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A unique oral history archive has documented the stories of first-generation Hindus who migrated to Britain. The archive is currently touring various temples and public libraries across the country.
The stories have been stored in a memory bank by the Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies (OCHS) as part of the first Hindu archive in Britain.
Last time the archive was opened to visitors who had gone to visit to the Swaminarayan temple in Neasden, north London, and it will now travel to Glasgow, Edinburgh, Newcastle, Preston, Manchester, Cardiff, Leeds and Leicester.
Shri Shaunaka Rishi Das, Director of OCHS told the media that this was a timely moment for the project: ?If Hindus in this country do not recollect their memories, then they will lose their identity in the future because we define who we are based on the past.?
He added: ?As British Hindus this is extremely important because we have to articulate our identities in this country and till date we have not historically documented the stories of the Hindu community.?
The Centre has brought together a collection of official documents, letters, diaries, memorabilia, newspapers, newsletters, photographs, audio and videotapes, films, CDs and DVDs that capture the history of Hindus in Britain and beyond.
A British Hindiusm oral project was set up in March 2001 to focus on conducting recorded interviews with ordinary Hindus who migrated to Britain from other countries around the world. Historian and researcher for the project, Dr Shalini Sharma told the media: ?It was amazing to work with a community that no one really knows a lot about, bringing out their desires, hopes and what they want from Britain.?
She said there were stories about devotees of Sai Baba who were so generous to other people and their faiths. In all, about 300 stories have been recorded under the project.
Indian children in British schools
Children of parents of Indian origin outperformed all other pupils in last year'sexaminations in Scotland, repeating the performance of their counterparts in England.
The high performers were those from Indian, Chinese and mixed-race backgrounds, according to a report released by the Scottish Executive.
Douglas Weir, a professor of social studies at Strathclyde University, credited the good results in certain ethnic groups to ?aspirational and supportive? parents.
He said: ?Immi-grants may have to start out in fairly low-skilled jobs here, but they are often very determined that their children should succeed. We know that the home background is a very important factor in a child'sattainment.?
Children of Chinese origin were the most successful of all pupils, notching up 211 points under the Scottish tariff system used to assess academic results, compared to the average score of 168.
Children from a mixed-race background came second, followed by Indian pupils?both groups well ahead of the average performance (170 points) of White, British-born pupils in Scottish schools.
However, with scores of 163 and 154, Pakistani and Bangladeshi Asians were below average, recording the weakest results of all, in the analyses of passes.
Money for animal care
An animal lover from North Wales has completed a gruelling five-day ride across Rajasthan to raise cash for maltreated horses in the Middle East.
Tilda Manson, from Bodedern, trekked across Rajasthan on horseback in temperatures above 100 degrees Fahrenheit for more than 150 km.
The former head of the Anglesey Equestrian Centre was one of the 30 who undertook the ride for the Brooke Hospital in London, raising a total of ? 90,000.
?It was gruelling,? said 64-year-old Manson. ?We were riding for 30 to 40 km a day and I was badly kicked by a stallion.
?But it was worth it, because Brooke Hospital does such excellent work and I would like to thank everybody who have helped.?
Brooke Hospital for animals relieves the sufferings of horses, donkeys and mules used by poor people in the developing world.
The hospital'svets provide free care, education and training in Egypt, India, Jordan and Pakistan.
