Malaysia Hindu Renaissance Fund
A successful professional in Kuala Lumpur has created a fund at the Hindu Heritage Endowment (HHE) to purchase the ground under Malaysia's eight- to ten-thousand Hindu temples. The donor, starting with a $10,000 pilot project, says some $50 million is needed. "I really hope the seriousness of the situation is realized; the future of Hinduism in Malaysia is at stake," he said.
A country of 25 million, of which 1.6 million are Hindu, Malaysia brought in Hindu immigrants as laborers to develop rubber plantations under British rule in the 1920s through the 1950s, the donor explained. "They built small temples on agricultural estates. When the British left in 1957, many of these estates were handed over to the local government. Hindu temples were suddenly on government land."
For forty years, he said, the government continued to allow people to worship as before, but over the past ten years the sale of government land to private businesses has changed that. "The companies that bought the land objected to the temples. They wanted them torn down to make room for development." He is convinced that buying the land where the temples stand is the only way to stop the destruction.
But he feels it is more than just the temples that are on uncertain ground. He is worried that Hinduism in Malaysia lacks a foundation of structure and discipline. "There are specific rules as to how temples should be operated and how pujas should be done," he asserted. "Most of the temples are not following these rules, because there is no one organization responsible for the running of the temples."
This visionary created the Malaysia Hindu Renaissance Fund (#19) at HHE to link the purchase of temple lands to the reform of temple practice. "I pray and hope that this fund will both purchase temple land and help establish proper management procedures at the temples it funds. As the fund grows, more temple lands can be acquired, more temples reformed and Hindu religious schools started throughout Malaysia to raise the quality of teaching and practice."
His family history seems to suit his large plans. He grew up in a small town 200 kilometers from Kuala Lumpur. "My father passed away when I was three. I was one of eleven children under the leadership of my mother. She had only papa's pension, and a small plot of land where we grew vegetables. The children worked and their money went back to mom. She was the central government and there were no opposition parties. At times she wanted to commit suicide, but her Hindu faith carried her through. All eleven of us went to school. Mother believed knowledge was indispensable. Before buying a car or a house, she said, get educated."
He has also included a bequest for the newly created fund in his estate plan. "I really appreciate what the Hindu Heritage Endowment is doing. I also believe that the teachings of Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami (founder of Hinduism Today) will take root and flourish in Malaysia. I have read his writings for twenty-five years. His teachings changed my life. He's the reason I have been successful and have money to give. It was not just what he taught, but the way he lived." To donate to this fund, click the "Donate Now" button below.
