www.ndtv.com KOLKATA, INDIA, October 2, 2006: The traditional art form of dhak (a type of drum) has been receiving special attention during the Durga festival in Kolkata for the last three years. As a result of a competition whereby dhakis could possibly win a cash prize for their dhak beats, many travel to Kolkata from the remote villages of Murshidabad…
timesofindia.indiatimes.com LONDON, ENGLAND, October 12, 2006: In 1831, or 175 years ago, London’s Cambridge University started teaching Sanskrit at Oxford. Now the university has made an administrative decision to refrain from offering the ancient language as part of its Oriental undergraduate program. Dr. John Smith, who has taught Sanskrit for 22 years at Cambridge, expresses his perspective on the decision,…
paras_ramoutar@yahoo.com CHAGUANAS, TRINIDAD, October 15, 2006: A Trinidadian pundit recently visited South Africa for the purpose of reawakening the spirit of Hinduism among South Africa’s 1.7 million Hindus. Pundit Munelal Maharaj, of Lange Park, Chaguanas, spent three-weeks in South Africa with his wife, Naveeta and five-year old daughter, Vaishnavi, aimed at “recreating the Hindu Renaissance in South Africa.” He hosted…
www.hinduamericanfoundation.org TAMPA, FLORIDA, October 16, 2006: The Hindu American Foundation is making the public recognition of the Diwali festival a major focus of their work this year. HAF has worked with U.S. Congressmen to author House Resolution 548, a Bill recognizing Diwali. As a result of HAF’s Third Annual Government Outreach and Leadership Conference in Washington, D.C., the Foundation educated…
www.kathakali.net UNITED KINGDOM, October 6, 2006: The United Kingdom is graced for 13 weeks with the presence of the Kala Chethena Kathakali Company performing at 45 locations this fall from September 14 to December 3, 2006. The news release explains the art form and the history behind the company, “Kathakali is a spellbinding and beautiful art form originating in the…
HPI KAUAI, HAWAII, October 16, 2006: We want to assure everyone that other than unusual tremors for a moment yesterday morning, our island of Kauai was not affected by the earthquake that took place off the “Big Island” of Hawaii at the southern end of our island chain. For those outside here, we had the unusual experience of trees shaking…
rawstory.com SINGAPORE, October 2, 2006: On an annual basis in Singapore over 3,000 male devotees participate in a fire-walking procession near the Sri Mariamman Temple. Traditionally the ritual takes place before Deepavali which falls on October 21 this year. The ceremony requires the participants to walk barefoot down a 15-foot-long bed of hot coals to show their devotion to Sri…
www.ndtv.com MUMBAI, INDIA, October 12, 2006: The Bombay High Court has ordered that the wall around Siddhivinayak temple to prevent terrorist attacks must go. The court order came in response to a lawsuit filed by local residents who said the wall was encroaching on a public road. Hundreds of thousands of dollars were spent by temple authorities on constructing a…
www.rediff.com THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, INDIA, October 12, 2006: The annual Ponkala festival of the Attukal Bhagavathi temple in Thiruvananthapuram, one of the world’s biggest devotional congregations of women, is set to make it to the Guinness book of World Records. The festival, which draws over a million women in a single day in March, will go into the record books as an…
www.hindu.com KERALA, INDIA, October 3, 2006: Vijayadasami, a festival highlighting a child’s initiation into some kind of academic or artistic endeavor, was celebrated throughout the state of Kerala at the beginning of October. The Minister for Education participated in a special ceremony organized by the Kerala State Council for Child Welfare where five needy children who were either abandoned or…