www.hindu.com

CHENNAI, June 17, 2008: Thirubuvanam, a small village near Kumbakonam that has made a name for itself in traditional silk saris after Kancheepuram, is likely to repeat its success in producing silk ties. The name chosen for the exquisite hadndicrafted line is “Chola” ties. For the last few months, hundreds of weavers of Thirubuvanam Silk Handloom Weavers’ Co-operative Society have been imparted training in the art of making silk ties by the Handlooms and Textiles department.

“Though we have been weaving silk saris for many years, we thought it fit to expand our product portfolio. The silk ties are already an instant hit and Handicrafts, Handloom Export Corporation has placed orders for it,” said M.P. Nirmala, Special Officer and Managing Director.

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www.telegraph.co.uk

LONDON, ENGLAND, June 20, 2008: More than half of Britons think Christianity is likely to have disappeared from the country within a century, according to a survey. Research by the Orthodox Jewish organisation Aish found that just over a third of people thought religions like Christianity and Judaism would still be practiced in Britain in 100 years’ time. Although four in 10 people said they would choose to be a member of the Christian religion, almost the same number said they would rather practice no religion at all. Buddhism however, proved more attractive than both Islam and Judaism, and was chosen by nine per cent of those questioned. Aish UK’s executive director Rabbi Naftali Schiff said the results of the YouGov poll of 2,000 people were alarming. “It clearly demonstrates that religion, including Judaism, is becoming unattractive to the British public.

Research published earlier this year suggested that church attendance is declining so fast that the number of regular churchgoers will be fewer than those attending mosques within a generation. �ccording to Religious Trends, an analysis of religious practice in Britain, the huge drop off in attendance means that the Church of England, Catholicism and other denominations will become financially unviable. In contrast, the number of actively religious Muslims is predicted to increase from about one million today to 1.96 million in 2035./phr /

www.hinduismtoday.com

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www.himalmag.com

INDIA, June 26, 2008: (HPI note: This is a moving account from the Nepal-based magzine Himal of the experience, mostly of those who stayed behind, when tens of thousands of workers were shipped from the Bhojur region of India to the British colonies.)

Nearly 150 years ago began an agonising saga of migration from the Bhojpur region of India. With Britain actively engaged in agriculture in colonies across the world, there was a great need for skilled labourers