WASHINGTON, D.C., August 26, 2021 (The Diplomat, by Shareen Joshi): The Washington, D.C.-based Pew Research Center recently released a landmark survey on religion and society in India. Administered to 29,999 respondents in 17 languages between November 2019 and March 2020, the survey is certainly a formidable endeavor. The final report provides fascinating insights into the coexistence of religiosity, pluralism, and…
Your task is not to seek for love, but merely to seek and find all the barriers within yourself that you have built against it. Rumi (1207-1273), Sufi mystic and poet
MADURAI, INDIA, August 23, 2021 (The Hindu): Sri La Sri Harihara Sri Gnanasambanda Desika Swamigal took over as the 293rd pontiff of the Madurai Adheenam at a grand coronation ceremony that took place on Monday. After the recent death of the 292nd pontiff, Sri La Sri Arunagirinadha Sri Gnanasambanda Desika Paramacharya Swamigal, the historic Shaivite mutt had announced that Harihara…
UNITED STATES, July 29, 2021 (My Central Jersey): Four years ago, a week apart, siblings Avani Sarkar and Viral Modi became first-time parents to daughters Naavya and Aadhya, respectively. Inspired, the new parents went searching for a way to connect their newborns to their Hindu faith and South Asian culture. Finding none, the two founded Modi Toys, a toy company…
HOUSTON, TEXAS, August 23, 2021 (YouTube): There are some who are born as Hindu and then there are others who aren’t born as Hindu but naturally embrace the Hindu lifestyle. And then there are those who not only embrace the Hindu lifestyle but, in many ways, even become a role model and a cultural ambassador for Hindus. In the United…
Listen while I tell you the path to liberation: truth, patience, calmness and discipline of self; discrimination between the eternal and the passing; devotion to the humble servants of the Lord; rising in the early morning and bathing before daybreak; repeating in the way prescribed the flawless Letters Five; worshiping the guru’s feet; applying holy ash; eating but when hungry;…
INDIA, August 24, 2021 (Press Release): The annual pilgrimage of Chhari-Mubarak Swami Amarnath Ji culminated on the 23rd of August 2021 at Pahalgam with its last rituals puja & Visarjan, which were performed at the bank of the river Lidder. A selected number of Sadhus accompanied the Holy Mace and participated in the puja. A number of members of the…
NEPAL, August 23, 2021 (Big News Network): In the middle of woods covered with mist and fog lies a pond dedicated to Lord Shiva which leads to Gosaikunda, one of the holiest sites for Hindus high in the Himalayas. Shamans beating their drums “Dhyangro” walk up and down to the temple on the auspicious occasion of Janai Purnima, also known…
CHENNAI, INDIA, December 23, 2015 (by Suhrith Parthasarathy, a Madras-based lawyer): HPI Note: In this older article, Chennai-based attorney parthasarathy explains in detail the legal issues surrounding the training and appointment of non-brahmin priests in Tamil Nadu and the performance of some ceremonies in Tamil instead of Sanskrit. Previously, in a three-part essay published on this blog, I had previewed…
BALI, INDONESIA, August 20, 2021 (Biology Reporter): The President of the Indonesian Parisada Hindu Dharma Association (Indonesian Hindu Society), Justi Ngurah Sudiyana, said that cremation of the dead due to COVID-19 should be done as soon as possible by medical personnel, according to epidemic protocols. He added that funerals should be held with family members, but without traditional rituals that…