00:00I completely calm down. I completely come to my present mode and I feel so much more
00:06connected to the God. I feel so much positiveness in me. I forget all my worries, basically.
00:12Hi, I'm Durva. I'm 23 years old studying neurocognitive psychology. I'm a Hindu living in Berlin, Germany.
00:21We meet Durva at Berlin's brand new Hindu temple, a few days before its consecration.
00:26This is where she spends most of her time whenever she can. Today she's here with
00:31friends. They're volunteering, making sure the temple is squeaky clean. It's still a
00:36bit of a construction site. And the deities have their eyes covered. After more than 20
00:42years of planning and construction, it will be one of the largest Hindu temples in Europe.
00:49It's amazing. It's so colourful. It gives such a homely and positive feeling.
00:54About 120,000 Hindus live in Germany. This cafe is the regular hangout for Durva's Indian
01:01peer group. Friends are our family here, especially when we live abroad. We share the same languages,
01:07we share the same kind of jokes, sense of humour, and we all bring different kinds of stories
01:12from wherever we come from in India. Hinduism is the third largest religion in the world and
01:18can be practised in very individual ways. What is allowed and what isn't? What about sex before
01:23marriage?
01:25I personally believe a lot in energies. So having energy is something and I know that
01:30when sex is involved in, like before marriage or something, something changes in the energies.
01:36I think because it's such a taboo and it's such a no-go zone for that topic that I don't
01:42want
01:42to do it myself. Durva and her friends prepare for puja, a daily ritual at the old temple in Berlin.
01:54So we personally believe that while taking off our shoes means we keep our negative energies outside
02:01while entering the temple. Okay, so this is a bendi. These are like one of the acupuncture,
02:07acupressure points. And when you press this, it keeps it activated the whole day. So every day,
02:12you just have to press here and it will keep it activated. Then comes the ritual itself.
02:18Worshippers walk clockwise around the inner temple three times over. This establishes a spiritual
02:26connection with the deity Ganesha. A blessing with holy water from the Ganges.
02:53And finally, an offering. While Hinduism has countless deities, Durva feels a unique spiritual
03:01connection to one in particular. The most connected one I feel to is the Ganesha. So I feel the most
03:07closest to him because I also sometimes share my birthday along with his few special days in
03:14September. So I do feel very connected to it. But the temple isn't the only place to worship.
03:20Lord Ganesha also has a place in Durva's home. Welcome to my home. This is where I live with my
03:26family.
03:28Ten years ago, the family moved to Germany from Pune in western India. Family dinners are routine.
03:34And tonight, there's a special treat on the menu. It's called modak. And basically, I know that
03:43it's the favorite sweet of Lord Ganesha. And so I love making it with my mom. And I also love
03:52offering it to the god and then eating it. In the kitchen, a small altar is set up for
03:59daily rituals, complete with an image of Lord Ganesha. But speaking of the kitchen,
04:04how does modern Hinduism view gender roles? Women are revered as goddesses. But does that translate
04:11to daily life? Nowadays, it has kind of changed where women also work. They go to work or they have
04:20their own business or occupation. And the men also do help with the housework. I think I would also go
04:27down that path where I would also keep my career still and gender roles don't matter that much.
04:34Faith plays a fundamental role in Durva's life. But what will it be like in a few years when other
04:41priorities come into play? A career? A family? I think my faith will stay the same.
04:48If not, then it might just get stronger in maybe five years, 10 years or even 20 years.
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