Hindu religious leaders have commended the President and Government for their efforts to promote coexistence, peace and reconciliation among all communities, while also expressing their support for the national programme to eradicate the scourge of narcotics threatening the country’s future generations.
This was stated when a group of Hindu priests representing Colombo, Batticaloa, Jaffna and the Hill Country met President Anura Kumara Dissanayake at the Presidential Secretariat yeaterday morning (10).
The Hindu priests further stated that they opposed any attempt to spread racism on the basis of religion or culture, emphasising that the purpose of religion should be to spread love among all people.
The Government’s programme to combat the scourge of narcotics was also discussed extensively. The Hindu priests pointed out that defeating the narcotics menace is not a task that can be undertaken by any individual or institution alone, but is a national responsibility that must be undertaken collectively by society as a whole. They stressed that the active contribution of every sector of society is essential to eradicate the scourge and expressed their blessings for the President and the Government to continue advancing this national programme in a sustained and strengthened manner.
They also requested the President to establish a formal mechanism through which all Hindu priests living in different parts of the island could work together, particularly in addressing national needs of this nature. They pointed out that such a mechanism would also provide an opportunity to discuss and resolve issues affecting Hindu devotees, including the conduct of Hindu religious schools.
The President pointed out that Hinduism comprises diverse religious traditions, beliefs and identities and does not have a single leadership structure; therefore, its diversity cannot be unified under one structure. He agreed on the importance of establishing a joint mechanism of priests through which they could work collectively towards common social objectives while preserving their respective religious identities and diverse traditions in their existing forms.
Accordingly, the President instructed that the necessary programme to establish common social action with the participation of all parties, while respecting the diversity within Hinduism, be formulated under the coordination of the President’s Senior Additional Secretary.
The meeting was attended by a number of priests, including the Chief Priest in charge of the Colombo Centre of the Ramakrishna Mission, Sri Swami Aksharatmananda Maharaj; the Chief Priest in charge of the Colombo Centre of the Chinmaya Mission, Gunantitananda Saraswathi; Brammasri S. Sivaneshan Sarma; and Saththyaseelan Umakanth Sivachchariar, as well as President’s Senior Additional Secretary Roshan Gamage and others.
