SourceNEW DELHI, INDIA, August 10, 2004: The Swaminarayan sect’s colossal Akshardham temple, coming up on 58 acres of the Yamuna’s bed, could run aground, says this rather hostile article in The Times of India. The article goes on: The Supreme Court on Monday issued notices to Uttar Pradesh Irrigation Department, original custodian of the river bed, and Delhi Development Authority…
South China Morning PostBATU CAVES, MALAYSIA, August 8, 2004: Clad in a figure-hugging yellow sari, Tamil Malar, 17, gasped for breath under the blistering noon sun outside the Batu Caves, Malaysia’s holiest Hindu shrine. The temple is perched on a hill outside Kuala Lumpur and Malar had climbed 272 steps to reach the cave complex. As she climbed the winding…
SourceWASHINGTON, U.S.A., August 3, 2004: Home schooling is on the rise since 1999. In fact this article by education writer Ben Feller says that students taught at home now number 1.1 million in the U.S. Parents have the following reasons for choosing home schooling, “31 percent cited concerns about the environment of regular schools, 30 percent wanted the flexibility to…
SourceTORONTO, CANADA, August 3, 2004: When the late Prime Minister Pierre Elliot Trudeau declared that his dream for Canada would be a nation where citizens from different cultural backgrounds could live in harmony, he probably did not envision that the secular laws of Canada and the religious laws of a particular culture would differ so vastly. The article explains, “A…
HPIKAUAI, HAWAII, July 31, 2004: The following short talk was given by Satguru Bodhinatha Veylanswami during the opening ceremonies for the new BAPS Swaminarayan Temple in Houston, Texas in July. “Our namaskars to Pramukh Swami Maharajji, his senior sadhus who are present here today and to the other religious leaders and dignitaries at today’s event. We are very pleased to…
SourceDELHI, INDIA, August 5, 2004: Swiss watch major Bovet is now in India. The premium watch company will launch a 39 mm watch with a hand-painted blue and rust Ganesha image on a white dial. The US$47,000 watch is Bovet’s tribute to India. “We will introduce the watch in Maharashtra during the Ganesha festival next month,” said Ajay Malhotra of…
SourceFLORIDA, USA, July 30, 2004: Florida International University, the State University in Miami, Florida, and Hindu University of America, located in Orlando, Florida, will begin offering on-line Sanskrit courses this fall. The four-course sequence is fully accredited by FIU and is available to students worldwide. The courses have been developed by Dr. B. V. Venkata Krishna Sastry, a professor at…
SourceSTRILKY, CZECH REPUBLIC, August 6, 2004: An International Children Peace Conference initiated by His Holiness Mahamandaleshwar Paramhans Swami Maheshwarananda, the author of the world renowned system of Yoga in Daily Life shall take place on August 12, 2004. It will be conducted in the beautiful area of the International Yoga-in-Daily-Life Centre in Strilky, Czech Republic. This event is supported by…
SourceKENTON, UK, August 2, 2004: The Swaminarayan Hindu temple in Westfield Lane, Kenton, has been granted planning permission for an extra story. The application received unanimous approval at Harrow Council’s development control meeting on Wednesday last week. The additional floor will provide accommodation for a day center for elderly members of the community. It will include a reading area, meditation…
SourceNEW DELHI, INDIA, August 5, 2004: Dharan Mandrayar is thespian Sivaji Ganesan’s brother V.C. Shanmugham’s son. Dharan has just completed a project that is very close to his heart at the moment–White Rainbow, which was premiered recently in New Delhi where it was well received, says this article. White Rainbow is being produced for a global audience, by Dharlin Entertainment,…