Judge Finds That Officials Violated Inmate’s Freedom Of Religion

Chicago Daily Law BulletinCHICAGO, ILLINOIS, August 31, 2004: A federal judge has set a status conference next week to discuss possible remedies for an inmate who was denied a diet free of the meat and eggs his Hindu religion forbids him to consume, says this complex article. In a written opinion, U.S. District Judge Rebecca R. Pallmeyer directed prison officials…

Continue reading

Icon Immersion Causes Water Pollution In Orissa

SourceBHUBANESWAR, INDIA, September 20, 2004: Despite a central government directive, Orissa has failed to take steps against icon immersion in the state’s water bodies. The failure to check this trend is leading to an environmental nightmare every festival season, say conservationists. About 1,000 small icons and 100 large icons from the cities of Bhubaneswar and Cuttack alone were immersed in…

Continue reading

Health Issues of Hindus in the United Kingdom

SourceUNITED KINGDOM, September 23, 2004: General Secretary for the Hindu Council in the United Kingdom (“source”), Anil Bhanot, delivered a speech on health issues unique to Hindus living in the country. In her address, Bhanot speaks candidly about these issues. She points out that Hindus do have a different diet than the rest of the population and often sedentary life…

Continue reading

Malaysian Hindu Organizations Unite in a Common Goal

SourceMALAYSIA, June 13, 2004: Initially conceived at the Hindu Renaissance Gathering in September 2003, the Malaysian Hindu Sangam (“source”) officially launched its Hindu Renaissance Action plan in June 2004. Honorable Dato’ Seri Dr. S. Samy Vellu, Minister of Works and Patron of the Malaysia Hindu Sangam, inaugurated the project that is supported by 36 Hindu Organizations and Temples in Malaysia.…

Continue reading

National Service Trainees Help Temple In Malaysia

SourceKUALA TERENGGANU, MALAYSIA, October 2, 2004: The Sri Durga Laksmi Temple here, which will celebrate its kumbhabishegam (consecration ceremony) on October 23, was abuzz with national service trainees lending a hand to spruce it up yesterday. The 36-year-old temple, owned by the private Durga Charitable Trust, caters to 500-plus followers here and is the only Hindu temple in town. Twenty-four…

Continue reading

Manchester Hindu Youth Get a Spiritual Start to the Academic Year

SourceMANCHESTER, ENGLAND, September 29, 2004: Jay Lakhani (“source”) reports from the UK: “Over 500 Hindu youth got together at the Gita Bhavan Mandir in Manchester at the start of the new academic year. Students from five universities/colleges in the Manchester area were invited for a Hindu presentation and dinner. The venue was filled to capacity, some students had to stand…

Continue reading

Massachusetts Sri Lakshmi Temple Board Forges Ahead with Plans for the Future

SourceASHLAND, MASSACHUSETTS, September 15, 2004: Since 1990 the trustees of the Sri Lakshmi Temple have been planning, maintaining, and coordinating the present and future plans for the temple. In the summer of 2005, the temple will be holding its first Kumbhabishekam. T.A. Balasubramanium, chairman of the temple, says, “That will be an important event in the history of the temple.…

Continue reading

New Jersey Residents Oppose Temple Expansion

SourceNEW JERSEY, USA September 1, 2004: Citing traffic and environmental concerns, Bridgewater residents recently voiced strong opposition to a proposed 47,000-square-foot expansion of the Sri Venkateswara Temple. Another public hearing was scheduled for October. Resident Diane Mine said that they have no objections to a church on the allotted acreage for the Bridgewater community, but this proposal was to serve…

Continue reading

Christopher Isherwood Centennial Exhibition

SourceCALIFORNIA, USA, August 26, 2004: The Huntington Library (http://www.huntington.org) in San Marino, California is presently mounting an exhibition to celebrate the centennial of Christopher Isherwood, feted as the best English prose writer of the twentieth century, and whose translations with Swami Prabhavananda of the Bhagavad Gita and selections from the Upanishads remain among the best. Born in England, Isherwood left…

Continue reading

Temple Worship Integrates Cultures of North and South

SourceCALCUTTA, INDIA, August 26, 2004: A priest in a dhoti greets you at the entrance of Sri Ganesh and Sri Murugan Kovil (Temple). The hospitable fragrance of camphor, coconut oil and flowers makes the visitor feel transported to a remote village in South India. The near half-million South Indians in Calcutta have enriched the country’s cultural capital and have themselves…

Continue reading