Carolyn Jones (Hon. Sec., Altrincham Interfaith Group) writes :-
As part of our programme of visits to different places of worship, about 40 of us from Altrincham Interfaith Group came to the Gita Bhavan Hindi temple in Whalley Range on Thursday October 10th for what turned out to be a really splendid evening. We arrived as prayers were taking place in the main hall and, having removed our shoes, sat quietly at the back watching the ritual singing accompanied by drums and bell ringing.
We were then ushered into the dining area where we were treated to a delicious meal of curry and rice followed by a fruit and cream desert, an unexpected treat for most of us! Then upstairs where we were seated and Poonam Kakkar introduced us to Professor Nawal Prinja, a renowned scientist and expert on Hinduism who was Director and Co-Chair of the Interfaith Network for the UK, Religious Education Spokesman of the World Council of Hindus and a founding member of the Hindu Jewish Association of Manchester, who gave us a fascinating illustrated talk about the Philosophy and Spirituality of the Hindu Faith. He covered a wide area of topics including the nature of the soul and cosmology and held us spellbound. After questions, he was thanked by Father John Rafferty, the Chair of Altrincham Interfaith Group, and received very warm applause for what had been a fascinating talk, giving us insights into the Hindu religion that were, I think, new to us all.
