Hindus shun posting for lack of a temple — MHS

15245-mapMIRI: The absence of a temple in the city apparently contributes to why Hindu professionals are vehemently reluctant to be posted here.

It leads to unfounded fears that Miri lacks the basic amenities for a comfortable standard of living, including a scared place of worship.

“There is no temple or even a simple place of worship for the Hindu community in Miri.

“This is why many professionals are reluctant to be posted over,” said Miri Hindu Society (MHS) president Selvaraj Grapragasem.

Selvaraj noted that Miri was the only city in the country without any temple for the Hindu community.

For this, the local Hindus at present had to go to Kuching, Brunei, Kota Kinabalu, or even the peninsula for certain religious ceremonies or marriage.

This caused great inconvenience and also incurred them high finance to pay for the air passage to fly to either one of the places mentioned.

With the increasing population of Hindus in the northern region, their activities also increased, as such Selvaraj felt there was a need for a temple.

“The future of Miri depends on children, teenagers and youths having good religious and moral values instilled in them from the beginning.

“Besides, a Hindu Temple will complement the motto ‘Unity in Diversity’ and add to the rich cultural and religious monuments in Miri,” he told The Borneo Post when contacted yesterday for his comments on the matter.

To another question, Selvaraj who is from Johor Baharu, disclosed that there were currently about 1,000 Hindus in the city, comprising the public service like teachers, police, doctors, lecturers and engineers from the oil and gas companies.

There were also students at Curtin University, Sarawak Campus, he disclosed.

Source: Hindu Currents