – lots of samosas and drinks."

 

Balbir Singh Ram, 40, of Braunstone Town, Leicester, was also there with his family.

He said: "I've done this every year since I was little and it's lovely on days like this when the sun's out.

"A lot of people join the parade as it moves along but a lot of other people, who aren't Sikhs, come and watch, so I think it's a good multi-cultural event as well.

"Leicester City Council and the police always make a big effort and they're to be applauded."

It was the first parade for three-year-old Gurnnoor Singh, of Belgrave.

His dad, Satinder, 42, said: "Last time he was in his pram so this is the first time he's walking and I'm sure he'll make it the whole way.

"It's a long way but we never feel tired because we're celebrating and so everyone's happy.

"It's a very nice event and it's lovely weather, too."

In the last four processions combined, more than £16,000 was collected for charities along the way.

This year the collection was in aid of Anthony Nolan, Leicester General Hospital's kidney unit, the Teenage Cancer Trust, the Sikh Organisation for Prisoner Welfare and the Sukrit Education Trust.

Leicester City councillor Inderjit Singh Gugnani, who represents Knighton ward, was among the organisers of the event.

He said: "The nicest thing about the day is when I see people from other communities opening their doors and being interested in what's happening."

TIRATH YATRA WALK 2013, STAGE 10: SHREE SHAKTI MANDIR

Stage ten of the Tirath Yatra Sponsored Walk with Leicester Friends of Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies: Shree Shakti Mandir, Canon Street.The goal is to visit 16 Hindu places of worship (mandirs) in Leicester on foot in a single day.

Tirath Yatra (Hindi: तीर्थयात्रा) is a journey undertaken as a pilgrimage.

I found Shree Shakti Mandir one of the most interesting stops on last year's Holi Yatra Walk. A single storey concrete building in a residential area, it would be easy to miss Shree Shakti Mandir or mistake it for something else - a scout hut, for instance. It's certainly one of the least ostentatious places of worship I've visited in Leicester. It reminds me of the Italian Chapel on Lamb Holm in the Orkney Islands, which I've visited twice (in 1984 and 2008). This building was previously used as a Roman Catholic church (Our Lady of Good Counsel). On the side of the building shown in these photos (on Moira Street), Christian symbols have deliberately been left visible, as a way of emphasising the harmony of past and present use.

Sadly, this time there's no one to let us in, so we have to content ourselves with seeing the outside only. The building has been enlivened with some vivid repainting of certain arts in red since last year's visit. This makes some elements stand out more than they did last time, such as the big red trident shown in the photo above, superimposed on a cross. There are another three tridents tucked into the niche on the gable, with the cross above them.

On the walk to our next destination, BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, I discuss the significance of the trident with a couple of my fellow yatris. In Sanskrit and Pali, the trishula ("three spear") is the emblem of the god Shiva. The three prongs represent Shiva's three aspects:

• creator
• preserver
• destroyer

as well as the three shaktis ("powers" - which suits this mandir, of course):

• will
• action
• wisdom

The fearsome goddess Durga also brandishes a trishula in one of her seven hands.

I mention a few things about the trident and its use in classical mythology and art and in popular culture. Aquaman has one. So he should; after all, he's King of Atlantis!

TIRATH YATRA WALK 2012, STAGE 9: SHREE SANATAN MANDIR

Stage nine of the Tirath Yatra Sponsored Walk with Leicester Friends of Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies: Shree Sanatan Mandir, Weymouth Street. The goal is to visit 16 Hindu places of worship (mandirs) in Leicester on foot in a single day.

Tirath Yatra (Hindi: तीर्थयात्रा) is a journey undertaken as a pilgrimage.

Shree Sanatan Mandir is the HQ of the National Council of Hindu Temples (UK). We stop here for lunch, spending about an hour here.

On the way here from Mandir Baba Balak Nath Ji, Uppingham Road, we pass the Ramgharia Centre on Ulverscroft Road. I don't know anything about this place or the community who use it. I must consult Guru Google (as I heard it described for the first time today).

TIRATH YATRA WALK 2013, STAGE 8: MANDIR BABA BALAK NATH JI

Stage eight of the Tirath Yatra Sponsored Walk with Leicester Friends of Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies: Mandir Baba Balak Nath Ji, Uppingham Road. The goal is to visit 16 Hindu places of worship (mandirs) in Leicester on foot in a single day.

Tirath Yatra (Hindi: तीर्थयात्रा) is a journey undertaken as a pilgrimage.

After an extended stay at our last port of call (Shree Hindu Temple & Community Centre on St Barnabas Road) this is a quick stop. I'm at the back of the line and by the time I get inside and have the first shoe off, those who went in first are coming out and putting their shoes back on!

TIRATH YATRA WALK 2013, STAGE 7: SHREE HINDU TEMPLE & COMMUNITY CENTRE

Stage seven of the Tirath Yatra Sponsored Walk with Leicester Friends of Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies: Shree Hindu Temple & Community Centre, St Barnabas Road. The goal is to visit 16 Hindu places of worship (mandirs) in Leicester on foot in a single day.

Tirath Yatra (Hindi: तीर्थयात्रा) is a journey undertaken as a pilgrimage.

Rangoli patterns in coloured chalk at one of the entrances to Shree Hindu Temple & Community Centre

In their own literature and website, Shree Hindu Temple is described as the first Hindu place of worship to be opened (in 1969), not only in Leicester, but in the United Kingdom. How does that square with the claims made for Radha Krishna Temple on Cromford Street (the previous stage on our yatra) I wonder? That's a conundrum I promised myself to solve when we were here last year on the Holi Yatra Walk. You might want to have a peek at Shree Hindu Temple's YouTube channel while you're at it.

Rangoli patterns in coloured chalk at one of the entrances to Shree Hindu Temple & Community Centre

We have a bit of a sit down for half an hour or so here, enjoying cold drinks and nibbles in a marquee in the car park before setting off to our next destination, just a few minutes walk away: Mandir Baba Balak Nath Ji, on Uppingham Road.

TIRATH YATRA WALK 2013, STAGE 6: RADHA KRISHNA TEMPLE SHYAMA ASHRAM

Stage six of the Tirath Yatra Sponsored Walk with Leicester Friends of Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies: Radha Krishna Temple Shyama Ashram, Cromford Street. The goal is to visit 16 Hindu places of worship (mandirs) in Leicester on foot in a single day.

Tirath Yatra (Hindi: तीर्थयात्रा) is a journey undertaken as a pilgrimage.

Radha Krishna Temple was the first Hindu place of worship in Leicester, having been established in 1968 and it has been in continuous use since then. 

Rangoli pattern in coloured chalk on doorstep of Radha Krishna Temple Shyama Ashram

At this point in the Holi Yatra Walk last year, I hung around so long getting photos at the end of the visit, and updating social media about this latest stage, that I didn't see which way the group set off and managed to become separated from them. I didn't catch up for about 90 minutes when they were starting lunch at Shree Hindu Mandir and Community Centre in St Barnabas Road. I wasn't going to let that happen again.

For some reason unknown to me, Twitter gave up at this point of the walk and I was unable to post any more tweets for the rest of the day.

TIRATH YATRA WALK, STAGE 5: SHREE GEETA BHAVAN TEMPLE & COMMUNITY CENTRE

Stage five of the Tirath Yatra Sponsored Walk with Leicester Friends of Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies: Shri Shirdi Sai Baba Temple, Colton Street. The goal is to visit 16 Hindu places of worship (mandirs) in Leicester on foot in a single day.

Tirath Yatra (Hindi: तीर्थयात्रा) is a journey undertaken as a pilgrimage.

Shree Geeta Bhavan is the home of the Hindu Religious and Cultural Society Leicester.

We top up with fizzy drinks and biscuits here, then head off to Highfields. On the way, we pass Network for Change, on the corner of London Road and Evington Road. This poster is in the window there.