TORONTO, Canada: The Toronto District School Board (TDSB) in Canada has resolved that month of November each year be declared as Hindu Heritage Month.
TDSB Trustees, in their April 18 meeting, passed a motion which said, “Hindu Heritage Month is an opportunity to celebrate and educate all our students and school communities about this ancient and spiritual way of life.”
It also said: Canadians of Hindu faith have greatly contributed to civic life in Canada for decades, and are a vibrant part of the growth and prosperity of Toronto, Ontario and Canada.
The motion also stated: Hinduism (or Sanatana Dharma) encompasses a broad range of contributions to learning through mathematics, astronomy and science, and well-being through health practices such as yoga, meditation and a vegetarian diet.
Hinduism is the oldest and third largest religion of the world with about 1.1 billion adherents and moksha (liberation) is its ultimate goal.
TDSB serves approximately 246,000 students in nearly 600 schools, besides over 140,000 life-long learners. Over 120 languages are spoken by TDSB students and their families. Dr. John Malloy and Robin Pilkey are Director and Trustees Chair respectively.
Welcoming the Toronto School Board decision, Rajan Zed, president of Universal Society of Hinduism urged that it should also declare Diwali, most popular Hindu festival, as an official holiday in view of presence of substantial number of Hindu students in the District, as it was important to meet the religious and spiritual needs of Hindu pupils and show respect to their faith. He observed that awareness about other religions thus created by such holidays like Diwali would make Toronto students well-nurtured, well-balanced, and enlightened citizens of tomorrow.
India Post News Service
