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UNITED KINGDOM, February 25, 2005: Mr. Sudarshan Bhatia in a BBC Asian Network interview on Thursday told the listeners about the shortage of qualified priests to carry out order of worship in the Hindu Temples throughout the UK. He said, “This situation has emerged due to implementing a new legislation making proficiency in English compulsory for Entry Clearance for the Hindu priests applying for work permits for employment in the Hindu Temples in the UK. The Hindu order of worship, observances, delivering sermons, lecturing discourses, carrying-out rituals, mass religious teachings and explaining the worship and the Deities to the community congregations are performed and delivered by different members of religious order with prescribed acts and all with religious sentiments. Proficiency of English of the legislated standard is required for the members of religious order serving temples through congregations and religious community work, i.e., swamis, etc., and not by those serving with order of worship and performing daily worship to the Deities which are our Hindu priests. Hindu priests do not do sermons like ministers of other religions.”



Bhatia went on, “There are no Hindu schools to train Hindu priests and no faculties to avail academic qualification to chose this as career. There are no Hindu priests available in this country to fill up the vacancies in the Hindu Temples. The problem is getting very urgent for us as only last week the Ram Mandir, one of the oldest in the country, has had their application rejected. The problem is growing as more and more temples are encountering this situation every time their application is rejected on this ground.” Mr. Bhatia pointed out that monks and nuns have got exemption on these grounds. “We were not granted any grace period to resolve the situation arising from the implementation of this legislation.” Mr. Bhatia, on a positive note, told the radio that the Hindu Council’s campaign so far has not fallen on deaf ears. “The Government has been listening and assured us a second review.”

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