Sri Lanka’s War Without End
www.nytimes.com JAFFNA, SRI LANKA, June 15, 2007: The nights here are once again broken by artillery fire across the black lagoon. The road out of this peninsula has been closed since last August, making the area nearly inaccessible. Though food and fuel manage to arrive, shopkeepers are reluctant to keep stocks, not knowing when they may have to close up…
US Hindu Temples and the I-9 Employment Eligibility Verification Document
www.formi9.com UNITED STATES, June 23, 2007: Hindu temples in America employing priests or others under the R-1 “Religious Worker” visa should be aware that they need to keep an “I-9 Employment Eligibility Verification Document” for each one. This document establishes that the employee is in the US and working for the employer in a proper immigration status. The form can…
Delhi Temples Follow Siddhivinayak, Ban Coconuts Inside
www.dailypioneer.com NEW DELHI, INDIA, June 21, 2007: Banning of coconut at Mumbai’s Siddhivinayak Temple is creating a ripple effect. The popular Kalkaji Temple in the Capital is all set to impose a ban on coconut besides intensifying security measures. Sai Baba and Jhandewalan Temples’ management have already banned coconut in the sanctum sanctorum. At the famous Hanuman Temple located at…
Priests’ Learning English to Qualify for Overseas Postings
www.telegraphindia.com HYDERABAD, INDIA, June 20, 2007: Beads of sweat form on priest Vedantacharya’s forehead as he struggles to pronounce the words on the sheet before him. “Hi, how do you do?” he chants as if reciting a Sanskrit shloka. “Good morning, nice to meet you.” Knowledge of the Vedas and Sanskrit are no longer enough for ambitious priests in Andhra…
UNESCO Selects Rig Veda for Memory of the World Register
www.pib.nic.in PUNE, INDIA, June 21, 2007: The Rig Veda manuscripts from Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute, Pune, have been selected for inscription in UNESCO’s “Memory of the World” Register 2007. The program for the Memory of the World was started in UNESCO fifteen years back to honor significant landmarks in the documentary heritage and record them in its “Memory of the…
India’s History of Government Involvement in Temple Management and Practices
timesofindia.indiatimes.com INDIA, June 22, 2007: (HPI note: Following is an opinion piece by Ronojoy Sen.) Who would have thought that temple entry would be on the front pages of newspapers nearly 70 years after temples were thrown open to Hindus of all castes for the first time in Travancore. The restrictions on non-Hindus in Guruvayur wouldn’t have become national news…
Hindu American Foundation Finalizes Lawsuit Terms with California State Board of Education
www.hinduamericanfoundation.com WASHINGTON, D.C., June 22, 2007: The Hindu American Foundation (HAF) finalized terms with the California State Board of Education (SBE) following the Foundation’s victorious lawsuit last fall. The agreement was reached after a face-to-face meeting HAF held with SBE President Ken Noonan on May 8, 2007. In their wide-ranging meeting, Suhag Shukla, Esq., HAF’s legal counsel, and Foundation President,…
Kuppuswami Shastri Institute
www.ksrisanskrit.in CHENNAI, INDIA, June 18, 2007: (HPI readers have asked to know more about the Kuppuswami Institute and its manuscript collection and preservation project.) The Kuppuswami Institute was founded in March 1944 to perpetuate the memory of the great savant Prof. Sastri. The objectives of the institute are fourfold: promote and organise Sanskrit and Oriental learning and research on ancient…
Hindu Summer Camp Promote Cultural Values and a Healthy Life Style
cities.expressindia.com LUDHIANA, INDIA, June 15, 2007: The Sri Geeta Mandir has been offering free summer camps so that Indian children can absorb Hindu culture and learn good solid moral values while having fun with their peers. The news release explains, “At Sri Geeta Mandir the majority of participants are children who are taught through stories of Panchatantra and real life…