www.hindu.com CHENNAI, INDIA, October 25, 2007: The Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department has expanded its orukaala puja (one puja a day) plan to ensure that at least one puja is performed every day in nearly 40,000 temples under its purview. While thousands of smaller temples, which do not have any significant income, remain closed, even in temples kept open,…
www.livemint.com MUMBAI, INDIA, November 3, 2007: (HPI note: The following review is by Sanjukta Sharma of Livemint.com.) This two-volume compendium on celebrating Hindu festivals in South India, “Follow the Hindu Moon,” is a great pre-festival buy. The author, Soumya Aravind Sitaraman, is a Silicon Valley housewife who embarked on a long research project about South Indian festivals out of personal…
www.spiegel.de BERLIN, GERMANY, November 2, 2007: Among the many diverse religious groups in the German capital Berlin are around 6,000 HIndus. However, unlike the city’s many Christians Muslims and Buddhists, Berlin’s Hindus have had no central place of worship–until now. Construction works starts Sunday on Berlin’s first Hindu temple with a religious ritual and ceremonial ground-breaking. The temple is being…
The Guardian LONDON, UK, November 3, 2007: (HPI Note: The following editorial by Jay Lakhani of the Hindu Academy was published in The Guardian newspaper of London.) Interfaith dialogue in this country commenced with an attitude of tolerating other religions. This was clearly a derogatory attitude as it suggested “Giving other religions permission to exist.” The dialogue has moved forward…
www.hindu.com KOLKATA, INDIA, November 4, 2007: Swami Gahanananda, 14th president of the Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission, passed away today after a prolonged illness. He was 91. Swami Gahanananda, who was admitted to the Ramakrishna Mission Seva Pratisthan hospital here on September 4 with old age problems, breathed his last at 5.35 p.m., hospital sources said. His body would be…
Malaysia Hindu Sangam KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA, November 3, 2007: (HPI note: The Malaysia Hindu Sangam president, Dato Vaithilingam, issued this press release.) The Malaysia Hindu Sangam is shocked to understand that the developer of the land in Taman Karuppiah had never taken court action to evacuate the homes and buildings in the area. We understand that it was the former…
www.nst.com.my KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA, November 3, 2007: MIC president Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu has called upon all state governments and local authorities that wanted to demolish Hindu temples in their areas, to cease immediately, as their actions could be construed as being disrespectful to Hinduism. “The demolition of a temple in Kg Karuppiah, Padang Jawa, on Tuesday night hurt…
www.earthtimes.org WASHINGTON, D.C., November 2, 2007: A Democratic Congressman has warned against a proposed rule change that would make it more difficult for Hindu, Buddhist and other non-Christian religious workers to get a US visa. Edward J. Markey sent a letter to US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) officials urging them to consult with, and incorporate the feedback of, religious…
www.hinduamericanfoundation.org WASHINGTON, D.C., October 29, 2007: Leaders of the Hindu American Foundation (HAF) were jubilant late today as a bill recognizing “the religious and historical significance of the festival of Diwali” passed in the full House of Representatives by a mammoth margin of 358 to 0. House resolution 747 was introduced jointly by Rep. Joe Wilson (R-SC) and Jim McDermott…
economictimes.indiatimes.com SRINAGAR, INDIA, October 23, 2007: On the heels of the proposed U.S ban on importing products produced by child or forced labor, government officials in India are trying to be proactive before the ban targets the Indian handicraft industry which has exports of over US$3.5 billion. Minister of state for commerce Jairam Ramesh says, “We have fought this battle…