2. Tens of Thousands in Kashmir March to UN Offices
3. Promoting Hindi In Europe
4. A Professors Love For Sacred Art Culminates In An Exhibition
5. Daily Inspiration

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2. Tens of Thousands in Kashmir March to UN Offices

ap.google.com

SRINAGAR, INDIA, August 18, 2004: Tens of thousands of Muslims waving green and black protest flags planned to march through Indian Kashmir's main city of Srinagar. They intended to reach the U.N. offices demanding freedom from India. Security measures prevented them from reaching the U.N. offices, but demonstrators tore down barbed wire barricades that authorities had erected on roads and chanted "Down with India."

Masarat Aalam, a prominent separatist, said leaders would deliver a petition citing human rights violations by Indian authorities and requesting intervention.

The crowd shouted violent slogans such as "It is your death, India."

The crisis began in June with a dispute over land near the Amarnath temple. Muslims held protests complaining that a state government plan to transfer 99 acres (40 hectares) to the Amarnath temple trust to build facilities for pilgrims near the shrine was actually a settlement plan meant to alter the religious balance in the region.

Organizers said the protest was the largest against Indian rule since unrest sharply escalated two months ago. Much of the Kashmir valley remained paralysed last week by a shutdown called by separatist groups. At least 34 people, both Muslims and Hindus, have been killed in Indian-administered Kashmir. The unrest has pitted Muslims against the region's Hindu minority.

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3. Promoting Hindi In Europe

www.hindustantimes.com

NEW DELHI, INDIA, August 15, 2008: Twelve young flagbearers of Hindi from Europe chosen from among hundreds for their skill in the language are currently on a 10-day trip to India.

Barring a few European students of Hindi, they are all persons of Indian origin who have learnt the language to keep alive an emotional link with their country of origin.

The trip involves meetings with dignitaries and commoners alike, and visits to historical places like Haridwar, Rishikesh, Agra and Lucknow. The UK Hindi Samiti of Padmesh Gupta conducted the test in February to select the youngsters all aged between 16 and 25 most proficient in Hindi and an organization called Aksharam planned the trip.

"The whole idea is to promote Hindi in Europe. If Hindi dies among second generation Indians from north India in Europe, their links with India will also die, as language is a crucial aspect of culture. So we thought that inculcating love of the language was important for inculcating the love of India," Anil Joshi of Aksharam told Hindustan Times.

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4. A Professors Love For Sacred Art Culminates In An Exhibition

thestar.com.my

MALAYSIA, August 12, 2008: What started out as a passing fancy ended up as a labor of love that lasted almost three years for Professor Dr. Krishna Gopal Rampal. "At first, I thought it would be nice to have a few paintings on Indian temples in Kuala Lumpur," says Prof. Krishna, 57, an ardent collector of Malaysian artworks since 1991. "Since I knew friends in the artist community, I enlisted their help. My son suggested that I include the temples in Singapore."

The professor of occupational health at the Medical Faculty, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, is no painter himself but has always had a fascination for art. Prof. Krishnas fascination for Indian temples culminated in an exhibition of almost 200 pieces of artworks by 10 leading Malaysian artists at the Badan Warisan Malaysia in March last year. The exhibition, entitled Sacred Structures: An Exhibition of Artistic Renditions of Indian Temple Architecture in Malaysia, was aimed at creating awareness of the artistic merit and beauty of Indian temple structures. This amazing collection is now featured in a coffee-table book entitled Sacred Structures: Artistic Renditions of Hindu Temples in Malaysia and Singapore. The book is a guide to the world of Hindu temples in Malaysia and Singapore, as seen through the eyes of the artists. The total collection features more than 190 paintings.

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5. Daily Inspiration

www.hinduismtoday.com

Culture without religion is just for tourists.
   Anonymous

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