London’s Mahalakshmi Temple Feeds Jobless Indian Doctors

news.independent.co.uk LONDON, UK, January 2, 2006: Standing in the courtyard of the Sri Mahalakshmi Hindu temple in east London, a dozen jobless doctors are eating dhal, rice and potatoes off paper plates. Wrapped against the cold, they come here each evening when the temple serves free food. They are among thousands of overseas doctors who have flocked to Britain in…

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Christians Wary of Tamil Nadu’s Free Feeding Program

NDTV CHENNAI, INDIA, January 4, 2006: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa’s offer of “Annadhanam,” or free meal scheme, has divided the Christian churches in the state. While the Protestants have welcomed the extension of the daily feeding program to seven churches after Hindu temples and dargahs (Sufi saint shrines), the Catholic Bishops Council wants it stopped. They feel that…

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HPI E-Mail Service Issues

www.hinduismtoday.com KAUAI, HAWAII, January 8, 2006: We believe the problems with our e-mail service has been solved. All HPI reports for the first few days of January have been consolidated and are available in our archives at “source.”

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California Board of Education Revisits Proposed Textbook Changes

HPI SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA, January 8, 2005: California State Board of Education members and staff conducted a special, closed-door meeting on January 6 to revisit the Hindu requests for changes in the 6th grade social studies books currently proposed for adoption by the State. The history of the issue is, in brief, that two Hindu groups, the Hindu Education Foundation and…

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International Temple Summit Being Held in Mumbai

www.telegraphindia.com MUMBAI, INDIA, January 4, 2006: Almost all famous temples of the country are coming together to conduct for the first time serious worldly business. On January 28 and 29, the temple teams will come together at a new five-star hotel in the city for a seminar, held at the initiative of Mumbai’s most revered mandir, the Siddhivinayak temple, to…

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HPI Reports Combined For January 1 to 5

HPI KAUAI, HAWAII, January 5, 2006: We apologize to subscribers for a glitch in our mail system — we’re calling it the Y2006 bug — which caused our mail server to stop sending out HPI as of January 1. Following are the stories from January 1 through today, January 5, as a one report sent on January 5. HPI will…

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Dada Vaswani Celebrates New Year Despite Injury

krishnakumari@vsnl.net PUNE, INDIA, January 3, 2006: Krishna Kumari reports, “After a public address in Mumbai on the December 16, several eager devotees wanted to reach out and touch Dada J. P. Vaswani’s hands and greet him, while he was still on the dais. Dada, as always, responded to their eagerness, and bent down to reach out to as many people…

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Concerns About Developing Tirupati Temple for Tourism

daps2322@yahoo.co.in NOIDA, INDIA, January 1, 2006: R. Venkatanarayanan, Secretary, Hindu Dharma Acharya Sabha sends the following information: “I would like to bring to your notice and through your columns to your readers’ notice, an ominous piece of confirmed information circulating these days in India. The Andhra Pradesh Government is reported to have decided to install a ropeway to the Tirupathi…

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New York Health Department Bans Three Ayurveda Drugs

www.newkerala.com NEW YORK, NEW YORK, December 22, 2006: The New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) has banned at least three herbal medicine products made in India, saying they contained “dangerous levels” of lead and mercury and warned residents against their use. “Though there are no specific federal standards, the Food and Nutrition Board of the Institute…

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Kerala Hindus Debate Appointment of Non-Brahmins As Temple Priests

krishnakumari@vsnl.net THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, INDIA, January 2, 2005: Two powerful community organizations of the Hindu fold in Kerala, the Nair Service Society (NSS) and the Sree Narayana Dharma Paripalana Yogam (SNDP), have sharply differed over the issue of appointment of non-brahmins as temple priests. While the NSS held that appointment of non-brahmins as priests would dilute the long-held customs and traditions of…

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