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LONDON, ENGLAND, April 1, 2013 (North London Today): Plans to build a new Hindu temple with in Edmonton have sparked concerns among residents living near the site. Managers of the Nagapooshani Ambaal, a Hindu temple, in Church Lane, Edmonton, have applied for planning permission to Enfield Council to demolish the existing building and build a new place of worship and community hall.

The plans, which the temple representatives say will provide their community with a modern, soundproof building, also include the erection of the 16-metre tower, a number of new homes, a meeting area, a shop and a computer room. The application to demolish the temple, which was converted from a warehouse ten years ago, was submitted to the council in September.

But a group of people living nearby say the plans would be out of character with other buildings in the area and would lead to traffic congestion. "The situation with the temple has been going on for about eight years. We have a huge problem with parking in the area as a result of people visiting. "Whatever the outcome of the planning application, we all live in the same community. There is no animosity between us and this has nothing to do with religion or creed. It's not a personal attack."

About 130 people have signed a petition opposing the plans. On the other hand, temple secretary Arumugam Murugesu said that a modern building was needed and the new facilities would be of benefit to the wider community. He told the Advertiser: "We are not expanding the temple, we simply want to modernise our facilities and soundproof them. This is what the proposals are for."

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MASSACHUCETTS, USA, April 4, 2013 (archinect.com, by Rahul Mehrotra): HPI Note: This is a report given April 1 at Harvard's South Asia Institute entitled "Kumbha Mela, Mapping the Ephemeral City." The project specifically did not include any religious aspects of the Mela.

The introduction reads:

The research analyzes this ephemeral city from different perspectives. Being the biggest public gathering in the world , the Kumbh Mela deploys a pop-up city comprising of roads, pontoon bridges, tents of different sizes and an array of social infrastructure like clinics, hospitals, and social centers - all replicating the functioning of an actual city. The disposition of the city seamlessly articulates various layers of infrastructure and urban flows, serving apron 3 million people who gather for fifty five days and an additional 10 to 20 million people who come for cycles of twenty four hours on the main bathing dates. From the Kumbh we can learn about planning and design, reflect on flow management and infrastructural deployment but also about cultural identity and adjustment or elasticity in an urban condition of flux.

Click source above for this fascinating overview of an important study.

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I do not want to foresee the future. I am concerned with taking care of the present. God has given me no control over the moment following.
-- Mahatma Gandhi (1869-1948)

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JERSEY CITY, NEW JERSEY, March 30, 2013 (The Jersey Journal): Thousands of people descended on Lincoln Park in Jersey City this afternoon for the 21st Annual Phagwah Parade and Holi Hai Day festivities, a colorful Hindu spring harvest tradition that is celebrated by revelers who playfully shower each other with various colors of powder.

"The biggest significance of this is that everybody becomes a myriad of colors," said Dayanand Mangru, an executive with the United Hindu Association, adding that on such a holy day there are no racial distinctions. "There is no brown, black, or white."

The parade began around 11:30 a.m. at Audubon Park at the intersection of Kennedy Boulevard and Stegman Parkway as ten decorated floats blaring traditional Indian dance music made their way down Kennedy Boulevard to the fountain in Lincoln Park where the festivities continued into the afternoon.

"The focus is to bring all together in unity," said Gireeraj Beggs, president of The United Hindu Federation of New Jersey which led the organizing efforts for the parade. "As Hindus we believe in the unity of all people."

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NEW YORK, NEW YORK, March 26, 2013 (New York Times, by Shivani Vora): How do you teach your children about religion, particularly your own? Are the parents responsible for this vital task, or should they call in some outside help? It's a question I faced when I became a parent almost five years ago. I am a Hindu who was born in New Delhi and lived in India until I was 8, before immigrating to the United States with my parents and younger sister. Throughout my childhood, Hinduism wasn't something I formally learned; it was a natural part of my everyday life.

My parents did pujas (prayers) with my sister, Aditi, and me every evening in front of the makeshift mandir (temple) on top of their bureau in their bedroom. We celebrated all the major holidays, including Diwali and Holi, with parties and more elaborate pujas. Aditi and I spent Saturday mornings in India watching episodes of the Mahabharata and Ramayana on TV and listened intently to bedtime stories from our mother based on Indian mythology.

Following this tradition became more challenging as I grew into adulthood and got married. My husband, Mahir, who is from Mumbai, and I live in New York City, where we have never been starved for an Indian community. But, perhaps like many Indians who came to the United States as children, our careers and mainstream life took precedence over our religion as we grew up.

This slipping away of an integral part of my roots didn't bother me at all until I gave birth to my daughter, Meenakshi. Sometime in her first year of life, I started feeling urgently that she should learn all about her religion. Mahir and I started doing a short puja with her before she went to bed, but we felt inadequately equipped to be her sole source of learning and wanted something more.

When it comes to kids' classes in New York City, there are almost too many options, whether it's gym, music or art. That's not the case with those on the Hindu religion - I could only find three for kids. We picked Bal Vihar, one of the most popular offerings in the area. Part of the Chinmaya Mission, a religious group founded in 1953 in Mumbai by Swami Chinmayananda, the school is focused on teaching the age-old philosophy of Advaita Vedanta. The school came to the United States in the early 1970s, according to Runjhun Saklani, the secretary of the New York mission, when a handful of parents said they wanted an organized way to teach their children Hinduism.

Bal Vihar started in 2002 in the New York City area in a small way: four or five children met in apartments, where volunteer teachers taught them devotional songs and prayers and the names and meanings of the gods and goddesses. By the time we enrolled Meenakshi in Bal Vihar classes in 2011, there were classes around the country, and Ms. Saklani estimates that more than 5,000 children attend Bal Vihar in the United States today.

More at source.

BA, FIJI, March 28, 2013 (Press Release): Preparations for the first Pacific Regional Economic conference organised by the World Hindu Economic Forum (WHEF) are well under way. Dr Neil Sharma, the Minister for Health, Government of Fiji will inaugurate the conference. WHEF Pacific Regional Forum will be held at Sheraton Fiji Resort, Denarau, Nadi, Fiji on Saturday, 4 May 2013. The theme is "Making the South Pacific community prosperous".

In a statement, Swami Vigyananand, the founder of WHEF, said, "The primary objectives of WHEF are to promote activities for developing enterprise and entrepreneurship globally; to develop solutions for the most crucial of the issues confronting the world economy such as sustainable development, education, eradication of poverty, climate change and infrastructure development; and to promote a value based corporate governance system through organizing seminars, conferences and research activities."

"The aim of the Pacific Regional Hindu Economic Forum is to connect well established and newly establishing business-persons of the South Pacific and to facilitate sharing of knowledge through reputed economic thinkers," said Jay Dayal, one of the coordinators of this forum.

If you are interested in attending this Forum, and for more information, please email whef.pacific@gmail.com or contact Mr. Jay Dayal on (679) 992 9605.

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You must not let your life run in the ordinary way; do something that nobody else has done, something that will dazzle the world. Show that God's creative principle works in you.
-- Paramahansa Yogananda (1893-1952), founder of Self Realization Fellowship

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UNITED STATES, March 2013 (Hinduism Today): Holi is wild and raucous, a frolic of friendly playfulness. During Holi, India's streets are overtaken by crowds awash with colored powder. Not only clothes, but faces, arms and hair are smeared and sprayed with every color of the rainbow. Holi is a community's exuberant expression of joy to welcome the warmth of spring. In a reflection of nature's abundance, Hindus celebrate with bursts of color, camaraderie and shared abandon. It begins on Purnima, full moon day, in the Hindu month of Phalguni (February/March) and lasts for as long as 16 days.

Many communities create a central bonfire on the night before Holi, starting with kindling and logs and adding organic debris as they clean up their property. The fire symbolizes the torching of negative or troublesome experiences and memories. An effigy of Holika, a demoness personifying negativity, is consigned to the flames, and freshly harvested barley and oats are offered. The embers are collected to light sacred fires, and the ashes are used to mark the forehead as a blessing.

On the day of Holi, people celebrate by playing, dancing and running in the streets. Water pistols are filled with colored water and squirted on family, friends and strangers alike. Dye powders and water balloons are a big part of the play. The wise wear old clothes, usually white, in anticipation of the mess! Virtually anything goes, including ribald humor, practical jokes and sexual teasing--all excused with the saying, "Don't mind, it's Holi!" (Hindi: Bura na mano, Holi hai.) Men are at the playful mercy of women, who dance with them and even dress them in drag. Especially in North India, people celebrate with abandon, even splashing color on their homes as a prelude to the more sober custom of renewing the paint with shell-based white. Deities and images of ancestors are hand-painted and placed in beautiful altars. Dramatic events feature devotional songs and the retelling of the love epic of Radha and Krishna. Bonds are renewed, particularly among in-laws and the extended family. Etiquette on Holi requires that one accept all overtures with an open heart, burying grievances to begin relationships afresh. People of all walks of life mingle and greet, applying vermilion on each other's foreheads in an uninhibited exchange of goodwill.

Special sweet and savory treats including mathri, puran poli and vadai are made. Many communities make an intoxicating, cooling drink, called thandai, made of purified water, sugar, seeds of watermelon, muskmelon and lotus, along with nuts, cardamom, fennel, white pepper, saffron and rose petals.

What is the meaning behind the bonfire?
Love, positive values and goodness are celebrated on Holi. Their triumphs over divisiveness and negative forces have been reinforced in legends, such as that of Holika and her brother Prahlad. The famous king Hiranyakashipu had earned a boon that made him virtually indestructible. Blinded by this power, he thought he was God, the only being worthy of worship. His young son Prahlad was devoted to Lord Vishnu and refused to obey his father. Infuriated, the king devised the cruelest punishments. In one attempt, Prahlad's evil aunt Holika, who possessed the power to withstand fire, tricked him into climbing a burning pyre with her. Prahlad's love for true Divinity protected him from the flames. Holika burned while Prahlad lived. The bonfire of Holi is symbolic of this victory of good over evil.

How did the frolicking with color originate?
Legend has it that Krishna noticed one day how much lighter Radha's complexion was than His own. His mother playfully suggested that He smear Radha's cheeks with color to make Her look like Him, which Krishna did. The strong-willed Radha gleefully retaliated, and a merry chaos ensued. Another legend has it that Krishna celebrated this festival with His friends and the gopis. They danced and frolicked, filling the air with color in a joyous welcome of spring.

More at source above--including making safe natural colors.

Dr. Kumar Mahabir

TRINIDAD, March 30, 2013 (by Dr. Kumar Mahabir): For the first time in multi-ethnic Trinidad and Tobago, three religious festivals will be celebrated this weekend: Spiritual Baptist Liberation Day, Easter and Phagwa. Phagwa or Holi is the Festival of Spring in India, but it is the Festival of Harvest in Trinidad. In both India and Trinidad, Phagwa is known as the Festival of Color in which people play with pigment in all its forms. They squirt abeer [coloured liquid] and smear gulal [coloured powder] on each other amidst music, song and dance. On the eve of the celebration, a huge bonfire is lit symbolising the destruction of the demoness, Holika. Special songs such as chowtals are rendered, accompanied by two major instruments - the dholak [small hand drum] andmajeera [small cymbals]. This musical genre is a mix of Hindi and English ballads invented mainly as a response to the derogatory calypsos about Hindus, and Indian in general, sung during Carnival. The Kendra has also introduced Makhan Chor, a sport which was the pastime of Lord Krishna when he was alive in India 5,000 years ago. In this game, a human pyramid is formed with the strongest person at the bottom and the lightest at the top. The objective of the game is to reach a pot tied 18 feet above the ground. The Kendra has also introduced Ranga Barase [community dance in a shower of colors] and Bachon Ka Khel [exciting novelty games for children].

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INDIA, March 30, 2013 (Hindu Janajagruti Samiti): In this festival the main emphasis is laid on the burning of Holika or lighting of the Holi bonfire. The origin of the traditional lighting of Holi is attributed by some to the burning of evil demons like Holika, Holaka and Putana who troubled little children or to the burning of Madan (the Deity of Beauty who tried to distract Lord Shiva's meditation) according to others.

This particular full moon day carries special importance as this day holds the Raja-Tama in the atmosphere in its original fire-form (Tej). This is the day when the Principle of the Primal Shakti from the Universe, which imparts dissolution, is active in a Marak form. The worship of this Principle helps the jiva by purifying its subtle body and to a certain extent the atmosphere around it is also purified. The worship performed on this day liberates the jiva from its Raja-Tama orientation. Thus in a way, the jiva is reborn after this Pournima.

Beginning from the full moon day (pournima) of the Hindu lunar month of Phalgun till the fifth day (panchami) this festival is celebrated for two to five days depending on the regional variations. It has various names such as Hori, Dolayatra in North India, Shimga, Holi and Hutashani mahotsav, Holikadahan (burning of Holika) in Goa, Konkan and Maharashra and Kamadahan (burning of desires) in South India. One can also call it Vasantotsav or Vasantagamanotsav that is the festival celebrated to welcome the Vasant (spring) season.

Rangapanchami is celebrated on the fifth day (panchami) in the dark fortnight of the Hindu lunar month of Phalgun by throwing a red, fragrant powder (gulal) and splashing colored water, etc. on others.

Much more at source.

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See yourself everywhere. You are the whole world.
-- Satguru Yogaswami (1872-1964), Sri Lankan mystic

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UNITED STATES, March 24, 2013 (Huffington Post, by Anantanand Rambachan): We recently lost a beloved family elder. He lived out his life within the structures of meaning and ritual provided by the Hindu tradition. These guided his commitment to work, his devotion to family, and his sense of justice. The beginning and the end of his life were marked by traditional Hindu ceremonies. He was a paragon of fidelity and a repository of rich life experiences that he shared passionately in stories with receptive grandchildren. The Hindu tradition is still domestic centered. Since funeral ceremonies are performed at home, it is customary, in Hindu obituaries, to mention the address, identify the funeral ritual as Hindu and specify the place of cremation.

We received many cards, notes and letters of sympathy in the days following the funeral ceremony. There were several, however, from persons whose names and addresses we did not recognize. Each one was structured in a similar way. The writer opened with words of sympathy, making mention of many personal details from the obituary. This was followed by Biblical texts about the way to eternal life and reunion with loved ones. The letters spoke of punishment for unbelievers but also of the promise of salvation from effects of sin "through the ransom sacrifice of ...Jesus Christ." The letters included published Christian literature. We quickly realized that these Christian letter-writers searched newspaper obituaries with the aim of identifying families belonging to other religious traditions with the aim of proselytization. We learned also that this was not unusual and that Hindus experiencing death in their families regularly received such invitations to convert.

Some Christians, like these letter writers, assume a religious need in the other for Christianity and make no effort to understand the religious life of the other. They conclude wrongly that traditions other than Christianity have no good resources and insights for helping their practitioners understand and cope with the loss of a loved one and they appeal to fear of punishment as a basis for religious commitment. They are driven by their need to convert the other and not by the need of the other for conversion. Christians will understand better our discomfort by taking our places and imagining themselves as recipients of invitations, from Hindus, to convert in the midst of grief for a loved one.

What troubled me also about this effort to proselytize is the undisguised attempt to exploit what they saw as an occasion of emotional vulnerability resulting from our grief. Such exploitation is not dissimilar to proselytization in circumstances of poverty or in situations of natural disaster that we witnessed, for example, on the occasion of the Asian tsunami. Grief-evangelism, as I choose to describe what we experienced, is similar to aid-evangelism and both need to be vigorously repudiated by people of all religions. There are many good reasons for reading obituaries. Trolling for opportunities to proselytize is not among the good ones.

More at source.

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UNITED STATES, September 4, 2012 (YouTube): Raised Catholic, and considering herself spiritual for many years, Danielle decided to convert to Hinduism at age 16. The name Gauri Maheshwari was given to Danielle by one of the priests at the temple upon her decision to be a Hindu.

Hinduism is a way of life for Danielle. In fact, it is the very essence of life and gives her purpose in all she does. It makes her a kinder, gentler person because she realizes that God is in everyone and so she must treat people the way she would treat God. Danielle worships in her puja room at home and at the Hindu Temple in St. Louis.

In this 30 minute interesting and well-made video, Gauri articulately explains her views on Hinduism, religion, beliefs, adopting Hinduism and more. At the time of the interview she is 18 years old.

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The joy of the vengeful lasts only for a day, but the glory of the forbearing lasts until the end of time.
-- Tirukkural

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VALENCIA, SPAIN, March 19, 2013 (elmundo.es, translated from the original Spanish): Controversy erupted over a tableau created for the annual Las Fallas festival in Valencia, Spain, when two Hindu groups complained to the mayor that their cultural and religious feelings were being being insulted. Ninots, huge wood and cardboard "puppets," depicting Saraswati, Ganesha and Lord Shiva Nataraja had been created as part of a tableau entitled "Old Tales of India." The sticking point for the Hindu community was that the tableau was destined to be burned amid fireworks, like the hundreds of others of tableaus produced for the celebration, at the festival's end.

Things got heated between the artist and his supporters and the Hindu group as everyone was initially genuinely perplexed at the lack of understanding and cultural insensitivity from the "opposing" side. In the end, the artist affirmed that no offense to the Hindu community was intended, and it was agreed that the images of Gods would be spared from the flames. This was not the only ninot not destined, for religious reasons, to end up in ashes. An image of the Virgin Mary, in a tableau sponsored by the municipality, was also spared from the fire.