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VRINDAVAN, INDIA, January 7, 2012 (vrindavantoday.org): A group of 33 undergraduate students from Rutgers University in New Jersey, USA, is enjoying a Christmas break at the Jiva Institute of Vedic Studies in Sheetal Chaya. The program is a part of Rutgers' University Study Abroad program, which gives these America students the opportunity to get an authentic cultural experience in Vrindavan under the guidance of Jiva Institute director, Dr. Satya Narayan Das Maharaj. The 3-credit introductory course in Hinduism lasts three weeks. The students spend three hours each morning covering the academic component of the course, which primarily consists of a historical study of the philosophical and religious traditions of India, with a particular focus on the devotional traditions that typify Hinduism.

Besides that, they have also been getting guided tours to the temples and holy places of the region, instruction in the religious art, iconography, song, dance, and other cultural and aesthetic expressions of Hinduism typical of the area, as well as exposure to temple worship, pilgrimage, and myriad other forms of devotional practice. Program coordinator Robert Lindsey said, "The students have already done Parikrama of Vrindavan and Govardhan Hill, visited Radha Kunda, and the Taj Mahal in Agra," he said, "but still have boat trips along the Yamuna River and the Mathura Museum and Krishna's birthplace left to see." Daily yoga and music classes are also being offered as are opportunities for Ayurvedic consultations, kirtan, and cow service.

Himanshu P. Shukla, Chairman of the Advisory Committee for the Rutgers' Summer Hindu Studies Program and one of its chief initiators, visited Jiva Institute yesterday and talked with the students and teachers to assess its benefits. He said that the potential for such programs is especially great in religious studies because it greatly expands the feeling for the environment in which the religion is a living, breathing reality. "We have been organizing these courses in India since 2006," he said, "and they are becoming more and more popular. There is a high level of interest at Rutgers since there are approximately 5,000 students of Indian origin enrolled there. This gives them a chance to connect with their roots in a novel way. About one quarter of this group is of Indian background. But as you can see, there are many other students from other backgrounds, and we hope to attract those who are becoming interested in interfaith disciplines in New Jersey." Noted scholar of Hinduism at Rutgers, Prof. Edwin Bryant, is also an enthusiastic supporter of the project. A frequent visitor to Jiva Institute and Vrindavan, he recognizes the great value of such cultural exchanges.

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SEEYAMANGALAM, TAMIL NADU, INDIA, January 27, 2012 (The Hindu): "It is rare to find people from the city interested in a small village like ours," she says, as I explain that I am in Seeyamangalam, 80 km from Chennai, with friends to visit some of the ancient cave temples, built by the Pallava king Mahendravarman I in the 7th century, long before the dynasty's Mahabalipuram monuments were built.

The originally built temple was extended by the Cholas and Vijayanagar kings, who also added the gopurams. Called Avanibhajana Pallaveshwaram, Avani being a title of Mahendravarman I, the temple has one of the earliest interpretations of the Ananda Thandava, or Nataraja, posture of Shiva carved on one of the pilasters. Balaji points out that the sculpture's expression is unlike any seen in the Nataraja sculptures of the 10th-century Chola period; there are two shiva ganas (attendants) -- one playing a mrindangam and the other praying with folded hands. "Technically, this is not yet a Nataraja," says Arvind.

For the balance of this interesting story, click source above.

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Do not resist change. Accept change as one of the prerequisites in your life to spiritual illumination. A positive mental attitude overlooks many things that happen and sees the overall picture of what is progressing in your life.
-- Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami (1927-2001), founder of Hinduism Today

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DHAKA, BANGALADESH, January 28, 2012, (bdnews24.com): Heralding the season of Spring, Saraswati Puja is being celebrated across the country, with Dhaka University's Fine Arts faculty students claiming their 35-foot idol is the biggest in the world. A Hindu festival meant to seek the blessings of Saraswati, students and educationists cutting across religious divide join in the festivities to honor the deity of wisdom, education, fine arts and performing arts. The puja is held on the day of Vasant Panchami every year. "According to Hindu myth, Saraswati, the goddess of wisdom and learning, rides a swan or a peacock, or is seated on a lotus," Sadhan Chakrabarty, priest at the temple in Dhaka University's Jagannath Hall, told bdnews24.com. Like other years, students of DU's Fine Arts Faculty have created Jagannath Hall's Saraswati idol this year, too. Made of jute, it has been placed in the hall's pond. "Thirty-five people worked daily for a month to create the idol," DU Fine Arts student Chanchal Karmakar said. He said it might be the biggest Saraswati idol in the world, and that they have appealed the Guinness Book of World Records to enlist their creation.

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MUMBAI, INDIA, January 28, 2012 (Times of India): The color yellow fills the air as the city prepares to celebrate the festival of Basant Panchami on Saturday. The festival welcomes the onset of spring on the fifth day of the Hindu month of Magh. Spilling over from Makar Sankranti, kite-flying is a routine practice this day, particularly in north India. Women dress in yellow, which is the color of spring, and prepare a variety of sweets flavored with saffron. The day is dedicated to the worship of Goddess Saraswati , the deity of learning and music. Santoor artiste Rahul Sharma has imbibed the tradition from his father, Pt Shivkumar Sharma. He says, "This is a little-known festival although all musicians revere this day, of course. For my part, I chant the Saraswati mantra every day. Saturday is doubly special so I will spend more time in prayer and hope that the goddess of music continues to bless me."