How do Hindus show care?

Nikhil: Hi, I’m Nikhil, and I’m a Hindu.

Our mandir is an important place to lots of people who live in the area.

We worship there, but people also meet here for other activities, like festivals and weddings.

The people from the mandir also try to do good for the community.

Kindness is really important to Hindus, and we show it in two ways.

The first way is through ‘dana’, which is giving to others through charity.

The second way is through ‘seva’ which is selfless service to God, other people and all living beings.

We try to help others without a reward.

For Hindus, giving and serving are both important parts of living a good life… and all good actions bring out goodness in ourselves and in the world.

At the mandir, we do loads of things for ‘dana’ and ‘seva’.

Normally, we have a lunch every week for older people. They can come to see their friends and share a meal together.

We also do the seva day school hamper campaign. I helped with it last year!

We collected things that children needed to start the school year, and gave them to families in need.

It was really fun, and we helped a lot of people!

Narrator: There were once two brothers called Ganesh and Kartikeya. They lived on Mount Kailash with their father, Lord Shiva, and their mother, the goddess Parvati.

One day, a wise man called Narad Muni visited the mountain. He gave Shiva and Parvati a golden mango. It looked juicy and delicious. This was a very special mango. It could not be shared, and whoever ate it would have the gift of knowledge and wisdom.

Shiva and Parvati couldn't decide who should have the mango.

"Boys, here is your challenge," said Lord Shiva."The first person to go around the world three times will win this mango."

To help with their travels, Ganesh had a mouse, and Kartikeya had a large peacock, which was strong and fast.

Kartikeya, who was athletic, jumped on the peacock's back and they flew high into the sky.

Ganesh, calmly sitting on his mouse, didn't move at all.

"Just let me think for a moment," Ganesh said to his parents.

As Ganesh thought, Kartikeya zoomed past in a blur of feathers.

"I've been around the world once already, Ganesh. Better get moving," Kartikeya laughed.

Stood by his mouse, Ganesh had another idea. He walked in a circle around his parents three times. They didn't understand what he was doing.

Ganesh looked at their puzzled faces and said:

"You're my parents. You're my whole world. Walking around you three times is the same as going around the world."

"How clever," they said, and they gave him the prize of the golden mango.

Shiva and Parvati were amazed by Ganesh's idea. They thought he deserved the prize of the golden mango and the power of knowledge and wisdom.

When Kartikeya saw the mango in Ganesh's hands, he was upset. But when he heard how Ganesh won, he knew that although Ganesh might be slower, he was much quicker at thinking.

By thinking before acting, Ganesh's kind and smart actions helped him be successful.