Shells floating in the waves, from clay bowls, rot limes and waterlogged rags that had washed back to Earth, shipwrecks of Hindu ceremonies previous to mark festivals, births, deaths and all the rest.
As the Hindu population has increased since a decade of Queens, so too has the quantity of debris ritual - clothes, statues, even the ashes of cremation - bordering the shores of the Bay of the gateway National Recreation Area.
"We call it the Ganges," a pilgrim, Madan Padarat, said that he has finished his prayers. "It removes your illness, your pain, your suffering."
But for the park rangers who patrol the beach, the waters of the Saint are a fragile habitat, offers are trash and constellées shores are a Federal Reserve that must be clean for picnickers, anglers and kayakers. The difference of the Ganges, they say, the Bay closed does not wipe out waste.
The result is a clash between two camps who regard as sacrosanct site for very different reasons and have spent years in a quiet tug of war between the ancient traditions and modern regulations. Contributed to fierce diplomacy on both sides, but only to a point.
"I can not stop people and say that"you can come to the water and make offerings,"said Pandit Chunelall Narine, the priest at a temple flourishing of Ozone Park, Shri Trimurti Bhavan, performing sometimes services by the Bay."We are at a stalemate right now. ?
Friday, Earth Day, prominent Hindu leaders plan join park rangers in a cleaning of the beach, Kennedy International Airport, a campaign of "leave no trace" for a long time. Park officials, wary of dictating the issues of faith, have tended to Hindu temples, gently encourages members to pray on the waters, but nothing for the gods. And forced many Hindus.
But as arrived it new immigrants, ignoring rules and others refuse to change their ways, park rangers have abandoned sensitivity Bon cop bad cop force intermittently: installing signs, closing the parking lot at night and threatening to distribute fines of $75, but little success.
"It was a problem editing for years," said Kathy Krause, ranger of the Park of monitoring. "The breakdown of these elements is very, very dangerous."
It all started with coconut.
John Zuzworsky, a former ranger, noticed dozens of them washing up in Jamaica Bay a decade previously, although the nearest coconut trees were probably 1 200 kilometres. Then, he found flags, bamboo, saris, and coins.
After asking autour and witness of some Hindu rituals, he learned that the items were religious offerings. Hindus must go to the shore and leave offerings mother Ganga, Goddess of the River, to respect and ensure the blessings in this life and the next. "The offer is complete unless it is finally put to water," explained Mr. Narine.
Mr. Zuzworsky saw an opening to the discussion. "Many Hindu traditions are based in respect for the Earth, and we were a national park, said the former ranger, who trained as a biologist for wildlife, but offered his services as liaison for the Hindus." I thought that there was a real connection. ?
He visited dozens of Hindu temples to discuss the fragile ecosystem of the area - how saris could choke the grass of the sea, flowers could stifle the birds, and fruits could disrupt the food chain. Since Mr. Zuzworsky left the Park in 2008, rangers have become even more creative in spreading the good news, join a group of priests on a local television channel. Ms. Krause discusses litter before more than 1,000 Hindus in a reading in the open air on the Ramayana.
Cremated remains are a particularly sensitive issue. The scattering of ashes in water is among the more sacred in Hinduism, the necessary rituals for a successful transition to the next life. The practice drew the concern of representatives of the Park; they issue special permits for the distribution of ashes on a case-by-base basis, but Hindu leaders recognize that some bereaved families wait no permission.
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