mangalorean.com MUMBAI, INDIA, July 26, 2005: (HPI note: This article is quite useful in understanding American visa procedures in India, and should especially be useful to temples bringing in priests and other religious workers.) It was singer Sonali Rathod’s turn at the visa counter at the US consulate in Mumbai. An American officer manning the counter asked her if she…
www.hindustantimes.com NEW DELHI, INDIA, July 4, 2005: Buddhism, which is the predominant religion in Sri Lanka, is atheistic. The Buddha was against the worship of Gods and deities, and had exhorted his followers to seek salvation through self-control and right conduct, without taking recourse to the worship of Gods and deities to achieve it. But despite this injunction, theism has…
By Paras Ramoutar CARAPICHAIMA, TRINIDAD, July 22, 2005: In memory of all the gurus of all traditions, Enlightenment Day will be celebrated on Sunday, July 31, at the Dattatreya Yogan Centre, Orange Field Road, Carapichaima starting at 7 p.m. Enlightenment Day will honour the wealth of wisdom of all the great spiritualities of the world. Visiting Indian Swami Shri Brahmavairaagyi,…
www.hindu.com MADURAI, INDIA, July 25, 2005: The Central Research Institute for Siddha plans to digitalize nearly 10,000 formulae of Siddha compositions for various ailments and host them on the traditional knowledge digital library being evolved by the Department of Indian Systems of Medicine and Homeopathy. This was an effort to prevent the grant of wrong patents for non-original inventions in…
www.hindu.com HYDERABAD, INDIA, July 25, 2005: A little before Kukatpally on the national highway, the small hut is crammed with dozens of icons and clear signs of poverty. Shankarji, an elderly icon maker is busy preparing molds and mixing plaster for Ganesha icons. Vinayaka Chaturthi is just two months away and it is a race against time. Several icons he…
www.fijilive.com SUVA, FIJI, July 24, 2005: The Methodist Church has pledged its full support for the controversial Reconciliation, Tolerance and Unity Bill proposed by Government. Church minister Reverend Iliesa Naivalu said the support stemmed from the belief that the clauses stated in the Bill are similar to those in the Bible. Reverand Naivalu said their collective stand on the Bill…
mangalorean.com MADURAI, INDIA, July 21, 2005: A public tribunal has declared that the 16 million Dalit Christians in India should get their full Scheduled Caste rights (“reservations,” a form of affirmative action in education and job opportunities) enjoyed by their Dalit counterparts of other minority religions. “It is necessary that the Christian Dalits are given the same benefits, aids and…
www.newkerala.com AHMEDABAD, INDIA, JULY 24, 2005: A campaign is on to make the pilgrimage to the sacred mountain Kailash and lake Mansarovar in Tibet more affordable to pilgrims. Rajendra Swaroop Swami, a Hindu religious man deeply involved with the annual pilgrimage, has launched efforts to make the journey cheaper. “On behalf of the fraternity of holy men, we have made…
HPI DELHI, INDIA, July 24, 2005: Sri T. Ravi, Assistant Public Relations Officer at Tirupati Temple told Hindu Press International correspondent Rajiv Malik that a story in circulation about the temple selling land to allow construction of a Christian church at the famed Hindu temple site was completely false. The charges had even led to protests in Houston, Texas, reported…
www.hindu.com HYDERABAD, INDIA, 20 July, 2005: The Andhra Pradesh police have proposed the installation of bullet-proof doors in the Venkateswara temple complex at Tirumala. Though there was no immediate threat to the temple, combing operations on and around the hills would be stepped up. The Chittoor Superintendent of Police had been directed to spare more forces for the exercise. Other…