SourceWASHINGTON, D.C., January 21, 2005: Buried in a CBS report on President’s George Bush’s wife’s inaugural gown was this short item: “In 2002, Mrs. Bush decided to get serious about her health. She began to work out with a personal trainer and watch the food that she ate. She has lost 20 pounds since she began to get serious about…
SourceBANGALORE, INDIA, January 24, 2005: A three-day faith show by American evangelist Benny Hinn has left behind a trail of controversies. With the Karnataka government providing the logistics support for the Festival of Blessings that concluded here Sunday night, the high-tech show attracted nearly a million people from all over India and abroad. Though massive protests, a 12-hour shutdown and…
SourceNEW DELHI, INDIA, January 28, 2005: Rock star Sting has declared himself something of a Hindu and an addict of India, in an e-mail interview, ahead of two concerts. Gordon Sumner, aka “Sting,” who performs for tsunami relief on February 4 at Bangalore and February 6 in New Delhi, said that he loves the country. “In a sense I am…
Press ReleaseKAULA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA, January 22, 2005: The Malaysia Hindu Sangam issued the following press release: “It is with deep regret that Datuk A.Vaithilingam, President Malaysia Hindu Sangam, resigns from the Executive Committee of the Malaysian Consultative Council of Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism and Sikhism (MCCBCHS). Datuk Vaithi has already tendered his resignation on December 1, 2004 but the MCCBCHS did…
SourcePHUKET, THAILAND, January 24, 2005: Lek looks nervously at the Patong sea shore as he describes the passengers who climbed into his tuk tuk minivan late at night on January 6. “Go to Kata Beach,” the seven foreign tourists told him, after agreeing on a 200 baht fee. He drove a while, but then felt numb all over his body.…
SourceUSA, January 24, 2005: Thousands of donors have placed their faith in India Development & Relief Fund (IDRF) again as their “Charity of Choice,” according to this IDRF press release from their website, “source.” With their overwhelming support, IDRF’s donation receipts for tsunami relief and rehabilitation have exceeded $600,000. While the tide of direct giving by individual donors has receded,…
SourceCHICAGO, ILLINOIS, January 22, 2005: Many men of the Sikh faith wear a small sword under their clothing. Orthodox Jews often refuse to move illegally parked cars on Saturdays. Outsiders may photograph statues in Buddhist temples, but not in Hindu ones. These are some of the insights in a series of videos the Chicago Police Department uses to train its…
SourceTAMIL NADU, INDIA, January 2, 2005: Imagine belonging to a tradition that can trace its ancestry back 600 years. Mr. Mohanraj Stapathi, chief architect of the renowned Thanjavur Big Temple, can do just that. Mr. Mohanraj and his two sons, Karunanidhi and Kuberan, run a sculpting idol workshop in Swamimalai, Tamil Nadu, where they employ 20 men and 2 women…
SourceMUMBAI, INDIA, January 25, 2005: Over 300 people have been killed in a stampede near Satara in Maharashtra. The stampede took place in the town of Wai during a religious procession. More than 500,000 pilgrims had begun a march up to the Mandhara Devi temple in the hills near the town of Wai in Satara district. The narrow entrance of…
SourcePUNE, INDIA, January 26, 2005: Volunteers and police today continued to search for bodies at Mandhradevi Hills in Maharashtra, where about 300 people were killed in a stampede yesterday. A highly placed police source in Satara told The Hindu over telephone that the total number of policemen on duty to manage more than 500,000 devotees was just over 200. The…