First go at Broadcasting! ...Something a little different

Click the link below to watch my first try at broadcast journalism. This is a feature/sports news story on the ASU ice hockey team.

http://vimeo.com/7794716

Hindu Students at Elon lack in numbers, but not in Faith

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.”

Groove on Down to the Newest Pizza Joint in Town

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.