BBC Improves Portrayal of Hinduism

Vivekananda Centre UK LONDON, ENGLAND, December 5, 2005: Jay Lakhani of the Vivekananda Centre sends the following report: We are happy with the way the BBC is beginning to portray Hinduism. For example, in its introduction to Hinduism on its Religion-Online website until last week it introduced Hinduism in this negative manner: “It is not a single unified religion and…

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Malaysia Minister Calls for Religions to Battle Corruption

iqna.ir KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA, November 27, 2005: The Malaysian Prime Minister, Abdullah Badawi, is finding strong support from local religious leaders in the fight against widespread corruption in the country. In an unprecedented initiative, Muslim, Christian, Hindu, Buddhist and Sikh leaders unanimously defined corruption as a mortal sin. They have committed themselves to fighting the problem from the pulpit and…

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California Curriculum Commission Accepts Most Hindu Changes to Sixth Grade Textbooks

HPI SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA, December 4, 2005: California Hindus breathed a sigh of relief after the December 2 meeting of the State Board of Education Curriculum Commission. The Vedic Foundation (here) and Hindu Education Foundation (here) worked for months through the California Department of Education (CDE) procedures suggesting improvements for the sections of California textbooks that deal with India and Hinduism.…

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News Update: Hindus Unexpected Win Textbook Changes in California

HPI SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA, December 13, 2005: California Hindus were celebrating today their victory in yesterday’s meeting of the State Board of Education Curriculum Commission. The Vedic Foundation (http://www.thevedicfoundation.org/) and Hindu Education Foundation (http://www.hindueducation.org/) worked for months to have changes made to sections of California textbooks that deal with India and Hinduism. Then there was a hasty intervention by a group…

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Pushkar City Offers Westerners a Behavior Guide

www.telegraph.co.uk PUSHKAR, INDIA, November 30, 2005: Foreign tourists visiting the holy Indian city of Pushkar in the state of Rajasthan have been issued with a strict code of conduct after a Finnish woman caused public outrage when she walked unclothed into a sacred lake. The behavioral guidelines were issued by local magistrates following complaints from locals upset by foreigners who…

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Early Humans Settled India Before Europe, Study Suggests

www.inform.kz LONDON, ENGLAND, November 15, 2005: Modern humans migrated out of Africa and into India much earlier than once believed, driving older hominids in present-day India to extinction and creating some of the earliest art and architecture, a new study suggests. The research places modern humans in India tens of thousands of years before their arrival in Europe, Kazinform cites…

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Hindu Festival Celebrated in Kathmandu

peacejournalism.com KATHMANDU, NEPAL, November 30, 2005: A large crowd of devotees gathered Wednesday at Pasupatinath temple, one of the most important Hindu temples of Nepal, on the occasion of local Balachaturdasi festival, Radio Nepal reported. “The devotees came from across the country and gathered since early morning to mark the festival,” the radio said. Seeds of various grains are sown…

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Udupi Seer Calls for Consensus on Almanac

News Report UDUPI, INDIA, November 29, 2005: Udupi Pejawar Mutt Seer Vishvesha Thirtha Swami today called for a consensus in evolving a uniform and single almanac for observing “ekadasi” and other Hindu festivals. Presiding over a two-day state-level seminar on the “Drigganitha” almanac, based on the movement of the sun, moon and eclipses, he pointed out that the people were…

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Hindu American Foundation Joins California Textbook Dispute

www.hinduismtoday.com FLORIDA, USA, December 2, 2005: The letter by the Hindu American Foundation to the California State School Board is posted at “source” above as a PDF file. The letter by Suhag Shukla, HAF’s legal counsel, begins: “I am writing to you as Legal Counsel of the Hindu American Foundation, an independent, national organization that represents nearly 2 million Hindu…

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California Textbook Controversy Enters New Phase

HPI SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA, November 29, 2005: Attempts to change California’s next set of 6th grade social studies books to put Hinduism in a better and more accurate light suffered some setback as the already approved changes to the books were reviewed by a second group of scholars. This group, led by Prof. Witzel of Harvard University, rejected 29% of the…

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