INDIA, March 14, 2008: As many Hindu parents in America and Canada know too well, you just cannot be prepared for all the questions your child has to face in the school. Questions like: Why do Hindus worship the cow? Are Hindu Gods always married to many women? Why do Hindus worship icons?
The parents’ answers and explanations are often not satisfactory to the children — or, for that matter, to the parents themselves. Now, parents and children can turn to What is Hinduism? — a landmark book with over 400 large pages and nearly 1,000 illustrations that answers the above questions, and many more, with brevity and clarity. One of the book’s important achievements is in creating context that explains Hindu practices that are otherwise hard to clarify. One of the plus points is also its humour. ‘Hindus are not idle worshippers,’ the book continues. ‘I have never seen a Hindu worship in a lazy or idle way.’