findarticles.com WASHINGTON, D.C., May 29, 2007: (HPI note: This article from July 15, 2006, is the most complete report we’ve seen on the fraud investigation of the religious worker visa program. It is useful information in understanding the present proposed rule changes for this visa, which is used by many Hindu temples to bring priests and temple artisans to America.…
cynical-nerd.nationalinterest.in BLOGOSHERE, May 27, 2007: Professor Nussbaum’s highly critical look at Hinduism in her recent book, “The Clash Within: Democracy, Religious Violence and India’s Future,” has struck a dissonance cord among some bloggers, in particular one whose nom de plume is “Jaffna.” Some excerpts follow. For the entire polemic, click URL above: “Hers is a foreign policy prescription directed at…
www.hindu.com LONDON, ENGLAND, May 25, 2007: A conference organized by Hindu Aid at the Swaminarayan Hindu Temple in Stanmore was attended by over 150 Hindus, multi-faith and charitable organizations along with representatives from the Development Education Association (DEA) and Department for International Development (DFID), the news release reported. The highlight of the event was to commend British Hindus for their…
www.newkerala.com NEW YORK, May 28, 2007: About 30 students sat barefoot and cross-legged as they chanted Sanskrit verses and did yogic postures in an exercise conducted by the Hindu Students Council at North Carolina State University this weekend. “It’s a concentrated dose of culture, friendship and a lot of learning together,” said Kanchan Banerjee, one of the founders of the…
www.zeenews.com MUMBAI, INDIA, May 27, 2007: Thousands of followers of Dalit icon Babasaheb Ambedkar on Sunday embraced Buddhism at a function here. The function was organized to commemorate the golden jubilee of the Buddha dhamma deeksha (conversion to Buddhism) by hundreds of thousands of Ambedkar’s followers in Nagpur in 1956. Most of those who embraced Buddhism at today’s event were…
www.zeenews.com PITHORAGARH, INDIA, May 26, 2007: Starting out from New Delhi and walking 865 kms to complete their pilgrimage, the first of 16 groups with 45 pilgrims each will commence their journey on June 1. The news release explains, “The journey passes through the beautiful but tough mountain route including an arduous trek of 70 kms from Mangati onwards. There…
www.ashlandcitytimes.com TENNESSEE, USA, May 27, 2007: (HPI note: Many Hindus temples in America have priests who are on the R-1 visa, and these inspections will include those temples.) Methodist minister and Mexican citizen Carlos Uroza finds himself in legal limbo as he ministers to a growing Hispanic congregation at First United Methodist Church in Murfreesboro. Changes in federal policies regarding…
www.trinicenter.com TRINIDAD, May 25, 2007: Indian heritage day will be observed as a national holiday on Wednesday May 30. On May 30, 1845, the Fath Al Razak docked in the Port of Spain harbor in Trinidad and Tobago with 225 adult passengers on board. The passengers were immigrants from India who had come to the British colony to work in…
HPI KAUAI, HAWAII, May 26, 2007: HPI has learned that up to a dozen temples in the United States have recently had R-1 (religious worker) visas for priests denied at the American consulates in India. This is in addition to the recent denial of visas for sthapatis (temple architects) and silpis (temple master craftsmen). These denials are coming in instances…
www.stolaf.edu NORTHFIELD, MINNESOTA, USA, May 25, 2007: This fall Professor of Religion Anantanand Rambachan will chair the St. Olaf Religion Department — making him the first non-Christian in the 133-year history of the college to hold the post. Rambachan spoke recently about what his appointment means for the future of St. Olaf College as well as his passion for fostering…