www.washingtonpost.com MASSENA, NEW YORK, October 2, 2008: A group of parents and religious leaders in upstate New York want yoga classes out of public schools, saying the instruction violates boundaries between church and state. Two high school teachers began using yoga last year to help students relieve stress before exams. Special education teacher Martha Duchscherer and Spanish teacher Kerry Perretta…
timesofindia.indiatimes.com LUCKNOW, INDIA, October 2, 2008: This Durga Puja, people of Lucknow will get a chance to visit the famous Meenakshi temple of Madurai, Tamil Nadu, in the state capital itself. Large numbers of artisans and laborers, hired by a Durga Puja committee to erect a wooden replica of the enormous temple, are working around the clock in order to…
www.expressbuzz.com THRISSUR, INDIA, September 29, 2008: The fifteenth all-India Sanskrit conference will begin here on October 10. Over 300 Sanskrit scholars from different parts of the country will be attending the three-day conference, which will include seminars, scientific heritage exhibition and essay competitions.
timesofindia.indiatimes.com LUDHIANA, INDIA, October 3, 2008: Angered by the soaring list of film shootings at the Golden Temple, the most revered shrine of the Sikhs, priests have said the gurdwara could soon be put out of bounds for most of Bollywood. Because film crews have inconvenienced the devotees and there is a perception that they don’t care about “maryada” (a…
www.pressdemocrat.com NEW DELHI, INDIA, October 3, 2008: India strengthened its laws against smoking in public places Thursday, but enforcement is not expected to be easy. For years, anti-smoking laws here have been widely ignored. India’s smokers are accustomed to lighting up anywhere they happen to be, even in hospitals and playgrounds. Tobacco companies have fought to keep warnings off boxes,…
www.hinduismtoday.com One of the most beautiful compensations of this life is that no man can sincerely try to help another without helping himself. Ralph Waldo Emerson
news.bbc.co.uk BHAKTAPUR, NEPAL, September 29, 2008: The state-run Trust Corporation, authorized by Nepal’s new Maoist-led government, has selected six-year-old Shreeya Bajracharya to fulfill the role of Kumari (“living goddess”) in the temple town of Bhaktapur. Always before, Kumaris have been appointed by the royal high priest; but the monarchy was abolished after the Maoists, who are atheists, won elections earlier…
www.hindu.com PATHANAMTHITTA, INDIA, September 30, 2008: The selection of the new Melsanthi (head priest) at the Sabarimala Ayyappa Temple for the next one year is most likely to be made by a new five-member committee as per the recommendations of the Paripoornan Commission. The Commission has maintained that the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB), comprising the Board president and members, should…
timesofindia.indiatimes.com LONDON, ENGLAND, September 29, 2008: Can one’s faith in God really ease pain? “Yes”, say scientists at Oxford University, based on a recent experiment. The scientists subjected 12 Roman Catholics and 12 atheists to painful electric shocks as they studied two paintings–the Virgin Mary and a somewhat similar painting by Leonardo da Vinci. While looking at the Virgin Mary…
www.hinduismtoday.com Sugar is sweet at all times, even in the dark. So remains devotion for the devout, in times of comfort or discomfort, praises or insults, darkness or enlightenment. His Divine Holiness Pramukhswami Maharaj, spiritual head of Bochasanwasi Shree Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha