1. Ten Sued in Attack on Bangladesh Hindu Temple
2. Ancient Siva Temple Reopens After Eighteen Years
3. Australian Hind Temple Celebrates Janmashtami
4. More Indians In US Turn Inventors, Says Study

1. Ten Sued in Attack on Bangladesh Hindu Temple

www.thedailystar.net

PABNA, BANGLADESH, September 8, 2007: A case has been filed against 10 Jamaat leaders and activists at Bera Pora in Santhia upazila for attacking a Hindu temple on September 5. President of Siddheshwari Puja Mandir Committee Pradip Kumar De filed the case with the local police station Wednesday. The accused are Bera Pora unit Jamaat ameer and superintendent of Karamja Dakhil Madrasa Abu Daud, and Jamaat activists Shahjahan, Saidul, Nudu Mollah, Chan Mollah, Hafez, Lutfor, Awal and Abu Taleb.

The complainant alleged that the accused attacked the temple while the local Hindus were celebrating Janmashtami, the birth of lord Krishna. He said, "Armed with sticks and sharp weapons, they stormed the Mandir and threatened us to stop the three-day program. They knocked down the shed built for the guests, cut down trees and damaged the rath (chariot)." Pradip claimed the loss would be around Tk 30,000 (US$440).

Locals said there was already a dispute over the land of Siddheshwari Mandir. The accused had a lease issued in favor of Karamja Dakhil Madrasa. But the High Court ruled for a status quo to be maintained in response to a petition by the Mandir Committee for rejecting the lease orders. Santhia police have arrested Abdul Awal, one of the accused. Contacted, Sub Inspector Mizan said, "We have recorded the case and are trying our best to arrest the rest of the accused." Meanwhile, additional police force have been deployed in the area to defuse tension.

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2. Ancient Siva Temple Reopens After Eighteen Years

www.hinduonnet.com

BIJBEHARA, INDIA, August 28, 2007: After a period of eighteen years, worship has commenced again at an ancient Siva temple. The news release explains, "The Pandits arrived at the temple located on a hillock at Thajwara, overlooking Srinagar-Jammu national highway, from Jammu and other parts of the country where they had migrated after eruption of militancy in the state in early 1990s. Popularly known as Pracheen Amarnath shrine, the temple houses a cave in which water pours from the top and it is viewed as a replica of the 3,880-meter-high holy cave shrine of Amarnath in the Himalayas. The Temple reverberated with religious songs since last evening as hundreds of devotees gathered to participate in a havan (special prayers)."

President of Jammu-based Devasthan Prabandak Committee Bijbehara V N Jotshi says, "This is the grace of Lord Shiva that we got a chance to offer prayers at the shrine, visit our birth place and meet our Muslim brothers. We are looking forward for the day when we will return to our roots here." Jotshi further adds that the shrine has a great religious significance. Those who could not manage to track the arduous route to Amarnath cave used to visit the temple and offer prayers.

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3. Australian Hind Temple Celebrates Janmashtami

www.svtsydney.org

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA, SVT, September 9, 2007: The Hindu temple here in Helensburgh celebrated Sri Krishna Janmashtami. Hundreds of devotees participated, chanting Bhagavad Gita Chapters 2 & 15 and Vishnu Sahasranama, kathak dancing, children's skit (Krishna, the Butter Thief) and bhajans.

The temple will celebrate Ganesha Visarjana on September 16 with the usual festival (Mela) attracting thousands to enjoy the Ganesa pujas, cultural programs, foods and other stalls and the final procession to the shores of Pacific Ocean to immerse Ganesa, to beats of drums and chants of Ganpathy Bappa Moriya! See URL above for details. This is one of the largest Visarjana celebrations outside of India. Hindu devotees from all over the world are invited to pilgrimage to this great temple.

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4. More Indians In US Turn Inventors, Says Study

www.thehindubusinessline.com

NEW DELHI, INDIA, September 5, 2007: Indian immigrants in the United States are making a strong mark for themselves with an ever-increasing number turning into inventors in the country, a recent study says. According to a report prepared by a team of researchers from Harvard, Duke and New York Universities, the number of Indian nationals contributing to US international patent applications touched 5.5 percent in 2006. This is a sharp rise compared to just 1.6 percent in 1998. Indians constitute less than one percent of the US population. "During this period, there was a large influx of highly educated Indians into the US and they contributed immensely to the intellectual capital of American corporations and universities," Mr. Vivek Wadhwa, a fellow at the Harvard Law School and executive-in-residence at Duke University, one of the authors of the report said.

Analyzing the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) applications from the US at the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), the researchers found contribution of inventors with Indian-heritage names increased to 13.7 percent from 9.5 percent during 1998-2006 period. Besides, Indian and Chinese inventors file most patents in the fields of sanitation, medical preparations, pharmaceuticals, semiconductors and electronics. "Indian-born entrepreneurs in the US founded more engineering and technology firms (from 1995-2005) than the next immigrant groups--from UK, China, Taiwan and Japan combined," the report also reveals.

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