SourcePRETORIA, SOUTH AFRICA, May 4, 2005: Popular bhajan singer Anup Jalota has been performing to packed houses in South Africa, strengthening his belief that interest in Indian culture is growing among the diaspora here. Jalota, who Sunday evening led more than a thousand devout Gujarati Hindus here in reciting the last of 108 chants of the “Hanuman Chalisa,” said he…
SourceLONDON, ENGLAND, May 5, 2005: The Samakti Mission and Hindu Youth UK are presenting an 8-day “katha,” telling of traditional religious stories with song, in English, by Pujya Shree Bupendrabhai Pandya. It will be held at the Harrow Leisure Centre, London from July 24 to July 31. The focus on young people is particularly key to this event, as Pujya…
SourceKATMANDU, NEPAL, May 1, 2005: Forcible conversions to Christianity, Islam and any other non-Hindu religion is a punishable offence in Nepal, the only Hindu kingdom in the world. Babu Verghese, an Indian citizen, and his wife Savitri were running a school for orphans in Birgunj city in southern Nepal. The district administrative authorities received complaints that the couple had been…
News ReportKUALA LUMPUR April 4, 2005: Malaysians can now get a healthy dose of nutrients from a plate of unpolished brown rice. Serba Wangi Sdn Bhd has launched “ecoBrown’s” rice which retains vitamins, minerals and proteins. Deputy Agriculture and Agro-based Industries Minister Datuk Seri Kerk Choo Ting, who launched the product, said it was a timely move since Malaysians are…
SourceMULTAN, PAKISTAN, May 4, 2005: Vehari’s additional sessions court judge has quashed a petition asking the court to tear down a Hindu temple in Vehari, and the judge asked a contractor to revamp it. The court gave its verdict after Safdar Masih, of Chak No 89/WB, told Muhammad Rasheed Qamar, the court judge, that a construction company was demolishing the…
SourceWASHINGTON D.C., U.S.A., April 27, 2005: The Hindu Students Council (HSC) organized a Washington DC-Maryland-Virginia Regional Meet at the University of Maryland-College Park on Saturday April 2, 2005. Numerous members from UMBC, George Mason University, and Johns Hopkins University participated in the conference. Also in attendance were young professionals and HSC coordinators from Massachusetts, North Carolina, and Texas. The event…
SourceTRINIDAD & TOBAGO, May 2, 2005: The installation at the weekend of a new leader for the Hindu community attracted almost 4,000 people in a splendid ceremony. Pundit Uttam Maharaj was installed in a four-hour ceremony at the Sanatan Dharma Maha Sabha (SDMS) headquarters on Lakshmi Girls’ Hindu College grounds in St. Augustine. Swami Divyanand Teerth Maharaj from India officiated…
SourceSAMBALPUR, ORISSA, INDIA, May 1, 2005: In a reconversion ceremony, 567 Christians returned to Hinduism at Bijepur, a block headquarter town in neighboring Bargarh district, on Sunday, VHP sources said. The ceremony was organized by the VHP and an elaborate arrangement was made at a local school premises where the people, mostly belonging to scheduled caste, had assembled. A yagna…
SourceSALT LAKE CITY, UTAH, April 22, 2005: Turning sixty years of age in the Hindu tradition is considered quite a milestone, the halfway point in a 120-year cycle. For Neele Neelameggham, relatives and friends gathered at the Sri Ganesha Hindu Temple in South Jordon to honor the tradition. After attending a homa fire ceremony, Neele and his wife Indra are…
SourceKAUAI, HAWAII, April 29, 2005: We’ve a request from a teacher in Budapest, Hungary, for the location of the nearest Hindu temple that he could visit with his class. If you can advise on this question, kindly e-mail “source.”