The Nation (Thailand)BANGKOK, THAILAND, January 23, 2005: Hindus in Thailand honor Lord Siva every January in a grand festival called the Swing Festival. The origin of the festival dates back to a time when King Rama I orchestrated the celebration on the public grounds in Bangkok framed by Wat Suthat and the Brahmin temple Thewa Sathaan. During the reign of…
SourceDELHI, INDIA, February 11, 2005: Archaeologists say they have discovered some stone remains from the coast close to India’s famous beach front Mahabalipuram temple in Tamil Nadu state following the December 26 tsunami. They believe that the “structures” could be the remains of an ancient and once-flourishing port city in the area housing the famous 1,200-year-old rock-hewn temple. Three pieces…
SourceKALMNAI, SRI LANKA, February 10, 2005: Patrick Harrigan of the Living Heritage Trust in Sri Lanka is offering a novel way to assist a number of orphanages in Sri Lanka impacted by the tsunami. He writes, “Our Sri Lankan NGO the Living Heritage Trust has undertaken, among other disaster relief projects, one that aims to connect donors with particular orphanages…
SourceNEW ZEALAND, February 12, 2005: United States experts have used computer models to show that the 45.52 carat Hope diamond was cut from a larger diamond that had been in the possession of the French authorities and was known as the French Blue. “The evidence very much supports the theory that it was cut from the French Blue diamond,” said…
Rajiv Malik, HPI Correspondent, New DelhiNEW DELHI, INDIA, February 7, 2005: “Udayan Care has shown us the way to real spirituality, they have worshipped God by serving the disadvantaged children.” These views were expressed by Swami Agnisvesh, world famous social activist and an Arya Samaj leader. He delivered a keynote address on the subject “Nurture A Child, Save A Nation”…
SourceCHENNAI, INDIA, February 11, 2005: It was a day of one legal reprieve after another, for the two Kanchi Shankaracharyas, Jayendra Saraswati and Vijayendra Saraswati today. While the junior seer walked out of the Chennai Central Prison on conditional bail, the senior acharya got anticipatory bail in another case. Vijayendra Saraswati was released a month after his controversial arrest at…
SourceCHENNAI, INDIA, February 10, 2005: From African-Indian music to songs by a London-based group of Indian Baghdadi Jews, the three-day music concert “Remembered Rhythms” aspires to give a taste of diaspora music to Chennai. Organized by the American Institute of Indian studies and Archives and Research Centre for Ethnomusicology, Chennai, the versatile concert will be held Friday, Tuesday and Thursday,…
SourceSRI LANKA, February 10, 2005: Seemingly oblivious to the controversy surrounding such methods, K. P. Yohannan of Gospel for Asia proudly reports his organization’s attempts to adopt tsunami-orphaned children and convert them to Christianity. Here’s his latest report: “The scenes of devastation (in Sri Lanka and India) still burn in my mind. And my heart especially aches for the children,…
SourceKANYAKUMARI, INDIA, February 8, 2005: The Vivekananda Rock Memorial in Kanyakumari, which became inaccessible after the tsunami, has re-opened for tourists. The ferry service, which connected the landmark, has resumed. Many domestic and international visitors have flocked to the point where the three seas meet. “We are from Kashmir. We feel great that we could be a part of the…
SourceUSA, February 11, 2005: Here are some suggestions from Meera Publications (“source”) to give your child’s birthday celebrations a Hindu touch: 1) Add “OM” or another Hindu symbol on the birthday cake along with Happy Birthday. 2) Light a lamp instead of blowing out candles. (Hindus symbolize lighting a lamp with a new life, a new beginning, or spreading knowledge.…