Belfast Boys Model School

The School have embraced the richness of the Indian culture and Hindu tradition by hosting the Chairman of the Belfast’s Indian Community Centre, Ashok Sharma, to mark ‘World Religion Day 2009’ (Sunday 18th January).

Pupils were treated to an extensive insight into Indian rituals that have been practised for centuries, including a Sari demonstration and Hindu hand-painting, as well as being offered the opportunity to dress up in the country’s traditional costume. The boys were also given a detailed account of the prominent themes in the Hindu religion, Indian music, dance and festivals, in an attempt to generate an overall understanding of the Indian culture and traditions in Northern Ireland.

Commenting on the Indian Community Centre’s visit to the school, Head of Religion, Mrs Hart commented, “I am very pleased that the Belfast Indian Community Centre has taken the time and interest in educating our pupils as to the growing diversity of different communities within their city. Belfast’s future will depend heavily on barriers to social inclusion being broken down and the variety of backgrounds in the city becoming appreciated and positively valued. It is our responsibility to ensure that Boys’ Model pupils leave the school with a well rounded understanding and respect for other faiths and the realization that people of different cultures should be able to practice their faith openly without fear of persecution or intolerance. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the centre for attending the school and voicing their clear message of cultural equality”.

Ashok Sharma, Chairman of the Belfast Indian Community Centre, said of his visit to the school, “Belfast Boys’ Model School has given us the opportunity to promote our Indian heritage, in an attempt to develop interaction and the integration of the communities in Northern Ireland.

Through our activities we hope that we can achieve a multi-cultural environment with a view to developing a shared future for everyone living in Belfast and Northern Ireland as a whole. I hope that our visit to the school allowed the boys to experience the commonalities between us all, as opposed to fixating too readily on the differences that might separate us”.

World Religion Day 2009 aims to foster the establishment of interfaith understanding and harmony by emphasizing the common denominators underlying all religions.