Muniji, Head of Parmarth Niketan to Visit USA

www.parmarth.com RISHIKESH, INDIA, August 24, 2006: H.H. Pujya Swami Chidanand Saraswatiji (Pujya Muniji), President and Spiritual Head of Parmarth Niketan Ashram, Rishikesh, India will be on a dharma yatra in USA from September 4th to 26th 2006. He will be giving inspirational discourses and satsang in California, Chicago, Columbus, Charlotte, Louisville, Tampa, Pittsburgh and New York. Please see URL above…

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Malaysian Government Faced with Making a Decision About Muslim Conversion

www.malaysia-today.net MALAYSIA, August 13, 2006: It all started 16 years ago when Azlina Jailani, who was brought up in the Muslim faith, decided to convert to Christianity. Lina Joy (her Christian name) turns 42 years old this year and she has petitioned the federal government to support her decision to convert to Christianity. The news article explains, “In 1999, the…

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Livermore Temple Cares For the Community

www.contracostatimes.com LIVERMORE, CALIFORNIA, August 21, 2006: Dr. Kishore Narra began volunteering at the Livermore Shiva-Vishnu Temple’s biweekly health clinic almost four years ago as a way to give back to his community. The doctor of internal medicine, also a long-time devotee at the temple, said the temple is more a religious landmark. It also is a place for those looking…

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$4.7 Million Gold Throne For Shirdi Sai Baba

epaper.timesofindia.com MUMBAI, INDIA, August 20, 2006: The Sai Baba Sansthan Trust, Shirdi, has decided to buy a 200 pound gold throne for Sai Baba worth US$4.73 million, says this article. Trust chairperson Jayant Sasane told TOI on Thursday that it would take at least six months to replace the existing silver throne with a gold one. “We have floated a…

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Is America A Christian Nation?

www.netscape.com U.S.A., August 19, 2006: Is America a Christian Nation? According to this article from the Freedom From Religion Foundation, Inc., The U.S. Constitution is a secular document. It begins, “We the people,” and contains no mention of “God” or “Christianity.” Its only references to religion are exclusionary, such as, “no religious test shall ever be required as a qualification…

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Community Unites to Rebuild Torched Canadian Temple, but Costs Rise

www.hamiltonspectator.com HAMILTON, ONTARIO, August 19, 2006: The Hindu Samaj Temple will receive a commemorative plaque from the city five years after the temple was burned to the ground in a misguided hate crime after 9/11. The plaque, approved by the city council, commemorates the way people from all over the city came together to help rebuild the temple, said Anna…

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First Kumbha Mela In The USA

www.usakumbhamela.net IRVINE, CALIFORNIA, August 18, 2006: (HPI note: Following is a press release from the organizers.) The first Kumbha Mela in the USA is being organized on September 10, 2006 at Bren Center, University of California Irvine, to usher in peace by infusing collective positivity. In India for thousands of years, millions of yogis, masters and saints have come together…

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Heavy Rains Cause Loses for Festival Deity Makers

www.ndtv.com VADODARA, INDIA, August 20, 2006: Ganesh Chaturthi is just round the corner, and it normally indicates the beginning of a very prosperous season for Deity makers in Vadodara. But this year rains have brought more losses than prosperity. The artisans are now fighting against time, working round the clock to repair and remake hundreds of clay statues damaged in…

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Vivekananda Center Students Ace Hindu Studies Exams

www.vivekananda.btinternet.co.uk LONDON, ENGLAND, August 18, 2006: Each year a number of students in UK earn the top marks of 100% in advanced level modules on Hinduism, and this year has been no exception. Eleven candidates received 100 percent marks in the Hinduism modules at A/S or A2 level. This advanced level syllabus includes the Bhagavad Gita, Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras and…

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Arati Link On Government Website Causes Controversy

www.ibnlive.com BHOPAL, INDIA, August 14, 2006: The inclusion of a link for conducting arati (a Hindu prayer ceremony) at Ujjain on the state’s public relations department website has stirred considerable controversy. Describing the step “as a violation of the tenet of secularism enshrined in the constitution of India,” the Congress, the main opposition in the state, charged the government with…

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