In the wake of September 11th there has been an upsurge of interest in the understanding of religions not only among the general public but also in the schools curriculum around the nation. Narain Bhatia, an active member of the Indo-American community was among the three speakers who presented a talk in a program called “Putting a face on religion and culture” This was organized by the Interfaith Clergy Association in Lexington on April 23rd at the Christian Science church in Lexington.

Against a backdrop of a quotation that read “Blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called the children of God", the three speakers, Narain Bhatia, Tahir Choudhry and Sam Chan made presentations on the three major religions – Hinduism, Islam and Buddhism.

Tahir Chaudhry , President of the Islamic center of Boston at Wayland outlined the origin and history of Islam and its many facets. He reiterated the fact that the essence of the Islamic teaching closely resembled the Jewish faith and Christianity. He also read out some of the quotations of the prophet Muhammad and explained the five pillars of Islam. Tahir Chaudhry also explained the message of Islam as embodied in the Holy book of the Quran and the Hadith. Milestones in American Muslim history was also traced.

Hinduism as a faith was presented by Narain Bhatia who hoped that his presentation would help others understand and arouse some curiosity about the religion. According to him , Hinduism was mainly a way of life with two aspects to it, rituals balanced with philosophy. The concept of Dharma, Karma, Moksha and Nirvana as an essential part of the Hindu Philosophy was emphasized. One question from the audience concerned the many hands and faces in the portraits of the Hindu gods, who, Narain Bhatia said, are all manifestations of the one God. Narain Bhatia and Vish Chowdry, explained that the many hands and faces are symbolic of the ways in which the gods are much larger than human and by which they can see and reach out to the world.

Sam Chan, a Newton resident who is active in the Dharmakaya Center, a Buddhist temple in Lexington drew a parallel of the Buddhist philosophy to the tasting of an apple “that until someone take s a bite with it you cannot experience its taste. According to him, Buddhism appealed because it was an awakening of the mind. The many faces of Buddhism represented a way of living,it was scientific since it can be experienced and it is also religious because it is a means of cultivating the Bodhi mind.

The program was presented to the meeting of the Joint Council of the Lexington Public Schools, including Superintendent Joanne Benton, the principals, vice-principals, and department directors The presentations were accompanied by written materials and by visual images. Rabbi Howard Jaffe of Temple Isaiah welcomed the audience on behalf of the Clergy Association, and the Rev. Helen Lutton Cohen of First Parish Unitarian Universalist Church introduced the speakers.“The Association created a task force to study the issues and it concluded that the most important thing to do is to help people get to know one another's culture and beliefs, to reduce ignorance and the fear that goes with ignorance,” she said. It was also agreed that in future, consideration would be given to Diwali and Eid, the main festivals in the Hindu and Muslim calendar

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