UNITED STATES,, February 17, 2025 (RNS): The winner of the 2025 Grammy Award for best new age, ambient or chant album — a category once dominated by Enya — was an album titled Triveni, meaning “the confluence of three rivers” in Sanskrit, an apt description for its weaving of Vedic chants, melodic flute and cello by India’s Chandrika Tandon, South…
FIJI, February 16, 2025 (The Fiji Times): A large crowd of over a thousand devotees gathered at the Sri Siva Subramaniya Swami Temple in Nadi yesterday to celebrate the Tamil Hindu festival, Thaipoosam. The auspicious occasion saw devotees from around Fiji pulling carts and dancing in celebration of the annual event. The Drik Panchang website defines Thaipusam or Thaipoosam as…
UNITED STATES, February 19, 2025 (YouTube): This video features colorized and upscaled footage from New York, London, Japan, India and more from the early 1900’s. The video shows scenes of everyday street life, commerce and transportation around the world from 1900 to 1909. Around the two minute mark is an elephant parade from 1902, possibly in Kerala, where the elephants…
PRAYAGRAJ, INDIA, February 14, 2025 (Indian Express): At the ongoing Mahakumbh in Prayagraj, a nagar kirtan accompanied by a gurbani kirtan and a gatka performance was organized on January 11, marking the presence of the Nirmla Akhara, one of the three Sikh-related akharas (spiritual orders) that are part of the world’s largest religious gathering. Many Sikh followers visit the three…
INDIA, February 13, 2025 (The Organiser, by Yatharth Sikka): Kumbh is the largest spiritual gatherings in the world, where millions of devotees come together to take a dip at the Triveni Sangam in Prayagraj. Being a Gen-Z, I never considered religious rituals, worshipping or traditional practices a part of my daily life. However, my first experience at Maha Kumbh 2025…
VARANASI, INDIA, February 12, 2025 (Social News): The ancient city of Varanasi is witnessing an unprecedented influx of devotees as it prepares to host Naga Sadhus and saints ahead of Maha Shivratri. Following their participation in Prayagraj’s Maha Kumbh, revered saints have now arrived in the city, setting up a vibrant camp along the ghats of the River Ganga. Their…
INDIA, February 14, 2025 (YouTube): The Maha Kumbh Mela in Prayagraj is not just a religious spectacle but an economic powerhouse, with 400 million devotees expected to fuel an estimated US$2.3 billion impact on Uttar Pradesh’s economy. From luxury tents priced at $1,153 per night to small vendors betting on 10-fold returns, the 40-day event is a convergence of faith,…
MALAYASIA, February 13, 2025 (MSN): Hundreds of thousands of Hindus flocked to temples across Malaysia to celebrate the Thaipusam festival Tuesday, with many piercing their bodies with hooks and skewers in acts of devotion. Thaipusam is marked with particular zest in multicultural Malaysia, a Muslim-majority nation where ethnic Indians make up about seven percent of the 34 million population. One…
SINGAPORE, February 13,2025 (mid-day): Around 16,000 devotees fulfilled their vows to Lord Murugan during a Thaipusam festival celebrated in Singapore on Tuesday. Most of the participating devotees undertook to carry the paal kudam, or milk pot, while around 300 carried spike kavadis, also known as alagu kavadis, which involves piercing of the torso, face and tongue. They walked two miles…
GUYANA, February 13, 2025 (WIC News): A 50-foot statue of Lord Shiva was inaugurated on Wednesday at the Badrinaath Ashram in Guyana. This statue is the largest of its kind in South America, marking a significant development for Hindu community residing in Guyana. The statue has been installed by Badrinath Ashram, and it was handcrafted in India and assembled by…
