Story by Debjani Chatterjee
From April, the Hindu Samaj Mandir and Community Centre at 21 Buckenham Street, S4 7JQ, have a new resident priest, Pandit Ashwini Kumar.
‘Pandit’ is an honorific title sometimes given to a person as a mark of respect. The English word ‘pundit’ comes from the Sanskrit ‘Pandit’, which means a learned person. Pandit Ashwini Kumar studied in the holy city of Varanasi.
He originates from Delhi in India, but has also lived in Spain, where he worked as a priest for a number of years. He speaks Hindi, Sanskrit and Spanish, and is keen to improve his English. Pandit Ashwini Kumar has settled well into his job and is proving very popular with Samaj members. Like every Hindu, he accepts the validity of all spiritual traditions and welcomes everyone to visit our mandir or temple.
School groups are welcome too, but should contact us in advance. The mandir is normally open from 5.30pm to 8.30pm. Free yoga classes are held on Tuesday evenings, and on Sundays there is a children’s group in the morning and a singing group in the afternoon.
For more information visit https://www.hmaccs.co.uk or email info.hindusamajsheffield@gmail.co