SourceJAMNAGAR, GUJARAT, INDIA, October 22, 2004: In Junagadh in Gujarat, the Garba is performed on a different rhythm, rather than a traditional one. A group of Africans, who came to India around the 12th century, have now assimilated the culture of their adopted home into Garba tunes. Most members of the band are ethnic or Sidhi Africans. And the Navaratras…
SourceBANGALORE, INDIA, October 23, 2004: Tribal and dalit arts and crafts tend to get neglected when compared to urban classical art forms. But in Bangalore an effort has been on for the last five years to bring together troupes and craftspeople from all over the country to make them self-sufficient, without the need for middlemen. For the folk artists and…
SourceDURBAN, SOUTH AFRICA, September 20 2004: Mahatma Gandhi continues to evoke reverence in South Africa, but his legacy is in danger of fading with some not seeing him as a hero and some simply unaware of his role. Key landmarks in Pietermaritzburg, Durban and Johannesburg have become pilgrimages for every visiting Indian dignitary, but Gandhi’s memory weakens each generation of…
SourceNEW DELHI, INDIA, October 21, 2004: Three months ago, Howard Staab leaned that he suffered from a life-threatening heart condition and would have to undergo surgery at a cost of up to US$200,000–an impossible sum for the 53-year-old carpenter from Durham, N.C., who has no health insurance. So he outsourced the job to India, begins this article. Staab last month…
SourceUNITED STATES, October 20, 2004: Are you fascinated by the many things in life that cannot be scientifically explained? Do you seem to have a “sixth sense” that sometimes allows you to know what is going to happen? Do you sometimes feel so connected to nature that everything seems to be part of one living organism? To find out how…
Rajiv Malik, HPI Correspondent, NEW DELHI, INDIA, October 24, 2004: When the mercury begins to fall but the nights are not too cold, it is time for the Indian capital to wake up to the cultural season. But it is perhaps also the right season to remind the residents of the national capital about their heritage and their responsibility to…
The Pakistan NewswireHYDERABAD, PAKISTAN, October 15, 2004: The 98-year old historic building Hindu Dharamshala on station road Hyderabad, one of remaining 63 buildings declared historic by government, was being dismantled by a builder to build a plaza in its place. This was one more example how the builder mafia was eroding the historical places of city. There were in all…
HPIKAUAI, HAWAII, October 22, 2004: Pandit Suraj Persad, Hindu chaplain at the University of Toronto, asks for responses on this question which has come up with regard to the training of medical students. In the use of cadavers, he asks, “Should any ritual, prayers, purificatory service or observances be done for Hindu students by a qualified Hindu Minister prior to…
SourceHONOLULU, HAWAII, October 10, 2004: Hinduism’s presence in Oahu’s faith community is not easy to find. On an island where Buddhist temples are often found on thoroughfares and interspersed with Catholic and Protestant churches, and where Shinto shrines and Taoist temples are often set along the main drags, you have to go to the Neighbor Islands to see a Hindu…
SourceKOLKATA, INDIA, October 12, 2004: After its resounding success last year, a group of Kolkatans have come together again to package the Durga Puja festival — the main festival of Bengalis the world over — as a major tourist attraction. Positioning Durga Puja — a five-day cultural fiesta revolving around the worship of Goddess Durga during her mythical sojourn on…