News

uscirf.gov WASHINGTON, DC, December 26, 2005: The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) wrote to the U.S. Department of State asking that it urgently communicate with the German government to prevent the imminent involuntary deportation of thousands of particularly vulnerable asylum seekers from Germany to Afghanistan, including Hindu refugees who face the threat of violence upon return to…

www.manoramaonline.com CHENNAI, INDIA, December 26, 2005: Armed with the high court order granting anticipatory bail, Kanchi seer Jayendra Saraswati, on Monday, surrendered before the Mannarkudi Judicial Magistrate court and availed bail in connection with the temple jewelry theft case. The Seer, accompanied by his devotees, surrendered before Magistrate Muralidharan and furnished a copy of Madras High Court order, which granted…

www.medindia.net CANADA, December 19, 2005: The export of Ayurvedic medicines from India has suffered a set back following the testing by the Canadian Government that has revealed alarmingly high levels of heavy metals in the exported traditional medicinal preparations. More than 18 different Ayurvedic medicines have been tested by the Health Canada, a part of the Canadian government’s health department.…

www.parmarth.com RISHIKESH, INDIA, December 27, 2005: Every year, from March 1 – 7, Parmarth Niketan Ashram, Rishikesh (Himalayas), India and Uttranchal Tourism jointly organize the International Yoga Festival. The Festival is held on the premises of Parmarth Niketan , headed by H.H. Pujya Swami Chidanand Saraswatiji. Hundreds of students and seekers come from every corner of the Earth to imbibe…

friendsofsouthasia.org CALIFORNIA, USA, December 26, 2005: HPI Note: There have been several articles and documents to appear on the Internet dealing with the California textbook controversy. See HPI, here, for an early December update. The following document is posted by friendsofsouthasia.org, a group supporting Prof. Witzel in the debate, and says it is the final decision of the California Curriculum…

www.eshiusa.org USA, December 25, 2005: HPI Note: This press release is from Educator’s Society for the Heritage of India: Namaste. As you may know, the California textbook review process is still ongoing. We do not know the final outcome, but we have some early indications that the joint efforts of several community organizations, parents/community members and academics, have succeeded in…

www.india-forum.com USA, December 9, 2005: This and the following article both came to HPI’s attention today. We do not normally publish such ad hominem material, that is, personal attacks, and do not vouch that any particular piece of information here is verifiable. It is useful, however, for Hindus concerned with the California textbook issue to know about these articles. This…

www.dailypioneer.com NEW DELHI, INDIA, December 25, 2005: HPI Note: The following story appears in The Pioneer, which publishes from Delhi and Lucknow. Most of the article is, as indicated by the title, a personal attack upon Harvard Professor Michael Witzel and apparently based in part on the preceding article by Dr. Kalyanaraman. The article by Kanchan Gupta begins: “Boorish comments…

Prabha Prabhakar Bhardwaj, HPI correspondent DELHI, INDIA, December 20, 2005: (HPI note: Prabha Bhardwaj attended the last two days of the conference and files her notes on the several workshops and sessions she attended. Her report is not intended as a comprehensive overview of this complex event with dozens of worshops and sessions, but to give the flavor of individual…

www.newindpress.com BHOPAL, INDIA, December 21, 2005: (HPI note: Christian schools in India receive government funding for teacher’s salaries and textbooks. Most of the students are not Christians.) A Christian missionary school here is in the throes of a controversy after it sacked a Hindu teacher for wearing sandalwood paste on her forehead. Activists of the radical Hindu organization Bajrang Dal…