Korean Students Join in Pune’s Ganesha Festivities

www.ibnlive.com PUNE, INDIA, September 16, 2007: It’s not just Indians who are celebrating Ganesha Chaturthi today. Meet Kimjoe, a South Korean student from the University of Pune who eagerly jots down a list of supplies for puja as she prepares for a Ganapati sthapna in her house. Fascinated by the festival’s grandeur, Kimjoe and her friends decided to make this…

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Ram Sethu Issue Shows Continued Impact of Aryan Invasion Theory

www.rediff.com CHENNAI, INDIA, September 15, 2007: (HPI note: We run this piece just to show that the “Aryan Invasion” theory, in its original form as a violent incursion, remains a factor in Indian politics where some consider it fact.) Tamil Nadu’s Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi on Saturday cautioned the Centre against paying heed to “religious fundamentalist forces” on the Ram…

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UK Ministers Remove Barriers To Faith-Run Schools

www.telegraph.co.uk UNITED KINGDOM, September 9, 2007: Ministers paved the way for more State-funded Muslim, Sikh and Hindu schools yesterday with a pledge to remove “unnecessary barriers” to religious groups. Ed Balls, the children’s minister, said additional money would be made available to allow the hundreds of private religious schools to convert to the state sector. It is thought the move…

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Ganesha Festival in Full Swing in Mumbai

www.saharasamay.com MUMBAI, INDIA, September 15, 2007: Millions of people here are celebrating the Ganapati festival, a 10-day event beginning today that will see groups across the city vying to create the most colorful and attractive marquees. At least 8,000 to 9,000 Ganesha Mandals (a temporary temple build on the sidewalk) have been formed in the city and on the final…

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Deity Prices Up for Ganesha Festival

economictimes.indiatimes.com MUMBAI, INDIA, September 15, 2007: : The Ganpati festival is just a few hours away. Unlike last year when festivities were toned down in the aftermath of July 26 floods and the epidemic that claimed nearly 1,000 lives, Mumbaikars will celebrate the festival in full swing, albeit with their belts fully tightened. Prices of Ganesh Deities and other important…

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Mauritius 108-foot Ganesha Collapses in Heavy Rain

News Report MAURITIUS, September 15, 2007: HPI has learned that heavy rains near Grand Bois caused the collapse of the 108-foot tall Ganesha (see yesterday’s HPI) as it was being paraded to the seashore. The water-soaked statue collapsed into a mass of hundreds of pipes, metal bars, wood and the plaster of Paris coating. The debris blocked the road for…

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World Identifies India With Gandhi, Taj, Poverty

ibnlive.com NEW DELHI, INDIA, September 13, 2007: When they think of India they think of Gandhi and Taj Mahal, but when they think of Pakistan they think of nuclear, poverty and cricket, the people across the world said in a survey conducted by BBC. In the survey conducted on the socio-economic perception on India and Pakistan after 60 years of…

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Vandals Strike Massachusetts Hindu Temple

www.indianewengland.com ASHLAND, MASSACHUSETTS, September 7, 2007: The oldest and one of the largest Hindu temples in New England was vandalized twice recently, resulting in over US$9,000 in damages, and a temple official is not ruling out racism as a possible cause. During the night of Aug. 4 to Aug. 5, police,who happened to be patrolling the area around the Sri…

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Indian Government Withdraws Affidavit Disputing Lord Rama Existence

in.rediff.com DELHI, INDIA, September 13, 2007: The Central government on Thursday decided to withdraw the offending remarks on Lord Ram’s existence in its affidavit before the Supreme Court on the Sethu Samudram Shipping Canal Project. In its affidavit, the Archeological Society of India said there were no “historical records” to prove the existence of Lord Ram or the Ram Sethu…

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