Hindus to lobby for sacred river site in Canada

TORONTO: The Hindu religious practice of scattering ashes of departed souls into the river is leading people living in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) of Canada to worry about the potential environmental impact.

With a growing Hindu community in GTA, people (both Hindus and whites) are concerned that the ritual is leaving behind an unsightly mess that is hazardous to the environment. In many cases people put their offerings into plastic bags and drop them into rivers.

To address the situation, Hindu community leaders and conservation organisations have published a brochure to tell Hindus how to continue the rituals and respect the environment at the same time, according to Canada’s CTV. Toronto’s Hindu community is also looking for an appropriate place of their own on one of the city’s rivers where they could follow the ancient rituals.

“We are looking for a place where they can sit and have their proper prayers chanted, the proper offerings made, and we know the sanctity will be maintained,” explained Pandit Rupnath Sharma. In the coming few months, Sharma and other Hindu community leaders are planning to lobby the local government and agencies to have such a place designated.