Hinduism. What is it? This mystifying religion made not be too well understood by those who do not practice it because of its vast uniqueness from other religions. However, there are many who are moved by its power and ideals, even on Elon’s campus.
As the world’s third largest ‘religion’, Hinduism is practiced by roughly one billion people.
Hinduism is not simply a ‘religion’, but rather, it is a way of life, properly called Dharma in Sanskrit. Having originated in India, Hinduism is a unifying belief system that incorporates religious, philosophical, and cultural ideas based upon traditional Indian society.
Reincarnation, multiple manifestations of one absolute being, the law of cause and effect, the path of righteousness, and the desire for liberation from the cycle of births and deaths are all aspects of Hinduism that characterize it.
Because Hinduism is Dharma, it is not easy to classify as most religions. This is perhaps what makes it so mystifying and hard to put in words. Unlike Christianity, Hinduism has no one founder or one core doctrine to refer to, nor does it require the acceptance of any one belief.
This concept is hard to grasp for many, and in fact, there have been disputes regarding the legitimacy of Hinduism being considered an actual religion because of its lack of the ‘normal’ creedal type of religious characteristics.
Despite Elon’s affiliation with the United Church of Christ, the school works hard to embrace diversity in all aspects of life and culture, including religion. There is not, however, a formal Hindu club or organization equivalent to the largely popular Christian groups like InterVarsity.
With it’s huge number of global followers, it may seem surprising to some that there are only a mere nine Elon students who practice Hinduism.
To Raj Rawal, however, this does not matter. He remains devoted to his individual practice despite Elon’s lack of Hindu fellowship.
“I’ve practiced every morning since I was five years old for five minutes and do a prayer to the sun (Suriynarayan Puja). Wherever I am when I wake up, I always do this,” said Rawal.
Despite that they’re few in numbers and lack a formal on campus organization, the Hindu students at Elon generally feel that they are accepted here at Elon and have not had any problems with the Judeo-Christian dominant society.
“Everyone is supportive and curious of my practices,” said Rawal.
Last September, Rawal held an Aarti ceremony throughout the week of the Navratri holiday.
Rawal said, “Many people came to my room to participate in the Puja and wrote their world religion papers on it.”
The Navratri holiday (Navratri means nine nights) is nine nights and ten days of worship and dance dedicated to nine forms of Shakti/Devi. (Shakti and Devi are synonymous. They are referred to as The Great Divine mother in Hinduism, which represent the core form of every female Goddess.)
Even though there is no on campus Hindu temple to practice in at Elon, there are Hindu temples in the area.
“Cary just built and all new temple and it is beautiful,” Rawal said. Rawal, however, typically sticks to his individual practice in his room. “I practice in my room with my little statues.”
Elon may embrace religious diversity when it comes to Hinduism, but it is not flourishing on its own here by any means.
“It is in no way near strong, it needs tons of help,” Rawal said.
Quick to defend Elon, though, Rawal said, “This is not anyone’s fault though, people just do not know about the school [Elon] who are Indian. Maybe if more pre-med and pharmacy majors opened up, more Indian people would come. It’s very true. A vast majority of my Indian friends go to Rutgers in New Jersey.”
According to Rawal, this could be a major reason for the lack of Hindus on Elon’s campus.
“The Indian community is much more popular at state schools such as UNC, Rutgers, UCLA, UT, UGA, and UMD. In high school, I was the president of SAASA (South Asian Student Society of America) where we did many dance events.” For this reason, Rawal misses his involvement in the Hindu community.
When asked what Hinduism means to him personally, he said, “Its means expression and the freedom to excel and an individual with an independent progression to make one stronger. This independence will help you give back to Hindus and learn from all of the virtues Hinduism has to offer. Rather than listing things that are wrong with me, it offers me a path of things I can do to attain a certain goal for myself rather than telling me that I have sinned. If I have sinned, a Hindu god will feed me karma and balance me out. Its helped me mature at the times when I have felt down and made me realize many things and values about myself and life around me.”
Although he recognizes the religious respect here at Elon, Rawal also recognizes that not having an on campus organization is unfortunate. When asked if he thought this might be a possibility one day, he said, “In reality, this will not happen for a while, but I would love for it to happen.”
At the new Mellow Mushroom in Burlington, the slogan “happiness as expressed in pizza” is proven to be right.
Since its opening Monday, November 9, the Mellow Mushroom has been jam packed with hungry customers, Burlington residents and Elon students alike. Unlike most chain restaurants, the Mellow Mushroom is unique and rather groovy, especially for the small southern town of Burlington. Just in the past few days, the Mellow Mushroom has already proven to be exactly what Burlington needs with wait times up to two hours.
Psychedelic gnomes and hipster dwarfs cover the colorful walls of the redesigned restaurant, taking customers on a time-travel journey back to the 1970’s. This is nothing you will find in your local Cracker Barrel or Chili’s, that’s for sure.
Don’t be too distracted by the funky colorful murals or the waiters’ tie-dyed aprons, though. The Mellow Mushroom has much more to offer than its hippy style flare. Mellow Mushroom calls their Beer Club “something to talk about” with over fifty beers offered, many of which are available draft as well. This will keep the of age Elon students happy, for sure. And those who aren’t will be counting down the days.
How about some mouth-watering pretzels with that draft? These warm, doughy and delicious pretzels will leave you wanting more, and more, and more…until you can’t button bear to button your jeans. The Parmesan and butter pretzels are the perfect salty appetizers, while the cinnamon pretzels are for those who have a sweet tooth. Whichever you choose, you will not be disappointed. The dough melts in your mouth and hits the spot, especially if you’re a “carboholic”, like me.
Although my spinach side salad was nothing to call home about, all of the ingredients were fresh and well presented. The pizza though, is another story. It may not be off the streets of New York pizza, but it sure is delicious!
I had the Buffalo chicken pizza with grilled chicken, sweet sautéed onions, bacon, cheese, and hot sauce. It was TO DIE FOR. Perfectly spicy, yet not too hot, and the dough was just as good as the pretzels.
Although its been busy, the service has not suffered by any means. My waiter was a laid back young guy who was on the ball, and willing to recommend specialties if asked. Good food and good service? Heck yes!
As I walked through the restaurant, it seemed as if Mellow Mushroom has already become a popular hang out for Elon students, just as it was back in 1974 when three college students opened the first Mellow Mushroom at Georgia Tech University.
Probably the coolest thing about this pizza joint, that sets it apart from your typical California Pizza Kitchen, or Domino’s, is the fact that each Mellow Mushroom is locally owned and operated, allowing each location to be unique and eccentric in its own way. Throughout the years, it seems as though Mellow Mushroom has held itself to high standards in the restaurant business, providing its customers with a fun atmosphere, scrumptious food, and a bountiful bar. Despite its location off of Huffman Mill Road, Mellow Mushroom remains unique and fun, and does its best not to blend in with the monotonous chain restaurants that surround it.
Go, eat, and enjoy! As they may say at Mellow Mushroom, peace, love, and pizza.
Where the Wild Things Are – Review
by Bonnie Efird
The theory that the book is always better than the movie may have been proven wrong by this film, written, directed and produced by Spike Jonze.
Jonze’s adaptation of Maurice Sendak’s children’s book captures the essence of the innards of a young boy’s imagination. Plagued by his conflicted childhood, Max, played by child-actor Max Records, is the central character in this poignant and imaginative film. With his adorable freckles and innocent blue eyes Max speaks few words, but conveys a great deal of emotion.
After he decides his mother’s new boyfriend has replaced him, his sister doesn’t need him, and that having real friends isn’t an option, Max sails off to conquer the imaginative world where the wild things are in his wolf-“onesy”, growling, snarling, and howling. In this tale of escapism, Max’s journey out into the unchartered territory of his imagination is symbolic for his coping with the changes and growing pains in the life, and fulfilling a void caused by his broken family life.
By far the most impressive part of Jonze’s work in this film is the originality he was able to maintain within the film. Although the movie required a bit of expansion from the merely 40 page book, Jonze tenderly expanded the film without over-interpreting the symbolism within. This allows the viewer to watch the movie through their own lens and to interpret, as they will, the natural symbolism in the film.
Perhaps the most touching part of the film is that it maintained its simplicity, symbolic for the inner workings of a child’s mind. It is the simple story of a lonely boy, searching for companionship and adventure in the depths of his own imagination, far from the harsh reality of the cruel world he lives in.
The beginning of the film almost takes you back to childhood as Max carelessly flings himself down the stairs in the house chasing the family dog. As the opening scene of the movie, the audience is automatically captured as the camera jerkingly follows Max down the stairs in a disorienting and disruptive way, jolting as if someone was running down the stairs with camera in hand. This intimate view inside Max’s life allows everyone to experience boyhood.
It is perhaps just that which has caused this movie to be loved even more by adults than by children. Who wouldn’t love to experience childhood again? Who wouldn’t love to escape from the monotonous day-to-day routine, or the harsh realities thrown at us in this cruel world? Jonze does a great job of allowing audiences of all ages to journey back into their own childhoods, remembering the great imagination and adventure that we no longer have time for.
The wild things Max encounters on the island are such imaginative creatures it is almost hard to tell what kind of animal each is. This dreamlike world where Max becomes one of the herd is a beautifully portrayed place, and is exactly what you would imagine it would look like when reading the book. Each creature’s personality helps to develop the plot, while King Max rules over the forest and those whom reside there.
It is in this imaginary world where Max is able to get the attention he wants, and experience true friendship. For a young actor, it seemed as though Max Records was able to create depth within his character, and understood well the fire burning in King Max’s heart. Tearing down each of the creatures’ homes, having a dirt clod fight, and arguing with the creatures to prove his king-ship, Max Records did a fine job of playing the typical “temper-tantrumy” angry child.
Although Jonze leaves many questions unanswered, this provides some of the beauty of the film, and symbolizes the mystery of childhood. With refusal to interpreting the book, Jonze avoids explanation.
Some may think the movie is a bit slow (especially wigglely kids), and it does, the true beauty lies within its simplicity and originality. There is only so much action that can be slammed into a children’s movie. However, it seems as though this film has been more of a hit with its tried and true audience—the adults--Those who were around to read it when it first hit bookstores in 1963.
This long awaited film does anything but disappoint, and it’s sure to become as classic a movie as it is a book.
