ved.chaudhary@gmail.com NEW BRUNSWICK, NEW JERSEY, USA, August 15, 2005: (Press Release from Dharma Summit 2005, prepared by Beth Kulkarni.) For the first time in North America, 400 participants representing more than 80 Hindu temples and religious organizations came together for a Dharma Summit on August 13-15, 2005. The most respected heads of various religious groups who addressed the summit held…
HPI NEWS BRUNSWICK, NEW JERSEY, August 16, 2005: (HPI note: This report was prepared before the above press release arrived, so there is some overlap in the information.) After initially wondering if anyone would attend, Dr. Ved Chaudhary finally had to close enrollment in the Dharma Summit 2005 when it reached capacity at 400 (including representatives from 80 Hindu institutions),…
www.cjc.ca VANCOUVER, CANADA, August 8, 2005: The Vancouver – Canadian Jewish Congress, Pacific Region, denounced the recent desecration of the Geeta Gyan Society temple in Surrey, and has offered its support and condolences to the congregation. The temple was defaced with graffiti that included racial aspersions, swastikas, and threats. “No Canadian should face the spectacle of their place of worship…
Cihan News Agency NEW DELHI, INDIA, August 15, 2005: A symposium titled, “Peace, tolerance and harmony among world religions,” was held in New Delhi Sunday by the “Inter Faith Harmony Platform,” which was established by Indian Muslims. Many representatives from different religions participated in the symposium that was held for the first time in India. Indian deputy Karan Singh, who…
www.local6.com USA, August 15, 2005: A research team is proposing a new technique that would allow meat to be grown in a laboratory for mass consumption, according to a report. Researchers in the U.S. say the technology now exists now to produce processed meats such as burgers and sausages, starting with cells taken from cows, chickens, pigs, fish or other…
www.telegraphindia.com CHANDIGARH, INDIA, August 13, 2005: You no longer have to be a Maoist for your God to come from China. Siva has shifted residence from Kailash to the land of the Great Helmsman, and Vishnu, Lakshmi and Ganesh have followed suit. After toys and dolls, communist China — where there are strict curbs on religious practice — has flooded…
www.newindpress.com JAMMU, INDIA, August 15, 2005: Disappointment was writ large on Nirmal Sharma’s face when he returned after prayers at the cave shrine of Amarnath in Jammu and Kashmir – the Siva Lingam or ice formation symbolizing Lord Siva had disappeared. “It was just a wet spot,” Sharma said of the place where the Siva Lingam – a stalagmite formation…
icsouthlondon.icnetwork.co.uk MERTON, UK, August 11, 2005: Attacks and harassment of Merton’s Hindu community will not stop the annual Ther (chariot) parade, organizers claim. Worshippers at the Shree Ghanapathy Temple on Effra Road, Wimbledon, have reported being abused in the street and one had his car damaged in attacks police are treating as racially motivated. The temple’s chief co-ordiantor, Ranjit Ratsingham,…
www.chron.com HOUSTON, TEXAS, August 13, 2005: Meditation was a ritual of Akhil Chopra’s daily life. He began each morning with prayer and meditation before a small shrine in his southwest Houston apartment. During the workday, he might step outside for a moment of silence and calm, his friends and co-workers said. They believe the 28-year-old Hindu community leader was meditating…
desai@connect.com.fj FIJI, August 12, 2005: Hasmukh Desai & family of Fiji sent the following explanation of the upcoming Raksha Bandhan festival: Raksha Bandhan is celebrated on the full-moon day in the month of Sravana (July-August – This year on 19th Aug). The festival of Raksha Bandhan symbolizes love, affection and the feeling of brotherhood. On this day, sisters tie an…