Source USA, October 25, 2004: HPI note: The following article appeared on the conservative Christian newsletter Religion Today. It claims to show how religious freedom is regularly curtailed in the US, though more specifically it reports mostly incidents of Christians being restricted from expressing their religion in public schools and other public settings. It shows the degree to which the…
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…
SourceBATTICALOA, SRI LANKA, October 24, 2004: The Maha Kumbabishekam (dedication ceremony) of the unique Saptha Rishi temple, the Maha Mehru temple and the Maha Vishnu temple of Batticaloa will be held on October 30. It has been built under the divine instructions and guidance of Saptha Rishis and Maharishis. In this connection, a Maha Yagna will be conducted for a…
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…