Press ReleaseEL SEGUNDO, California–One of India’s two prominent and highly successful spiritual networks, AASTHA Broadcasting, has expanded its reach and now covers the USA. As of December 9, 2004, it affiliated with DIRECTV channel 2005 which gave it access to the USA. Its contents are 90% Hindu and it broadcasts 24/7. It has, in past years, grown to serve Indian…
SourceTHANJAVUR, INDIA, December 10, 2004: More than 100 musical instruments of the stringed, wind and percussion varieties have been mentioned in the Thevaram, Divya Prabandham, Tiruppugazh, Karaikkal Ammaiyar’s verses, the Kanda Puranam and other Tamil works. They are discussed in the recently released book, Alaya Vazhipattil Isaikkaruvikal by Raama Kausalya available from Minambikai Padippakam, Jatavallabhar Illam, 6/78, Tillaisthanam, Thanjavur-613203. Rs.…
SourceKOLLAM, KERALA, INDIA, January 3, 2005: With the biggest relief measure announced so far, the Mata Amritananda ashram in Kerala has announced a US$22 million (1 billion rupees) tsunami relief for the affected states. Announcing this at her ashram in Vallikkavu, Kollam, on Monday, Mata said the sum would be spent in consultation with the Central government. Expressing great regret…
SourceTAMIL NADU, INDIA, January 4, 2005: Pujya Swami Chidanand Saraswatiji Maharaj, the founder and chairman of India Heritage Research Foundation, has personally traveled from Rishikesh (Himalayas) to the Chennai area. His group writes, “Pujya Swamiji is currently near Cuddalore, a town about 3 hours south of Chennai, where horrendous damage took place from the tsunami. We came down on the…
SourceMIDDLETOWN, CONNECTICUT, January 2, 2005: The souls of those lost in last week’s tsunami still wander, they said, hungry and thirsty, between this world and the next. And so, on Saturday, the men and women of the Sri Satyanarayana Temple bent to their task: to nourish those souls and help them find their way. They began by building a fire.…
SourceCUDDALORE, TAMIL NADU, January 2, 2004: As a shining example of communal harmony, a mosque in Cuddalore district has given shelter to hundreds of Hindus and Christians affected by the killer tsunami tragedy that struck last week. The Muslims have been providing round the clock relief in terms of food, clothing and shelter to all the affected women and children…
SourceMADURAI, INDIA, January 1, 2004: There was a marked silence last night in the Temple city. The fun and pomp typical of the dawn of New Year was conspicuously missing at almost all places in the city. The unusual characteristic of welcoming 2005 this way spoke in silence about the impact of tsunami among the Maduraiites living far away from…
SourceCHENNAI, INDIA, January 2, 2004: The final act in the Kanchi seer case is all set to be played. The police after managing to round up all the main accused in the case are said to have reached the stage of filing the chargesheet. According to highly-placed sources, a 400-page chargesheet is almost ready with final touches being given in…
HPIKAUAI, HAWAII, January 1, 2005: Nearly all residents of an orphanage supported by Kauai’s Hindu Monastery, home of Hinduism Today and HPI in Hawaii, miraculously survived the December 26 Tsunami. Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami (1927-2001), founder of the monastery, had deep ties with Sri Lanka. He was initiated there in 1949 and established a temple and an ashram in the north,…
SourceGALLE, SRI LANKA, January 1, 2004: This short item was included in a longer report (“source”) filed from Sri Lanka: “In southern India, a 100-year old Hindu temple in Kerala state vanished into the sea and a temple in another part of the state collapsed, killing dozens of devotees who had come to perform prayers.”