Hindu

Read yesterday that Julia Roberts has turned Hindu . She's now practicing the religion . I am born as a Hindu or so I believe as I am raised as Hindu. I never thought what it really means to " practice" a religion . Perhaps it is the way I live my life , eat or cook my food , believe in Karma ,treat people,celebrate things. Trying to figure out what it really meant to me to be a "Hindu" .

In the schooldays while studying History, we all have come across the forceful conversions of Hindus into Islam or Christianity.I remember how amused I was at that tiny age also by the fact how people thought of themselves converted if they ate a bread made by the Christians. Thousands of villages had been " converted" into christains by the bread(paav ). Religion might mean faith and followers of the same breed. But then we all are humans , we are not animals looking different from each other and possessing specific skills .

I am born in India . Lived here for 25 years of my life , visiting temples , doing "Artis" at home , not eating "non-veg" food on Thursdays and Tuesdays and in Shravan. Then I had the chance to be in USA for five years where I learned to eat meat on any given day as vegan choices were limited (and bland !) Hardly I visited temples or tried to find the Almighty by driving miles and miles away . Was I a half-hindu then ? My daughter was born in USA . She never knew names of deities or she couldn't put her hands together for a " namaskar". I doubt what religion she would have practiced if she continued to live there .

As for Julia Roberts , sharing this news with media just before release of her movie leaves many brows raised.