HPI NEW DELHI, INDIA, August 25, 2006: Two beautifully sculpted three-meter statues of Swami Vivekananda and Sri Aurobindo now reside in the Indian Parliament, donated by Dr. L. M. Singhvi, a former member of the Lok and Rajya Sabhas. The sculpture of Aurobindo was done by a team from Bengal in Pondicherry led by Lalit Verma. The statue of Swami…
www.iht.com MUMBAI, INDIA, August 24, 2006: Puneet Sabhlok, 23 years old and a novice restaurateur, says he wanted a catchy cafe name to sell his $3 to $4 plates of crostini tonno, pear and ricotta salad and pannacotta. So he went with “Hitler’s Cross.” He put a swastika in the logo. “Hitler is a catchy name. Everyone knows Hitler,” he…
www.hindustantimes.com NEW DELHII, INDIA, August 24, 2006: Thousands of people tonight thronged temples across Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Haryana and Punjab to watch Deities of Goddess Durga and God Siva drinking milk offered to them by devotees. In a rerun of similar incidents claimed to have taken place across the country in 1995, a large number of people queued up outside…
sify.com LONDON, ENGLAND, August 25, 2006: Dedicated to Lord Venkateswara, Europe’s largest Hindu temple opened in London Wednesday with week-long consecration ceremonies. Fifteen priests from India performed the rituals culminating in the installation of the 3.6 meter statue of Lord Krishna. The temple is located in the west central English town of Tividale, near Birmingham and is based on the…
www.timesonline.co.uk NEW DELHI, INDIA, August 25, 2006: During the annual Ganesha Chaturthi festival, celebrated across India this Sunday, thousands of statues – some measuring 25ft (7.6m) – are immersed in the sea, lakes and rivers after daily prayers at temples and colorful processions through the streets. Environmentalists say that the plaster of Paris which in recent years has replaced the…
us.rediff.com PONDICHERRY, INDIA, August 24, 2006: In a response to the avalanche of mail from his earlier article entitled “10 Things I Hate About India,” Claude Arpi writes why he loves India and chose to settle there 32 years ago. The mountains, quality of being of her people, their legendary hospitality and their grace are but four of the ten…
www.nytimes.com NEW YORK, NEW YORK, August 24, 2006: Any business traveler who has logged on to a wireless network at the airport (to read HPI, for example), printed a document at a hotel business center or checked e-mail messages at a public terminal has probably wondered, at least fleetingly, “Is this safe?” “If you go into the average hotel and…
www.punjabkesari.com MUMBAI, INDIA, August 23, 2006: Mumbai, on high alert after the July 11 train bombings, is now preparing for its biggest festivities, the 10-day long Ganesha festival. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), Mumbai Police and the Sarvajanik Ganeshotsav Mandal Coordination Committee (SGMCC) have come together to put into place a special security package for the tens of thousands of…
www.hindusangam.org SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, August 24, 2006: The Hindu Sangam is coordinating six events throughout the United States during the month of September to promote the Sanatana Dharma among Hindus and non-Hindus alike. The kick-off is on September 9, 2006, at DeAnza College, Cupertino, California. There will be exhibitions on Hindu religious and cultural traditions, performances, guest speakers and lots…
www.sfgate.com SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, August 21, 2006: (HPI note: This article is part of a marvelous, long-running series in the San Francisco Chronicle called “Finding My Religion” which has featured several Hindus in addition to Dr. Rao.) Dr. Subba Rao has spent his life promoting and living the peace-loving principles of Mahatma Gandhi. “You must be the change you wish…