1. VHP Protests Against Registration Tax On Amarnath Pilgrims
Source

NEW DELHI, INDIA, May 30, 2005: Vishwa Hindu Parishad activists today took to streets here against the Jammu and Kashmir state government's decision to impose registration tax on the Amarnath pilgrims. The annual pilgrimage is due to begin in three weeks. Jammu and Kashmir government has recently decided to impose registration tax on the pilgrims. Last year, around 300,000 devotees went on the pilgrimage. Activists, also joined by Bajrang Dal members, shouting slogans against the state Chief Minister, condemned him for slapping the tax, which they say was in stark contrast to the kind of subsidies being granted to Muslims during their annual Haj pilgrimage. (HPI adds: The Indian government subsidizes the airfare of Muslims traveling to Mecca in Saudi Arabia for the Haj.)

"On one side the Centre and state governments are providing subsidy to the Haj pilgrims and for other minorities. If this tax of 10 rupees (US$0.23) is being imposed on the Hindus, it is an insult which we will not tolerate," said Ashok Kapoor, a VHP activist. For long activists have also been campaigning for the extension of the month-long pilgrimage by another 30 days, a proposal the state government has rejected citing security problems. The Chief Minister says the forces deployed across the restive region have to be pulled out to provide security to pilgrims and that causes problems. Several times militants have attacked the annual pilgrimage since the violence began in the region in 1989. In 2002 eight pilgrims were killed in the attack on Nunwan camp in Pahalgam. Amarnath stands at a height of nearly 12,500 feet (3,888 metres) above sea level. (ANI)

2. North Caroloina Hindus Build Temple
Source

CARY, NORTH CAROLINA, UNITED STATES, 2 June, 2005: Recently, the Triangle's (a several-county area which includes Raleigh) growing South Indian population took a symbolic step toward creating a more permanent spiritual home. North Carolina's largest Hindu temple is rising on a 9-acre plot in western Cary. Sri Venkateswara, the God of wealth and well-being, will soon reside in a US$1.5 million, 4,000-square-foot structure designed according to specifications in sacred scriptures. For seven years, members of the Sri Venkateswara Temple in Cary have had to make do with a tiny converted house. At an elaborate ritual groundbreaking ceremony, Hindu priests climbed into a pit and buried nine different gemstones, nine precious metals and nine types of grain - all offerings to the God who will soon sit in a shrine on that spot. With permission from the town and $500,000 in pledges to go ahead with the project, an ambitious architectural plan of a pyramid-shaped tower modeled after the Sri Venkateswara Temple in Tirupati, India, the temple is expected to be complete within two years. Traditionally trained temple architects and craftsmen will come from India to oversee construction.

Hundreds of people gathered there to celebrate the temple's beginnings. Vendors sold vegetarian food, while women danced to traditional Hindu music, children, seated cross-legged, recited Sanskrit prayers to a crowd of proud parents clad in colorful garments. Yogi Velu, a temple member said, "This is our family." Velu, along with many of the other men, arrived at 4 a.m. to begin preparing for the early morning ceremony. Many said this event is a testament to the growing strength of the Indian community in North Carolina. There were more than 26,000 Asian Indians living in North Carolina in 2000, with about 11,000 in the Triangle and a little more than 3,000 in Cary. For years, Indian immigrants who claimed Hinduism as their faith worshipped at a Morrisville temple, called the Hindu Bhavan, built in 1986. Now that the community is larger and more diverse, many are striving to preserve more authentic regional traditions. In addition to the Hindu Bhavan, there is the BAPS Swaminarayan Hindu Temple in Morrisville and the New Goloka Dham in Hillsborough as well as Hindu temples in Charlotte and Greensboro. Community leaders say they already have plans for a second phase of construction several years from now, which would include a "marriage hall" and classrooms. "The temple is a place where you get to know about your culture," said Kaushik Ram Kommaraju, a junior at Green Hope High School in Cary, whose parents are active in the temple. "A lot of people forget the traditions. This temple serves to preserve it."

3. Hindu American Foundation Meets U.K. Based Hindu Groups and Government Officials
Source

LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM, June 1, 2005: The Hindu American Foundation (HAF) concluded a series of interactions with Hindu organizations based in the U. K. and the U.K. Government's Home Office. In its efforts to understand the challenges faced by Hindus in the U.S.A. and the U.K., a series of meetings were held with several Hindu organizations in the U.S.A. and the U.K. Thus the HAF forged partnerships with several U.K. Hindu groups to further issues important to Hindus in both countries while promoting pluralism and understanding. In HAF's meeting with the Home Office, it expressed concern about recent legislation that would prevent Hindu priests from immigrating to the U.K. which may force temples to close down. Anil Bhanot, Executive Director of the Hindu Council U.K. (HCUK), said that the Home ministry officials have expressed their appreciation for HAF's and HCUK's input and assured both that they would consider their input and forward them to Members of Parliament. Other concerns Hindus in the U.K. voiced to HAF include the lack of British government funding for Hindu groups, the lack of Hindu Members of Parliament, Hindu human rights globally, disunity in the Hindu community in U.K., the misappropriation of Hindu symbols for commercial purposes and apathy in the community to Hinduism in general.

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