Religion News Service WASHINGTON, June 15, 2007: A young goddess lives between the ragged, regal peaks of the Himalayas. Her name is Sanjani-Shakya, and Hindus of Nepal–from peasants to kings–worship her, prostrating themselves as they bring offerings and touching their foreheads to her tiny feet. They believe that the powerful Hindu Goddess Taleju possesses the girl; to do anything but…
www.bbc.co.uk UNITED KINGDOM, June 11, 2007: An online Hindu magazine says the debate about whether a bull tested positive for TB Bovine should be slaughtered has prompted a divided response from the community. When their most recent newsletter featured the story of a temple bull that was up for slaughter, the magazine received a curious response. A response, the editor…
www.telegraphnepal.com NEPAL, June 8, 2007: In a historically and religiously rich territory spanning a portion of northeast India and southern Nepal, a requisite household ritual has won some women world renown. The region is commonly known as Mithila, and the rite of repute, painting, is performed by virtually all women of the area. With a karmic nudge, and through the…
www.rediff.com ORISSA, INDIA, June 13, 2007: Inspired by the success of a tiny village in Orissa becoming a full-fledged model arts village, the Ministry of Tourism has selected five villages for reviving the gurukula tradition for teaching of arts. What started as promotion of pattachitra (painting on palm leaf) in Raghurajpur village in Puri district as part of rural tourism…
www.wnd.com NORTHFIELD, MINNESOTA, June 9, 2007: (HPI note: This report appeared in a conservative Christian publication.) St. Olaf’s College, affiliated with a Christian church denomination, has appointed to head its religion department a practicing Hindu who believes that some forms of Christian ministry produce violence. Anantanand Rambachan, who has taught religion and philosophy at St. Olaf College’s Religion Department since…
www.hindustantimes.com COLUMBO, SRI LANKA, June 11, 2007: The Sri Lankan Prime Minister, Ratnasiri Wickramanayake, on Sunday apologised for the mass expulsion of Tamils belonging to the troubled North and East of the country from the capital city of Colombo, and pledged that such a thing would never be allowed to happen again. “We apologise for what has happened. Government takes…
www.hafsite.org WASHINGTON, D.C., June 6, 2007: (HPI note: the following is a press release.) The legal advisory team of the Hindu American Foundation (HAF) recently submitted extensive comments (http://www.hafsite.org/pdf/haf_r1.pdf ) to the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) regarding proposed changes to the religious worker (R-1) visa program. After consultation with other Hindu institutions and temples including the Council…
www.ibnlive.com CHENNAI, INDIA, June 7, 2007: Chennai’s prestigious cricket club is in the middle of a controversy for disallowing a civil servant entry because he was clad in a veshti–the traditional Tamil attire. But the club maintains its only maintaining its time-honored tradition by imposing the dress code. Even Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Karunanidhi might have to wear trousers if…
HPI CHENNAI, INDIA, June 12, 2007: Several HPI readers asked how they might contribute to the Kuppuswami Sastri Research Institute project to preserve manuscripts. We don’t have a direct answer, but you may e-mail Devi Prasad, principal of the Sanskrit College, at mailto:deviprasad.nv@gmail.com. If you are not successful, then contact our correspondent Anantha Krishnan at anookay@hotmail.com.
www.hindustantimes.com UNITED STATES, June 11, 2007: Wedding planners and marriage venues have reported a marked increase in the number of Indian Americans, especially in Las Vegas, who want to get married on July 7 in the belief that the date (7-7-07) has good luck written all over it. Couples have been advised (incorrectly, as we shall see) that the date…