Ancient Recipe Gives India's Taj Mahal a Face-Lift
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AGRA, INDIA, December 8, 2002: The world famous 17-century Taj Mahal received a face-lift. Exposure to industrial pollution had left the marble Mogul tomb stained with black and yellow impurities. Wanting to restore the monument to its original splendor, archaeologists discovered that a mud-pack was used in the 16-century to restore Indian buildings. Using the formula as described in the 16-century Mogul journal, Ain-I-Akbary, the archaeologists combined soil, cereal, milk and lime to recreate the ancient recipe, the same ingredients once used by Indian women to beautify their skin. In any case, the results were astonishing. The Taj Mahal marble is now gleaming white. The mixture has been used to clean the interior, the gateway, and the four surrounding minarets. News of the mud-pack formula has been far-reaching. Scientists from Rome have traveled to Agra to observe the process and they have returned home to treat marble statues in Rome and Florence. The mud, brushed on in layers until it is an inch deep, draws out the polluting sulfates and carbonates. After 24 hours, the mud is washed off with warm water.

New York Fashion Scene Embraces Yoga
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NEW YORK CITY, U.S.A., December 12, 2002: In this droll look at New York's famous fashion scene, Kate Betts' "view" takes a fresh look at Hinduism's ancient practice of Yoga. "The last thing I thought I would be buying at the Marc Jacobs boutique in SoHo (Manhattan) was a sticky yoga mat. Yoga was for sincere, mantra-chanting people who liked to do tree poses in public. Not something that ever seemed likely to preoccupy the glittering, self-besotted members of the fashion tribe. We follow trends, not gurus. Our masters are Miuccia Prada (clothes) and Manolo Blahnik (shoes). We worship at the altar of consumerism, and can see the universe in a bead on a Fendi baguette (a US$500 lady's purse). We do not by nature believe there is a clear line between divinity and a divine pair of shoes. It's hard to fathom why fashion, which has thrived for centuries on humanity's most nakedly materialistic tendencies, would now be embracing a spiritual tradition that aspires to move people beyond the illusion of appearances. But yoga is not just fashionable, with some 18 million practitioners in the United States; it has come to permeate every nook of the fashion world itself. Christy Turlington was on a recent cover of Vogue demonstrating the bow pose in a Calvin Klein evening dress. At runway shows, you hear musical Indian names like Iyengar, Kripalu and Sivananda peppering conversations. Every stylist, makeup artist and fashion publicist worth her weight in Nuala sweats is bowing to some newfound guru at corner gymnasiums and SoHo lofts. Then I heard about Eddie Stern, a leading teacher of Ashtanga, and whose New York studio is the V.I.P. room of yoga. Ashtanga is known as boot camp yoga. Devotees break down in tears in the middle of the more difficult postures. The word is, an Ashtanga workout can change your life if you survive it. As karma would have it, Sri K. Pattabhi Jois, the 86-year-old brahmin-born guru of Ashtanga yoga, was making his twice-a-year visit to New York to conduct a workshop. Ashtanga enthusiasts were pouring into Manhattan from all over the country to practice with this amazingly elastic grandfather they called Guruji." To conclude this long and humorous article, go to "source" above.

British Pastor's Six Steps for Converting Hindus to Christianity
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UNITED KINGDOM: In this article, Juge Ram, a Christian convert from Hinduism and Pastor of Emmanuel Church in Birmingham, England, answers questions on Hinduism and explains how to reach Hindus with the Bible. After giving a detailed background of Hindu beliefs and culture, he suggests a few methods which Christians can use to reach out to Hindus. Firstly, Hindus arriving from India generally feel isolated or have difficulties knowing how things operate. Christians can use these opportunities to offer them assistance, establish friendships and win their trust. Christians can befriend and help the Hindu wife who is often at home all day alone with the children and may need friendship and assistance adjusting to a new culture. Christians should help them as much as possible and try to get into their homes. It may be a long and slow process, but it is one of the most successful ways of bringing Hindus to Christianity. Secondly, the local churches need to demonstrate a concern for the Hindus in their communities. If there is a large Asian community and many members cannot speak English, they need to hear the religious teachings in their own language. This can be done by having Christian literature in appropriate languages. The church may consider including books in Asian languages in Christian bookshops or bookstalls at local events. From time to time churches can have a bilingual service or an Asian evening. In addition, a bilingual sermon or a recording of the Bible in their own language can be a powerful tool for communicating with non-English speaking Hindus. Thirdly, Christians must be aware of cultural differences when approaching Hindus or risk offending them. For example, a woman who wants to be a witness to her Asian friends should not wear miniskirts or other revealing clothing. Men should approach men only. Fourthly, Christians should not attack Hinduism or risk alienating the Hindus. Rather, it is suggested that Christians ask questions about their religion and let Hindus see the "folly" of it themselves. Fifthly, Hindus are very polite and may give the impression that they are listening and interested. Christians must not be fooled by this and think that because they agree with them they are genuinely interested. Many Hindus will say they believe in Christ and they may even speak of repentance, but they will continue to worship Hindu Gods. Therefore, Christians must make it clear to Hindus that they need to make a clean break from Hinduism. Lastly, Christians should use the Bible when witnessing. They can read the Bible with Hindus and point out how relevant it is to their lives. Christians must treat the Bible with respect and never put it on the floor. Hindus can be given copies of the New Testament in their own language if they cannot read English. Christians should explain biblical terms through a simple biblical framework and use biblical or other illustrations to assist them in conveying their message. The pastor concludes by saying that Hindus are lost, spiritually blind and are without hope in this world and in the next. He says that only Christ can release them and exhorts Christians to share the gospel with them with great humility and great confidence. The number of practicing Christians in England drops at a rate of 1,000 per day.

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