Religion News Services USA, February 12, 2009: Following is a list of Gallup’s least and most religious U.S. states, along with comparable findings in nations across the globe. The list is based on the percentage of people who said religion is an “important part” of their daily lives: Most religious Lebanon (86) Mississippi, U.S. (85) Iran (83) Alabama, U.S. (82)…
thestar.com.my PENANG, MALAYSIA, February 12, 2009: Colorful, extravagantly decorated kavadis dance to the loud music coming from the gaily-coloured stalls where crowds gather for free lunch and drinks. In the background someone yells “She’s in a trance!” Others recite prayers, chanting “vel vel!” and “haro-hara!” Everyone’s having a good time. And with piety at that. It’s Thaipusam in Penang. Unlike…
www.hinduismtoday.com I adopted the theory of reincarnation when I was 26. Religion offered nothing to the point. When I discovered reincarnation … time was no longer limited. I was no longer a slave to the hands of the clock. American auto industrialist Henry Ford
www.ndtv.com KATHMANDU, NEPAL, February 8, 2009: For over 13 years, Kailash Giri has been pilgrimaging on foot from one Hindu shrine to another, carrying his blind 83-year-old mother, Kirti Devi, on his shoulders. He is being hailed as a modern-day Shravan Kumar, an epic character hailed as the perfect son. Wearing the saffron dhoti favoured by Hindu pilgrims, his torso…
www.thehindu.com NEW DELHI, INDIA, February 11,2009: The U.S. House of Representatives on Tuesday passed a resolution recognising the 50th anniversary of the visit of legendary civil rights activist Martin Luther King Jr. to India and the positive influence of Mahatma Gandhi’s teachings on his work. Jim McDermott, co-chair of the Congressional Caucus on India and Indian-Americans, said: “We need Gandhi…
svsc.us NEW JERSEY, USA, January 11, 2009 (Press Release): The Sadhu Vaswani Center of New Jersey will host a Summer Camp in the foothills of the Catskill mountains from June 28, 2009 to July 11, 2009. Emphasis will be “to make Hindu youth informed and proud,” with focus on practical elements of Hindu faith and practice that youth can take…
www.hinduismtoday.com You are a being that has unlimited power within. Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami (1927-2001)
www.bernama.com KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA, February 9, 2009: Hindu devotees in Malaysia celebrated Thaipusam by going to several temples in the country. The chanting of “vel, vel” rose above Batu Caves yesterday as an estimated 1.2 million Hindu devotees and visitors thronged the Sri Subramaniar Swamy Temple for Thaipusam. More than 1,000 policemen oversaw traffic, safety and security, as a steady…
www.thehindu.com PALANI, INDIA, February 9, 2009: Thousands of devotees witnessed the Thai Poosam holy car procession of Sri Periyanayaki Amman Temple here on Sunday evening. The procession reached Shanmuga River for a holy dip in the early hours of the day. Amid chanting of hymns, Lord Muthukumaraswamy and goddesses Sri Valli and Sri Deivanai were given a ritualistic bath in…
www.hinduismtoday.com What I feel right now is just bliss. Daily life tires the soul as well as the body. This one day, this one bath, is like a new birth for my soul. Vivek Ananda Shastri, 28, teacher, after bathing at the January 2001 Kumbha Mela