Source: wake.mync.com

CARY, NC, USA, May 28, 2009: After almost ten years and more than $3 million, the Hindu temple in Cary is officially open. In a grand opening celebration, priests have purified the temple with fire and water. On Thursday, Lord Venkateswara was moved into place.

Hindus and non-Hindus alike are invited to come experience the temple. Morrisville resident Sharat Reedy said, “I would definitely recommend people just come and visit and see the rituals that go on and see the culture of India.”

The temple devotees reported about the great ceremony, “It was a moment beyond words. Thousands of devotees, all gazing into the sky to get a glimpse of the Kumbhasamprokshana. The sound of ‘Srinivasa Govinada, Cary Vasa Govinda!’ reverberated throughout the Temple campus, from all sides of the temple. The thoughts that were crossing the minds of the devotees were all deep and varied as they shared later in several languages, English, Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, Malayalam, Hindi, Gujarati, Marathi, Oriya, Punjabi and Bengali. Some said, it is a life time opportunity. Some said, they feel like they are in India. Others said they never thought they would witness such an event and have such an experience in their life. As they describe it, their faces were glowing, competing with the spectacle in front of them, with deep satisfaction and amazement!”

The temple’s elaborate and dynamic website is http://svtemplenc.org/

Source: www.hinduonnet.com

VARANASI, INDIA, June 2, 2009: Over four hundred thousand devotees took a holy dip in river Ganga at Varanasi on Tuesday to mark the occasion of Ganga Dussehra, the day of arrival of the river on earth. The devotees thronged the banks of the holy river early in the morning to offer prayers and seek blessings.

During the occasion, women offered prayers and distributed fruits and food to the priests. Kripa Nath, a sadhu, said, “We pray to the Goddess that we get rid of this cycle of birth and death and attain moksha.”

In Hinduism, Ganga is a celestial river originating in the heavens. It was gifted to mankind and descended on the earth after great penance undertaken by king Bhagirath, after whom she is also called Bhagirathi.

Source: news.bbc.co.uk

UNITED KINGDOM, May 29, 2009: New research suggests diabetes is becoming a global problem, with more than 60% of all cases likely to occur in Asia. India will see its numbers grow from 40 million to nearly 70 million.

A study in the Journal of the American Medicine Association shows those hit in Asia are younger and less likely to be overweight than those in the West.

The study said trends of diabetes in Asia are influenced by everything from genetic and cultural differences. While in the West, type-2 diabetes is often seen as a consequence of diet, age and obesity, in Asia it is not.

The problem is that although Asian obesity rates are low, changing diets and sedentary lifestyles, associated with rapid economic development, are taking their toll.

An informative video can be seen here.

Source: www.hinduismtoday.com

Expecting the world to treat you fairly because you are a good person is a little like expecting the bull not to attack you because you are a vegetarian.
   Dennis Wholey