Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Hindu rituals threaten Jamaica Bay ecosystem

From the NY Times:

As the Hindu population has grown in Queens over the last decade, so too has the amount of ritual debris — clothing, statues, even cremation ashes — lining the banks of the bay in Gateway National Recreation Area.

But to the park rangers who patrol the beach, the holy waters are a fragile habitat, the offerings are trash and the littered shores are a federal preserve that must be kept clean for picnickers, fishermen and kayakers. Unlike the Ganges, they say, the enclosed bay does not sweep the refuse away.

The result is a standoff between two camps that regard the site as sacrosanct for very different reasons, and have spent years in a quiet tug of war between ancient traditions and modern regulations. Strenuous diplomacy on both sides has helped, but only to a point.

...as new immigrants arrive, unaware of the rules, and others refuse to change their ways, park rangers have intermittently forsaken good-cop sensitivity for bad-cop force: installing signs, closing the parking lot at night and threatening to hand out $75 fines, to little avail.

“It’s been a mounting problem for years,” said Kathy Krause, the supervisory park ranger. “The breakdown of these items is very, very harmful.”

Cremated remains are a particularly touchy subject. The scattering of ashes in water is among Hinduism’s most sacred rituals, necessary for a successful transition to the next life. The practice has drawn concern from park officials; they issue special permits for spreading ashes on a case-by-base basis, but Hindu leaders acknowledge that some bereaved families do not wait for permission.

21 comments:

Anonymous said...

Maspeth Mom says...

Littering for any purpose is ridiculous and just plain wrong!!!! This practice should be stoppped altogether.

Anonymous said...

Soultion: Give out tickets for littering with the same force traffic agents give out parking tickets. Problem solved.

Anonymous said...

On the other hand, cremation and scattering of ashes save valuable land and park spaces that would go to cemeteries.

Anonymous said...

Recreate a replica of the River Ganges along a portion of the Flushing Creek with a Hindu theme park at Willets Point.

Can you imagine Claire Shulman in a turban sitting in a howdah strapped to Toby Stavisky's back greeting visitors?

I think I just pissed my pants laughing!

Toby is as big as an elephant only they're much cleaner.

Queens Crapper said...

"On the other hand, cremation and scattering of ashes save valuable land and park spaces that would go to cemeteries."

If it weren't for cemeteries, many neighborhoods in the city would have no large expanses of trees or grass, so I'm not really sure what you're talking about.

Anonymous said...

Yeah...come and dump those ashes in the Flushing River instead.

Anonymous said...

Freedom to worship does not mean freedom to pollute at will.

Anonymous said...

NYC needs to privatize law enforcement.

The mafia has a far better track record than the NYPD.

I'll go to bat for them!

At least we should consider letting the Gambino family collect fines for the city.

Wadda ya think Councilman Halloran?

Give your friends in Whitestone a call.

Anonymous said...

Isn't "threaten" a bit of an exageration? Do you think the 150 million tons of human shit the city pumps into the bay, daily, a bit of a threat as well? Yeah....

georgetheatheist said...

Flush the ashes down the toilet.

Efficient and riparian at the same time.

Anonymous said...

George - Would you flush a family member down the toilet (not counting a gold fish)?

georgetheatheist said...

I've a cousin out in Long Island, I'd like to flush down the tube without cremation.

Anonymous said...

Maspeth Mom says...

Littering for any purpose is ridiculous and just plain wrong!!!! This practice should be stoppped altogether.
----------
Sound racist much? It's part of their beliefs and NO they shouldn't be doing what they're doing in the Bay area, but don't bash their beliefs, it's not polite.

Queens Crapper said...

A new entry for the democratic dictionary! Litter: usually considered to be a crime, but is not a crime if you are practicing a religion. Those who criticize people that litter, are bashing their beliefs and are racist.

Holy shit get me the hell out of here.

Anonymous said...

"saris could strangle the sea grass, flowers could choke the birds, and fruit could disrupt the food chain."

But, but, it's religion! Actually, only non-Christian beliefs are protected in this country nowadays. They are politically correct, Christianity is wrong.

mazeartist said...

Hey atheist, would you like it if someone flushed your ashes down a toilet?

Anonymous said...

A new entry for the democratic dictionary! Litter: usually considered to be a crime, but is not a crime if you are practicing a religion. Those who criticize people that litter, are bashing their beliefs and are racist.

Holy shit get me the hell out of here.
________________
I never said that! They SHOULDN'T BE DOING WHAT THEY ARE DOING IN THE BAY!! That's what i said! I WAS ONLY REFERRING TO HER COMMENT THAT THEIR PRACTICE SHOULD BE STOPPED ALTOGETHER! They could do it in their own country where it is legal and is not frowned upon. I just said that she shouldn't bash other ppl's cultures so quickly. You have no right to dismiss other ppl's beliefs. It is not morally right. That's what I meant. Is it littering? YES Should they take out that part of their religion/beliefs? NO unless if the ppl in their homeland do (like a religious movement occurs or something). Can they do what they do here in our waters? NO. Crappy, you are too simple minded and quite cocky. Reading and comprehending is what you should be doing. Not reading and jump to conclusions. if what I wrote was not clear then ask me to clarify, don't shove words in other ppl's mouth. it's a life skill, learn it!
Additional Detail: I'm not even a democrat.

Queens Crapper said...

So you admit its polluting, yet instead of saying they need to get educated, you think its ok for them to do it in their homeland? As if it wouldn't harm the ecosystems there... and I'm the simpleminded one? ROFLMAO!!!!!

georgetheatheist said...

mazeartist said...

Hey atheist, would you like it if someone flushed your ashes down a toilet?

-----------------------------------

The operative term is "would you like it".

After I'm dead I still retain consciousness? See? I'm not really "dead" and therefore you maintain that I can still perceive things?

Anonymous said...

I am a Hindu living in the island state of Mauritius(in the Indian Ocean).Without wishing to hurt anyone, I just want to say that here most people wash their dead relatives' ash in rivers.As for the things(flowers,coconuts etc) used for the rituals, I think that we should NOT throw them in the water. The priest must ask the people to sprinkle them with water(sea or river water) symbolically and then collect them in a bag and dispose of them in a mutually(government and religious bodies) agreeable way.Pollution is a huge threat to our environment, one should care a lot about mother nature.

Anonymous said...

"Diversity is strength"...


Its ALSO polluted waters too.