1. Hindu Monk Strives to Save Mahabodhi Temple
2. Giant Wrestler Finds Fame in India
3. Daily Inspiration

1. Hindu Monk Strives to Save Mahabodhi Temple

www.ibnlive.com

BODH GAYA, INDIA, May 8, 2008: The Mahabodhi temple is one of the holiest shrines for more than 376 million Buddhists around the world. However, in the last few years this place has been in news for all the wrong reasons. Today the situation is so grim that it is threatening the very existence of this holy site, including that of the sacred Bodhi tree.

The sacred peepal tree grows just behind the western wall of the Mahabodhi temple. Over 3.5 million devotees and tourists pray below the tree where the Buddha attained enlightenment. In the past, entire branches of the tree were chopped off, allegedly by monks who sold bits of the tree to rich foreign devotees. Today, the man fighting to secure the future of this Buddhist site is a Hindu monk. "This tree is sick, its dying and the branches have been cut. Each leaf can fetch up from US$2.50 to sometimes up to $100," says Hindu monk, Arup Brahmachari.

The Bodh Gaya Temple Act says the head of the temple management committee has to be a Hindu - something most Buddhist monks are opposed to. "Hindus run their own temples, Muslims run their own mosques, Christians have their churches to themselves. Mahabodhi temple must be run by Buddhists," says Buddhist Monk, Pragya Sheel.

2. Giant Wrestler Finds Fame in India

news.bbc.co.uk

NEW DELHI, INDIA, May 8, 2008: A giant former laborer from India who has become an international wrestling sensation is now a star in his homeland too. The Atlanta-based Dalip Singh Rana, who is from Himachal Pradesh, stands over 7ft tall and weighs nearly 200kg. Nicknamed the "Great Khali", Rana is a top draw at the hugely popular World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). With some Hollywood work under his belt, he is now looking at offers from Bollywood.

He is the first Indian to be signed up by WWE, and enjoys top billing in the famous American showbiz circus alongside fighters such as Hulk Hogan and The Rock. "Americans could not imagine someone from India in WWE. They are now actually having a lot of fun," he says. He briefly wrested the world champion's mantle in 2007 with a series of superlative performances at WWE.

Rana says he is a vegetarian and abhors alcohol and tobacco. He says he lives a "simple life" with his homemaker wife Harminder Kaur . "I have no fancy villa or cars. I live in a simple home and do not have the money to order a customized car that would fit my size," he says.

3. Daily Inspiration

www.hinduismtoday.com

It was the beginning of term at a primary school in Brooklyn. The teacher asked the children their names, one at a time, and for each to spell the name out loud. When she came to a young boy and asked his name. Ravishankar Venkataraman Bannerjee, he replied. "Wow. How do you spell that?" asked the teacher. "Well," said the little boy, "my mother helps me..."