Thousands Gather for Sadhu Vaswani’s 89th Jayanthi Celebrations

www.sadhuvaswani.org PUNE, INDIA, August 1, 2007: Thousands of devotees gathered at the Sadhu Vaswani Mission, Pune, on the occasion of Guru Purnima to pay their respects to their revered Guru and Master. This year, the sacred Guru Purnima coincided with the Annual Akhand Kirtan organized in connection with Rev. Dada J.P. Vaswani 89th Birthday celebrations. Several eminent singers and troops…

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India Attempts Tree Planting Record

news.bbc.co.uk UTTAR PRADESH, August 2, 2007: The northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh has attempted to set a world record by planting 10 million trees in a single day on Tuesday. Officials say the plantings, aiming to raise awareness of the need to protect the environment, were a success. In all, 10,266,736 saplings were planted at 9,320 sites across Uttar…

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Second Correction: Hindu Festivals for 2008

Hinduism Today KAUAI, HAWAII, August 1, 2007: (HPI note: The dates for Ganesha Chaturthi were switched east coast for west coast in the last HPI.) Mahasivaratri, March 5, 2008Holi, March 20, 2008Ram Navami, April 13, 2008Guru Purnima, July 17, 2008Raksha Bandan, August 16, 2008 (15th on the west coast)Janmashtami, August 23, 2008Ganesha Chaturthi, September 3, 2008 (2nd on the west…

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Invading the Sacred Book Review

invadingthesacred.com USA, August 1, 2007: (HPI note: following is a review by Dr. V. V. of “Invading the sacred: An Analysis of Hinduism Studies in America,” edited by Krishnan Ramaswamy, Antonio de Nicolas, Aditi Banerjee, Rupa & Co. New Delhi, India. 2007.) Roots of the book: Like the multiplicity of the authors who have contributed to this volume, many factors…

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Debate Continues on Handling of UK Infected Temple Bull

www.newstatesman.com UK, August 1, 2007: The debate continues after the culling of Shambo, a bull at the Skanda Vale monastery in Wales, UK. Two other animals have now tested positive for bovine tuberculosis at the monastery. Jay Lakhani’s editorial piece appeared in the New Statesman of India, along with a rebuttal here, and many comments posted by readers. See also…

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Correction: Hindu Festivals for 2008

Hinduism Today KAUAI, HAWAII, August 1, 2007: (HPI note: The dates for Raksha Bandan were incorrectly given in the last HPI.) The following festival calendar is for nine major festivals. The nine are Mahasivaratri, Holi, Ram Navami, Guru Purnima, Raksha Bandan, Krishna Janmashtami, Ganesha Chaturthi, Navaratri and Deepavali. These dates below are calculated for Washington DC. Festival dates may differ…

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Sri Maha Periyachi Amman Temple Demolished

www.hindusangam.org.my KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA, August 1, 2007: The Malaysia Hindu Sangam sent the following press release on the demolition of the Sri Maha Periyachi Amman Temple: “The Malaysia Hindu Sangam is very disturbed at the demolition of the Sri Maha Periyachi Amman Temple, Tambak Paya, Melaka, today by officials of the Melaka State Government. It is even most disturbing when…

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Ontario Temple Hopes for Additional Government Help Following Arson Fire

www.hamiltonmountainnews.com ONTARIO, CANADA, July 28, 2007: Representatives of the Hindu Samaj Temple received Can$17,000 from the provincial government, last week, but they are still waiting for further financial help to eliminate their $300,000 debt created when they had to rebuild their new temple was destroyed after a 2001 arson. “We have not given up (to receive) the capital funding help,”…

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Guruvayur Temple Changes Dress Code to Allow Women in Churidar’s

in.news.yahoo.com GURUVAYUR, KERALA, July 27, 2007: Kerala’s famed Guruvayur temple declared a change in the dress code – now women can enter the shrine wearing the churidar instead of the traditional sari. In Kerala, churidar is a synonym for salwar-kameez, and in the past women were allowed to go inside the Sri Krishna Temple here only in saris. But Vijayan…

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