www.hindu.com SRINAGAR, KASHMIR, July 22, 2007: Torched by Islamic militants 15 years ago, the 400-year-old Kulwagishuri temple in Kulgam town of south Kashmir on Sunday was opened to devotees. Thousands of Hindus and Muslims attended the ceremony amid tight security. Over 2,000 Kashmir Pundits, who arrived here from several parts of the country and even the US and UK, took…
mangalorean.com NEW DELHI, INDIA, July 22, 2007: Divorce rates are increasing in India, court figures show. And this societal trend is visible not only among the rich in big cities, but also among the not so affluent in small towns. The Indian capital leads with the highest number of divorces in the country, with more than 8,000 – 9,000 cases…
www.montraykreyol.org ST. LUCIA, CARIBBEAN, July 16, 2007: East Indians have been in St. Lucia since 1838 and according to the author of this article James Rambally, it is not a well-known fact. Rambally explains, “Many Guyanese, Trinidadians, Surinamese, Jamaicans, and even recently arrived East Indians are astonished to find that St. Lucia has had long-standing Indian communities for over 140…
www.thestar.com TORONTO, CANADA, July 23, 2007: The new BAPS Shri Swaminarayan temple was declared not just a place of Hindu worship for Indo-Canadians, but a symbol of their new home in Canada. “It seems to me Toronto is the perfect place for this mandir (temple),” Premier Dalton McGuinty said before thousands of Indo-Canadians waving Indian and Canadian flags yesterday during…
www.hindu.com HYDERABAD, INDIA, July 3, 2007: With Ganesha Chaturthi just around the corner in September Deity makers are focusing on providing Ganesha murthis for the festival. Many families earn their livelihood making murthis. Deity maker Subodh Singh says, “About 500 families live off them.” The news report explains Singh’s profession, “He has four sheds in Dhoolpet, a corner of the…
news.bbc.co.uk KATHMANDU, NEPAL, July 19, 2007: Returning home to Kathmandu after a 39-day visit to the U.S., Kumari Sajani Shakya will have to undergo a cleansing ceremony in order to maintain her status as a temple goddess. Temple elders were upset that Sajani had left the country as she should have known that she is forbidden to do so. The…
www.nytimes.com ANNANDALE, VIRGINIA, July 21, 2007: The first hour at the Chinmaya Mission day camp unfolds as at any other camp. Children shriek through tag, while a few other play Uno. But by 9 a.m., the grammar-school-age campers are sitting down, their attention focused on a long-haired Indian man in the front of the room, Swami Dheerananda, the mission’s Hindu…
www.newkerala.com PURI, ORISSA, July 13, 2007: The famous Jagannath Temple in Puri, Orissa has become known for its large kitchen that has the capacity to accomodate the making of mega offerings. The news release explains, “Around 500 cooks and 300 helping hands prepare 56 different offerings known as Mahaprasad or Abhada for Lord Jagannath, which are served to the deity…
www.ajc.org NEW YORK, NEW YORK, July 17, 2007: (HPI note: following four reports are press releases from various organizations regarding the Hindu prayer in the Senate.) The American Jewish Committee is deeply troubled by the verbal assault on Rajan Zed, a Hindu religious leader who delivered the opening prayer on the Senate floor last week. “Senate Majority leader Harry Reid’s…
www.vhp-america.org USA, July 13, 2007: World Hindu Council of America (VHPA) is delighted that for the first time in its history, the U.S . Senate on July 12 was opened with a Hindu prayer said by a Hindu chaplain, Rajan Zed, a Hindu from Nevada. We express our gratitude and appreciation to all the Senate Leaders including Senate Majority Leader…