18 WEDNESDAY
JANUARY 21, 2009
Hinduism in Korea
Vedic Cultural Center brings together people from all over the world
This is the third part in a series looking into religion in
Korea. The first objective is to give expatriates a springboard
from which to develop spiritually. Feature articles have exam-
ined Christianity, Buddhism, Hinduism, and will examine
Islam, Judaism, Sikhism. — Ed.
INTERVIEW
By Regina Walton
Hinduism, non-existent in Korea not too long ago, has be-
come less a rarity. Growing trade between Korea and countries
where Hinduism is practiced has resulted in more of those na-
tions’ nationals calling Korea their home for business reasons.
Add to that the thousands of migrant workers from India,
Nepal and Sri Lanka, and the result is thriving Hindu com-
munities.
One of the hubs of that community is the Vedic Cultural
Center. It is located in the Haebangchon neighborhood of
Seoul.
I walked in at the end of their daily evening service while at-
tendees were still saying the words of the Hare Krishna
mantra. It was soothing to hear the mantra and set the tone
for the rest of the interview.
I had the pleasure to speak to Kamala Roy and Mr. Arun,
who asked that his full name not be used.
Roy has lived in Seoul for 12 years with her husband, who is
an investor.
Mr. Arun is a senior devotee and functions as the center’s op-
erations manager.
They wanted to stress that the Vedic Center is more of a cul-
tural center than anything else. The center opened July 2008.
“There are some ceremonies that can’t be done (in other places
in Seoul) because there was no cultural home.” Roy added that
“the main intention in opening this center was to give people a
place to go.” At least once a month there is a special cultural or
formal event like a Hindu festival or a Hindu wedding. Prior to
opening the center, Roy would often host these events at her
home.
“This is a place to bring people together” she said. “There are
a few of us and we’re like family.” She went on to say that does-
n’t just apply to people from India, but it’s also for people from
Nepal, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
They started off by letting me know about their scheduled
Pongal celebration, which happens on Jan. 13, 14 and 15, but
the center celebrated it this past weekend on Jan. 18. The cel-
ebration is based on the Hindu Lunar Calendar. “It’s like our
Thanksgiving Day ... This is the season where we get back the
harvest to the home. Getting the harvest to the home is like
money coming to the home. That’s why we give thanks to the
This Nepali food is worth every won
It turns out this is not just any Nepali restaurant.
Tucked away on a side street in a busy area of Seoul, I didn’t
know what to expect from a Nepalese restaurant by the name
of Everest. Traveling four hours north from Busan just to try a
restaurant heralded as amazing, my chef friend and I decided
to put Everest to the test.
Once we found the restaurant, it
was obvious why it is popular
among expats and Koreans.
The atmosphere has a
Bohemian, almost Boll-
ywood feel.
It smelled of chi mixed
with curry, but the
best part was it did
not smell of smoke —
a welcome change
from many Seoul
restaurants.
The place was
packed, mostly
A Nepali woman and her son sit on their doorstep. Nepal is
the only official Hindu country in the world.
Matthew Lamers/The Korea Herald
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or clarity.
rain gods, sun gods and the land gods — everything actually.
It’s a very big festival.”
Mr. Arun also mentioned that they will have a special event
during the Lunar New Year, but at the time we spoke, the
plans had not yet been finalized.
Beyond these special events, they stressed the importance
of their regular schedule. There are daily Hindu services from
9 a.m. to 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. There are Sunday ser-
vices from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. and from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Also on
Sundays, they have a special children’s class from 4 p.m. to 5
p.m. They stressed that the children’s classes are not limited
to children of Hindu parents, but that all children are wel-
come to attend.
“It’s for anyone. We teach various things. We teach (Hindi)
language. We teach culture. We teach scriptures through video.
We teach some musical instruments ... Mostly Indian people
come, but people have a wrong notion that it’s just for Indians.
“We have Korean children also. ... We’ve designed a course
which changes every weekend so that the children don’t get
bored.” Roy added that they teach language. “Also, we teach
them the Indian alphabet because there is Indian school (in
Seoul).”
When asked to describe the center’s attendee’s, Mr. Arun ex-
plained that there are people from all over the world who at-
tend. “We have people from India, Pakistan, and basically the
By Matthew Graveline
with foreigners, yet the servers treated us as if we were the
only people there. All were helpful in our selections and
spoke English. I asked for the best item on the menu, which
was spicy, while my cooking-expert friend chose a favorite
dish.
One thing that struck us was the price. Appetizers were only
2,000-3,000 won. Main dishes with rice ran up to 7,000 won
and curry dishes were under 9,000 won.
We tried lots of food because we were hungry and wanted to
explore the dishes. We ordered nan bread as an appetizer,
which was baked to perfection. It was also a huge serving for
its price. The samosas, something not easily available in
Korea, were delicious. Very hot with an unusually fresh taste,
they were, according to my chef friend, real samosas and not
pre-frozen after earlier preparation.
Indian subcontinent, Nepal, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka. And,
many, many, Americans, South Africans, Canadians,
Australians and Brazils. Basically, 30 percent of the people
who come here are Westerners.”
They added that about 10 percent of their attendees are
Korean.
The Vedic Center also has yoga classes. Mr. Arun said that
they teach “various types of yoga classes,” but most of the dis-
cussion focused on Sahaja yoga, which he explained “is basi-
cally a deep meditation course.”
Their yoga classes are Friday at 7 p.m., Saturday at 3 p.m.,
and Sunday at 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Sahaja yoga is taught on
Saturday. The classes are designed to accommodate “different
levels of people.” He also added: “It’s a free service, because the
teachers do it voluntarily, so we don’t charge.”
I asked them how someone interested in just learning more
about Hinduism could do that. Mr. Arun suggested that those
interested should visit the center on a Sunday. “For that, we
have on Sunday a class, the Sunday Feast program ... with a
Vedic lunch. Vedic food, vegetarian food, is Holy food without
garlic and onions that fosters your meditation process.
“We give food that is good for your meditation and (allows
you to) expand yourself into higher levels of yoga.” Roy added
that the hope is the lunch “encourages vegetarianism.” Mr.
Arun explained that there are two main things the center pro-
motes: vegetarianism and meditation. To that end the center
also teaches vegetarian recipes to those who are interested.
“We have a cyclic program where people can fit at any level.”
He also explained that the center is working to further the goal
of promoting vegetarianism. “Sooner or later we’re going to
have a vegetarian restaurant or vegetarian market.” They also
have a program called “Food for Life,” and they distribute veg-
etarian meals.
The discussion then turned to the Bhagavad Gita.
Mr. Arun explained that it’s more a philosophical document
than scripture. “People from all over the world think that the
Bhagavad Gita is something like the Bible. It’s actually a philo-
sophical book. It teaches the way of life, how to live your life. ...
It is a way of life.” He distinguished Hinduism as not so much
a religion but a way to live.
In addition, there are Hindu services in Pocheon in
Gyeonggido. Services are held at that location on Saturday and
Sunday.
You can find more information on The Vedic Center, includ-
ing contact information at krishnakorea.com, e-mail koreakr-
ishna@gmail.com, phone 010-2448-6441. Please contact the
Vedic Cultural Center for information on their Lunar New Year
event.
Regina can be reached through her blog at
expatjane.blogspot.com — Ed.
The potatoes were not mushy, a sure sign they had just been
prepared. The vegetables were also evenly cooked and
warmed.
Then our main dishes — jila rice, chicken chilly and chicken
tika masala — all came out of the kitchen hot and fresh.
My chicken tika masala, a curried chicken dish, arrived in a
small oval bowl and I was originally disappointed with the por-
tion size.
I quickly changed my mind. Not only was the food fantastic,
the bowl was quite deep, and mixed with nan bread and the jila
rice, it filled up this 188 cm, 90 kg reporter just fine.
A final note on the main courses, if your stomach is adverse
to spicy food, you might have some problems.
To finish the meal, we tried rasgula. A doughy like bun with
a syrupy cool taste, it countered the spicy main course nicely.
We left Everest not disappointed that we had traveled four
hours to try it. And it was worth every won.
See www.everestfood.com for directions. Besides the
Dongdaemoon Station location, there is another Everest locat-
ed across the street from Youngdompo Subway Station.
(graveline.matthew@gmail.com)