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TRINIDAD, March 15, 2008: An order to remove rakshas (sacred threads) from the wrists of Hindu pupils at the Cunupia High School has provoked the wrath of the Hindu Students Council of Trinidad and Tobago (HCSTT). Earlier this week the school refused entry to those pupils wearing the rakshas, which is tied on by a Hindu priest during a religious service.

The Ministry of Education has apologized for the incident.

Secretary of the Council Reena Teelucksingh said: “We are faced today with a society in which crime is rampant and the youths are moving away from religion. Shouldn’t we support their pride in their religion, morals and values?” She described as “ridiculous and utter rubbish” for anyone to say that a raksha is worn just for style, especially in this time of “hundred dollar jerseys and thousand dollar shoes.”

Teelucksingh said, “to force these pupils to take off the thread is to show the highest disrespect and disregard for the Hindu religion.”

www.newindpress.com

CUDDALORE, INDIA, March 13, 2008: A meeting held in Chidambaram on Tuesday decided to allow oduvars to recite Tamil devotional hymns at Lord Nataraja temple on a regular basis. As per the resolution, the oduvars recited Tamil hymns at the temple from 7.30 am to 8 am on Wednesdays.

The resolution was adopted in the meeting between the dikshitars, Tamil activists and police. As per the agreement, 10 oduvars will be allowed to recite Tamil devotional hymns at the Chitsaba and five among them will be allowed to climb the podium in the Chitsaba.

For this, prior permission from the dikshitars will be required. Police will provide security to the oduvars in the Temple. Inspector Ramalingam of the Chidambaram Town police station, Srinivasan, SI, Sivaprakasam, town secretary, Tamil Desa Podhuvudaimai Katchi, Sivarama Dikshitar and Pattu Dikshitar took part in the peace meeting.

www.chinapost.com.tw

DENPASAR, INDONISIA, March 8, 2008: The normally vibrant Indonesian tourist destination of Bali came to a standstill Friday as the island’s Hindu majority celebrated the start of the Hindu new year. The Day of Silence, known here as Nyepi, saw Balinese confined to their homes, unable to work, play and — for some — even talk or eat.

The island’s international Ngurah Rai airport was closed while shops were shuttered and streets deserted apart from the presence of traditional guards tasked with enforcing the silence. Tourists were also made to spend the day inside their hotels out of deference to the holiday.

The strictly enforced silence — which started at dawn and will continue until dawn on Saturday — is intended as a time of spiritual contemplation for Balinese Hindus. Friday’s hushed tones were in marked contrast to the day before, which saw the island’s close-knit communities buzzing with activity as the devout sought to atone for sins and as young men completed striking papier mache effigies. The effigies, known as Ogoh-Ogoh, represent evil spirits and were noisily carried through the streets at nightfall and then burned before sunrise to symbolize renewal and the cleansing of evil.

Despite the fact that Balinese Hindus make up a small minority of the general population, Nyepi is observed as a national holiday in Indonesia, the world’s largest Muslim-majority country.

www.hinduismtoday.com

Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds.
Albert Einstein (1879-1955)