Jay Lakhani, Vivekananda Centre, LondonLONDON, ENGLAND, September 8, 2004: Today we were invited to a special Janmashtami celebration at the House of Commons promoted by Tony McNulty a Member of Parliament and sponsored by NV Lakhani foundation. The guest speakers included the deputy prime minister, cabinet ministers, and a host of other Members of Parliament as well as Ken Livingston…
SourceCRAWLEY, ENGLAND, September 8, 2004: After a 15-year effort the Hindu community of Crawley has secured land to build the Sanatan Mandir and Community Centre (SMCC). The shila nyas (ground breaking) has been performed for the temple to be built on a 2.9 acre land. The ceremony was attended by over 500 guests including national and local dignitaries, councillors and…
SourceDELHI, INDIA, September 8, 2004: Bogged down by the controversy over the accuracy of its figure on Muslim population growth rate to the tune of 36 per cent, the Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India (RG&CCI) on Wednesday temporarily stopped the sale of its reports on the Census 2001, on Religion. Deputy Registrar General RG Mitra on Wednesday told…
SourceCHENNAI, INDIA, September 9, 2004: This report from the BBC succeeds, while reporting on a pollution issue of concern to many Hindus, at putting the popular festival in the worst possible light. We quote the article in full: “The Madras high court in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu has imposed a temporary ban on immersions of idols of the…
Religion News ServiceVANCOUVER, CANADA, September 9, 2004: Some prominent Muslim leaders would like the Canadian province of British Columbia to formally allow Islamic shariah law to be used to arbitrate decisions regarding marriage, divorce, inheritance and other family disputes. These influential Muslims want to follow the lead of some eastern Canadian Muslims who are making submissions in support of shariah…
SourceSINGAPORE, September 9, 2004. Vijay writes from Singapore: “I refer to your article of July 23 in HPI about the attempt to break the Guinness World Record by Vandana Joshi of Nagpur on 22nd July by drawing the largest Rangoli in the World at 466 square metres. You have also mentioned that the previous record was held by Ranvir Kour…
SourceMYSORE, INDIA, September 3, 2004: As Ganesha Chaturthi approaches this year, environmentalists are encouraging devotees and icon-makers to use biodegradable materials to make the icons and to paint them with natural dyes and vegetable oils. So far this call to protect the rivers, lakes and the sea from the onslaught of harmful substances during the celebration has been voluntary. However,…
SourceMONTGOMERY, PENNSYLVANIA, August 27, 2004: Hindu families in Montgomery County in Pennsylvania are now seeing the fruits of their labor after over a decade of planning and construction. On October 22 of this year, the Bharatiya Temple and Cultural Center will celebrate its grand opening. Nandi Todi, president of the temple, says, “It was a very, very tough road, trying…
SourceRICHMOND, VIRGINIA, September 6, 2004: Grace Kendall knew back in seventh grade that she did not want to cut open a preserved frog. Her teacher allowed her to use a computer alternative. Now a junior at Stafford High School, Grace has declined to dissect ever since. “I thought there was something really wrong with dissecting a dead animal when I…
SourceUSA, June 17, 2004: (HPI note: This article appeared in the prestigious magazine, the Economist, several months ago.) The term yoga has become mainstream in America. Americans have been trying bikram yoga and ashtanga yoga in popular classes across the land. When Patanjali, a yoga master, wrote his great works in second century BC, he probably never envisioned that the…