Computer game offends Hindus

Sony says it will review the PlayStation game Hanuman Boy Warrior. Photo / Supplied

Hindu youths living in New Zealand have criticised a new computer game which uses a Hindu god as the main character.

In the PlayStation 2 title, Hanuman: Boy Warrior, players control Lord Hanuman from his beginnings as a powerless boy and help him regain power over the course of the game.

Hindus say the game is offensive, and belittling of a deity many believers revere and worship.

The comments come before the start of a Hindu youth conference tomorrow in Auckland.

Lord Hanuman is described as being the son of a wind god who has incredible strength and the ability to fly. His most famous feat, as described in Hindu scripture, was leading a monkey army to fight the demon king Ravana.

"It makes me very angry when I see my friends play a game where they can control the god's every movement with a joystick," said Terry Moorthy, 19, who moved to New Zealand from Kerala, India, last year.

"I feel like my faith is being insulted, but I don't know what my rights are in New Zealand."

Terry said Hanuman was a god many Hindus turned to for "hopeless cases" because he "could help a person overcome anything".

The comments mirror those made by the Universal Society of Hinduism, which complained to game publishers Sony. The company yesterday said it would review the game.

Hindu spiritual leader Swami Vigyananand, from India, who is here for tomorrow's conference, said Hinduism may be the oldest and the third largest religion in the world with over a billion followers, but it still faced a lot of "ignorance and bias" in Western societies.

According to the NZ Census, 64,392 people claimed to be Hindus in 2006 - a 61.8 per cent jump from the previous Census in 2001.

"I don't think people will turn Jesus or Allah into a computer game character. Young people may be playing the game out of ignorance, but I don't think that is the case for the older people who designed the game," Swami Vigyananand said.

Conference co-ordinator Pritika Sharma said tomorrow's Hindu conference, the first organised specifically for Hindu youths, would have a theme of "living in modern New Zealand with traditional values".

The meeting would also present Hindu youths with a platform to discuss issues they face in New Zealand society and share their stories and experiences with each other, she said.

Ms Sharma, who is originally from Fiji, said the stress of settling in a new country, loss of extended family support systems, acculturation and living in a modern country while upholding traditional values are things that New Zealand youths would generally not have to face.

"The conference will showcase the wealth and richness of our Hindu heritage, and the values of our culture and faith, and hopefully, we can dispel some of the ignorance in the process," Ms Sharma said.

Sessions will include panel discussion and workshops on settlement, leadership, health and employment and also an open discussion forum on integration of Hindu and Kiwi cultures, involving youths and their parents.

Social worker Bharati Mahimkar, herself a mother of a 16-year-old boy, said a common problem faced by many Hindu parents was about children who did not see a need to retain their tradition or values, and wanting "to be like their Kiwi peers".

YOUTH MEETING

What: First NZ Hindu youth conference - living in modern NZ with traditional values.

When: Tomorrow, 9am to 5pm.

Where: Hindu Heritage Centre, Bukem Place, Mangere East.