US : 8-year-old Hindu boy traumatized for drawing swastika

Margashirsha Krushnapaksha 4,Kaliyug Varsha 5114



New Jersey (USA) :
Swastika, the symbol of auspiciousness and strength in Hindu mythology is often misunderstood in the West for its resemblance to the Nazi symbol of hate. What is synonymous to the holocaust in Europe is very different from the Hindu swastika that is present in every festive or religious occasion. An 8-year-old Hindu boy in the US paid the price of someone else’s limited knowledge, when he was counseled and traumatized for drawing a swastika and Christmas tree in his school.

Studying in the third grade in a school in New Jersey, the boy’s drawing was taken in the wrong light by a teacher’s aide – who did not know that the symbol drawn by the boy on December 4, 2012, was actually a sign of goodness in Hindu religion. Without telling the boy’s parents, the teacher’s aide, backed by the Principal of the school, sent him for counseling to correct ‘racial bias’.

The Indian swastika according to Hinduism is drawn with red vermilion, and has four accompanying dots. Unlike the German Swastika, it is not drawn in black or is not within a circle.

The parents could instantly see that the boy was traumatized emotionally when he returned home the very day. On being questioned, he started vommitting and crying. The very next day, the parents went to the school to talk to the principal, who did not recognize his fault in the matter, and became defensive, reported Indian Paronama. The parents on December 9, filed a complaint with the School Board and County School Superintendent against the Principal, Counselor and the teacher’s aide – demanding proper investigation into the conduct of all the three. They demanded that the teacher’s aide must give a written apology, and seek counseling from a Hindu priest or a Scholar. In case she refused to give written a apology she must be dismissed.

Source : Merinews

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