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KAUAI, HI, USA, September 6, 2011: The October-November-December, 2011, edition of Hinduism’s award-winning spiritual magazine, Hinduism Today, has been released in digital form and is now available for free on your desktop. This issue introduces you to our Hindu of the Year. Get ready for a lesson on Hindu history and for a journey to the Goa your mother never told you about!
Our feature article goes into Goa, that smallest Indian state, often thought to be mostly Christian. Turns out, that is just one stereotype Goa fails to live up to. Delhi correspondent Rajiv Malik does his magic again, going over the walls and under the radar to discover what Goa is like today. Turns out, there exists a dramatic and vibrant Hindu majority there despite a horrific history under the boot of Muslims and then the Portuguese. Follow Rajiv, and learn.
The Hindu of the Year 2011: He is a monk and a scholar. Perhaps one of India’s most learned Sanskritists. Meet Jagadguru Sri Sri Bharati Tirtha Mahaswamiji, head of the prestigious Sringiri Peetham in Karnataka state. We happened to be at his 61st Vardhanti (birthday) in early April to present the Hinduism Today Renaissance Award, so the story is rich with that celebration–which culminated with 1,100 Vedic priests performing a historic fire offering. Though he loves his monkish life, Swamiji is a world leader and a force within Hinduism.
For those who love the visual, this issue does not disappoint. Our team has assembled a 20-page photo tour of India’s entire history, complete with fact-filled captions. If you want the overview of the complex, nearly endless history of the subcontinent, get it here in less than an hour and impress friends with your background.
One of the most popular pieces we ever did in our 32-year history was a little pamphlet called “Ten Questions People Ask About Hinduism.” It’s gone around the world, into Jewish libraries and Christian seminaries. It’s helped tens of thousands of people answer the tough questions we get asked every day of our life. Now comes the sequel, Four More Questions People Ask About Hinduism. The new answers are here in this issue for you to steal and call your own. Memorize the short response, study the long explanations, and forever remain fearless when associates, neighbors and dinner party troublemakers as you about your religion. Oh, what are the four new hot-button questions? They explore, in detail: Is yoga a Hindu practice or not? How do you Hindus look at the other religions? Why do some of your Hindu Deities seem to have animal bodies? And what is this I hear about cremating the dead instead of burying them?
We love to preach the merits of vegetarianism, as our readers know. This issue we called upon Pooja Patel to write about trying to be a veggie in US colleges. Pooja explored the university scene, interviewed students for their personal trials and successes and wrote a revealing piece. Oh, did we mention Pooja is fourteen? Check out her budding journalism skills.
Our publisher, Satguru Bodhinatha Veylanswami, is in Trinidad as we write this, uplifting the Hindus there, and in nearby Guyana. In this issue’s Publisher’s Desk, he comes home, to your home, to teach you how to make it God’s home. Right, the traditional shrine room, under some pressure from our busy lives, turns out to be an essential part of creating a stable family and a sustainable spiritual practice. He tells us just how to make it happen.
You are an engineering academic, and your salary is not plush. Would you bequeath a $7,000,000 fortune to establish a foundation that supports the study of Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism? Well, Professor Mahinder Singh Uberoi did just that. This inspiring article by Katharine Nanda examines Dr. Uberoi’s vision of promoting true understanding, religious tolerance and open communication among the diverse perspectives of the world, as well as the legacy that to this day is alive and active. Being aware of the vast mountains of misinformation, even at the university level, the Uberoi Foundation is pushing forward to bring an accurate understanding of these four major religions.
There’s more, of course. A reincarnation cartoon, an opinion piece on three rules of thumb for visiting a Hindu temple (by Deepa Iyer, also published in the Huffington Post), as well as a few surprises found in our quotes and letters. It’s all there in the current issue of Hinduism Today, where you go to stay in touch with Sanatana Dharma. In print and online. Read it here!