SourceCHENNAI, INDIA, November 12, 2004: High drama was witnessed at the airport in Chennai when Senior Pontiff of the Kanchi mutt Sri Jayendra Saraswathi, who was arrested in connection with the murder case, was brought to Chennai from Hyderabad in the wee hours of Friday. As the Special Aircraft touched down at the Airport at Chennai around 0245 hrs, the…
SourceKANCHEEPURAM, INDIA, November 12, 2004: Dismissing as “baseless” the charges against Kanchi Shankaracharya Jayendra Saraswathi, arrested on Thursday in connection with a murder, his counsel on Friday alleged that the action was “politically vindictive.” “The mutt is no way connected with the incident (murder). The charges are baseless and based on the confession by third party. We will seek redressal…
SourceKANCHEEPURAM, INDIA, November 12, 2004: Kanchi Shankaracharya Jayendra Saraswathi, arrested near Hyderabad Thursday night as a prime accused in a murder case, was on Friday remanded to judicial custody till November 26 by a court in Kancheepuram. Soon after he was brought to Kancheepuram, the Shankaracharya was produced before First Class Judicial Magistrate G Uttamaraj at 6.30 am. The magistrate,…
SourceNovember 7, 2004: “The time of Deepavali is one of the most festive and beautiful times of the year. Deepavali literally means a ‘Row of Lights.’ It is a time filled with light and love; a time when Indians all over the world rejoice. Deepavali is celebrated on the thirteenth/fourteenth day in the dark half of Kartik (October-November); it is…
SourceNEW DELHI, INDIA, November 9, 2004: Imported icons of Lord Ganesha and the Goddess Laxmi have proved to be a hit with the masses preparing for Deepavali this year. Devotees have particularly taken a fancy for clay icons from China and Thailand which are both good looking and inexpensive. Suresh, a shopkeeper, admits that these Chinese-manufactured icons are doing brisk…
SourceKOLKATA, INDIA, November 5, 2004: Schools in West Bengal have joined the bandwagon by encouraging school children to celebrate Deepavali without using fire crackers. School Education minister, Kanti Biswas, explains, “We want teachers to counsel students about the ban and the fact that flouting the order entails punishment. But more than the fear factor, we will ask teachers to highlight…
News ReportHYDERABAD, INDIA, November 7, 2004: Swami Jayendra Saraswati of Kanchi Kamakothi Peetham has asked for the construction of more temples in Dalit (“untouchable”) colonies to promote Hindu dharma. He said this while taking part in a meeting on governance of temples at the Endowments Commissionerate on Sunday. A number of Hindu seers took part in the meet organized by…
SourceMYSORE, INDIA, November 9, 2004: In May this year, the persitent pressure of envangelist instructors at the Mysore Medical College drove a student to attempt suicide in Mysore, India. Earlier this year, third-year nursing student, Manjula, consumed poison, unable to bear harassment by her instructor to convert to Christianity. Mrs.Velangani, the Principal of KR Hospital Nurse Training College attempted to…
SourceUNITED KINGDOM, November 4, 2004: “Study after study appears to prove that people are increasingly losing faith in the Church and the Bible and turning instead to mysticism in guises ranging from astrology to reiki and holistic healing,” begins this lengthy article. More and more people describe themselves as “spiritual,” fewer as “religious” and, as they do so, they are…
SourceNEW DELHI, INDIA, October 31, 2004: Across northern India every year, Indian women participate in a husband’s day festival right before the grand festival of lights, Deepavali. This year is no exception, and 50-year-old Nirmal Sharma says, “The day is an expression of my feelings for my husband, when I can show to him that in spite of our differences…