Hindu Press International

US Gets a Taste of Indian Wedding Spectaculars

Tue, 1 Jul 2008 17:01:24 UT -1000

Washington, DC, USA, July 1, 2008: Minnie, the elephant, is used to being the star. Traffic comes to a halt and heads turn when she walks down the street. And inviting her to your event can cost anything upwards of $8,500. She and other four-legged beauties are part of a booming wedding industry that caters to the ever-growing demands of rich Indians in the US.

Manan Shah had a childhood dream of taking centre stage in his marriage procession - or baraat - on an elephant. A relative's wedding in India where he saw an elephant carry the groom to the bride added to the fascination. "I knew it was almost a lifetime wish for him and so I decided to go for it despite the huge cost,'' says his father Suresh Shah, who has lived in the US for more than 30 years.

Indian wedding planners have mushroomed all over the US. And so have supporting professionals like videographers, hair and make-up specialists, henna artists and so on. The music and dance must also be Bollywood inspired, with specialist DJs and choreographers.

Midge Harmon says the second generation Indians have now reached the marriageable age and there's a large number of young Indians who are in 20s and early 30s. "They are Americanized, but want to get married here in the traditional ways and so the support facilities have grown to service them,'' she says. And one things for sure. As Sonal Shah puts it: "Marriage is one business with indefinite longevity.''

Protests In Pakistan Against Dam Project Endangering Hindu Temple

Tue, 1 Jul 2008 17:01:24 UT -1000

QUETTA, PAKISTAN, June 29, 2008: Protesters demanded the federal government cancel construction plans for a dam on Hangol River in order to avoid damage to a historical Hindu temple.

Balochistan Minister for Irrigation and Power Sardar Muhammad Aslam Bizenjo, along with several other provincial ministers, moved a joint resolution against construction of the dam.

The location of the dam concurs with the historical Hinglaj Mata temple, a shrine visited by tens of thousands of local and foreign Hindus annually. The temple is also the venue for a grand annual religious festival held every April. The resolution said that if the government continued with the project, the temple was likely to be inundated with water and all roads leading to it getting completely closed. "We request the government to respect the sentiments of our fellow Hindu brothers. If the temple is damaged, Pakistan's image on the global front would suffer and the Hindus living all across the world would be upset. We request the protection of the Hinglaj Mata temple," demanded the resolution. The dam also faces opposition from environmentalists.

Daily Inspiration

Tue, 1 Jul 2008 17:01:24 UT -1000

Mahatma Gandhi visited London in 1932. He toured the city wearing traditional dhoti and khadi shawl. People who met him were shocked with his "barbaric" attire, and he was the subject of ridicule--notably by Churchill himself. On one occasion Gandhi accepted an invitation to tea from King George V, "Emperor of India." When asked afterwards if he felt underdressed, Gandhi replied, "His Majesty had enough clothes on for both of us."