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.mysticindia.com INDIA, November 5, 2007: An excellent teacher’s guide (URL above) for grades three to eight has been made available by the BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha, producers of “Mystic India,” the story of their founder, Lord Swaminarayan. The guide is used to teach not only the life of Lord Swaminarayan, but also various aspects of India and its history, including geography,…
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…
well.blogs.nytimes.com NEW YORK, NEW YORK, October 22, 2007: Switching to organic is tough for many families who don’t want to pay higher prices or give up their favorite foods. But by choosing organic versions of just a few foods that you eat often, you can increase the percentage of organic food in your diet without big changes to your shopping…
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…