BAPS Mandir Honored for Tolerance, Desi-American Cricketer Banned for Match-Fixing
Two contrasting stories dominate Abu Dhabi's Desi news this week. The BAPS Hindu Mandir — the landmark stone temple that opened as the UAE's first traditional Hindu place of worship — received the Tolerance Award at a major international interfaith conference, earning recognition for its role in fostering intercultural dialogue and community service. At the same time, Akhilesh Reddy, a Desi-American cricketer who competed in the Abu Dhabi T10 League, was handed one of the sport's most severe bans after an ICC Anti-Corruption Tribunal found him guilty on three counts of match-fixing.
🪔 BAPS Hindu Mandir Receives Tolerance Award at IDCT 2026 Conference
The BAPS Hindu Mandir in Abu Dhabi was presented with the Tolerance Award at the 3rd International Dialogue of Civilizations and Tolerance Conference, known as IDCT 2026, held in Abu Dhabi as part of the UAE's designation of 2026 as the Year of the Family. The award, which recognises individuals and organisations whose work measurably advances global tolerance, mutual respect, and peaceful coexistence, was selected by the conference's scientific committee. The conference was organised by the Emirates Scholar Center for Research and Studies and the Abrahamic Family House in partnership with the Emirates Journalists Association and the Abu Dhabi Convention and Exhibition Bureau, and drew governments, academic institutions, international organisations, faith communities, and civil society leaders from around the world. Brahmavihari Swami, the head of the BAPS Hindu Mandir in Abu Dhabi, accepted the award from HE Dr. Abdulla Belhaif Al Nuaimi, Chancellor of the Emirates Scholar Center, and HE Dr. Khalifa Al Dhaheri, Chancellor of Mohamed Bin Zayed University for Humanities. In his keynote address, Brahmavihari Swami invited delegates to reflect not only on what artificial intelligence can do, but on what kind of humanity it is shaping, drawing on Hindu ideals of Matrudevo Bhava and Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam — the world as one family — alongside civilizational lessons about unity. The Mandir's Tolerance Award recognises programmes including the Festival of Harmony, the Omsiyyat initiative, and its Care in Crisis humanitarian response during the Covid pandemic. [1]
US Cricketer Akhilesh Reddy Gets Eight-Year ICC Ban for Abu Dhabi T10 Match-Fixing
The International Cricket Council's Anti-Corruption Tribunal has handed Akhilesh Reddy, a 26-year-old cricketer representing the United States, an eight-year suspension after finding him guilty of three separate violations of the sport's anti-corruption code. The offences took place during the Abu Dhabi T10 League, a franchise-based Twenty10 competition held in November. The ICC charged Reddy with attempting to fix or improperly influence the outcome of matches, and the tribunal's finding resulted in one of the more severe bans levied under the anti-corruption framework. Reddy had been placed on provisional suspension at the time the charges were filed in November. The Abu Dhabi T10 League, which draws players from across South Asia, the Caribbean, and the South Asian diaspora, has faced corruption scrutiny before, and Reddy's ban is a significant development for USA Cricket, which has been building its international profile after hosting matches in the 2024 T20 World Cup. The ICC declined to detail the specific nature of each of the three offences in its public announcement, but the eight-year duration indicates the tribunal viewed the conduct as a serious and deliberate breach of cricket's integrity standards. [4]
Sources: [1] BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha · [4] Al Jazeera