KALMAN ZABARSKY

3BU HINDUS gather for worship at the School of Theology.

Growing Pains pains. Marsh sometimes needs its basement for special events, and for BU’s Hindus the students must scramble for an alternate venue. “Sometimes, we Increasing recognition, but where to gather? don’t know where we’re going to be that week,” says Desai, former !"# $%&'( '%)* of reverence is the powder, and braid that person’s wrist copresident of the BU Hindu Council. 100 shoes outside the School of Theol- with thread. Even if Marsh is available, the largest ogy room. Inside, their 50 owners sit Hinduism has the oldest scriptures turnouts, which can hit 100, stretch on the carpeted floor as incense per- of any religion, the greatest number the basement’s seams. fumes the air near a table draped in of adherents after Christianity and Then there’s the theological prob- white and splashed with colorful Islam, and a burgeoning BU presence, lem: the opportunity for the faithful murtis (icons) of Hindu deities, includ- estimated at more than 350 students. to view icons is a central tenet of ing Ganesh, dispatcher of obstacles. This year, the University appointed its Hinduism that’s affronted by the (Traders chant his many names at first Hindu campus minister. current need to store them in a locked the start of business each day on Meanwhile, an on-again-off-again basement closet. “We’ve broken a lot the Bombay Stock Exchange.) campaign to find a designated prayer of them in transport, and the fact that space is on again. Currently, they’re in a closet is sacrilegious,” says students bounce between Desai. “If you go to a temple, they’ll The festival of dance drew more the School of Theology and be on an altar, and they’re treated just than 1,000 people, dwarfi ng a borrowed basement room like people. So the priest will put them in Marsh Chapel for Satur- down to go to sleep every night.” regular worship attendance. day prayer. Helping with the search is new Regular worship atten- campus minister Pandit Ramadheen Beside the table sit a married Hindu dance is dwarfed by special events; last Ramsamooj. A lecturer at the Univer- priest and priestess from Lexington, fall’s rasa lila, a festival of dance, drew sity of Massachusetts, Dartmouth, Mass., brought in to lead this late- more than 1,000 people to the Metcalf and headmaster of a New Hampshire February celebration of the festival Ballroom, says Pratik Desai (CAS’12). private school, he’s at BU part-time, of the god Shiva. Such community outreach won serving students as needed for coun- They open by leading the group BU’s Hindu students the best chapter seling and worship. In addition to in a gentle chant, accompanied by award last year from the New Jersey– nailing down a designated worship tambourine and hand drum. Each based Hindu Students Council, which spot, he’d like to start a scholarship worshipper has a plastic plate and bowl promotes Hindu culture. BU’s Hindu fund for Hindu students from poor with ritual items. They will sprinkle contingent is the largest of that coun- nations to attend BU, financed by themselves with water, anoint the cil’s 60 campus members. the University’s Hindu alumni. person next to them with vermilion Yet with growth comes growing RICH BARLOW

! BOSTONIA Summer 2012

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