SourceORISSA, INDIA, May 30, 2004: When black market ivory prices soar, the deadly fate of elephants in Orissa increases proportionately. Conservationists have indicated that the elephant population recorded as 1,841 elephants in 2002 is at risk of being wiped out. The article says, “Official records reveal that during the last 13 years, poachers in Orissa have killed at least 181…
SourceVADODARA, INDIA, June 11, 2004: Four sadhus (monks) and a disciple of the Vadtal Swaminarayan sect were sentenced to death by a Nadiad sessions court on Friday. The five were convicted for murdering Swami Gadadharanand, who was chairman of the Vadtal temple committee, and burning off his body to destroy the evidence a little over six years ago. Judge Sitaben…
SourceTIRUPATI, INDIA, June 15, 2004: The Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD), the second richest religious body in the world after the Vatican, is facing a problem of plenty. As much as 8,000 kg of studded ornaments, to be precise. The Devasthanam is not authorized to dispose of gold jewelry studded with stones, presented by the devotees of Lord Venkateshwara. Not that…
Tampa TribuneTHONOTOSASSA, FLORIDA, June 10, 2004: The stretch of Fowler Avenue between Interstate 75 and U.S. 301 will one day be home to an intricate marble temple attracting thousands of Hindu worshippers every weekend. The number of practicing Hindus in the Tampa Bay area has grown rapidly over the past decade. Tampa’s first Hindu temple opened on Palm Avenue in…
SourceORLANDO, FLORIDA, June 15, 2004: Professor Kuldip C. Gupta, president of the Hindu University of America, writes: “Namaste and Greetings from Hindu University of America! It is my pleasure to invite you to participate in the New Facility Dedication and the First Commencement ceremonies of Hindu University to be held on HU campus at 5:30pm on Saturday June 19, 2004.…
SourceSRI LANKA, May 23, 2004: It’s a small sign that life may eventually return to normal in this war-ravaged region. When Sri Lankan born Jey Surier left Sri Lanka in 1982, before the civil war started, to attend an electrical engineering school in North Dakota, he did not know that he would not return to his country until the year…
SourceFATIMA, PORTUGAL, June 15, 2004: HPI received a couple of reports regarding the visit of a group of Hindus from Lisbon to the famed Catholic shrine to Mother Mary at Fatima. The first, dated May 22, reads in part: “Last October The Portugal News reported on the Interfaith Congress held at Fatima, one of Catholicism’s most sacred sites, where representatives…
SourceNEW YORK, U.S.A., May 14, 2004: When a lonely steer wandered into Judy Borsellino’s Triangle Towing Service establishment, his good fortune began. Having escaped from the slaughterhouse across the street, the young 8-9 month old steer found refuge at the towing service where the mechanics built him a pen and tended to his needs. Judy Borsellino calls herself a semi-vegetarian…
SourceFIJI, May 15, 2004: In an act of honor, Ratu Epeli, on behalf of the Great Council of Chiefs, publicly apologized for the events of racial tension in 1987 and 2000 against Indian residents. Ratu Epeli says, ” I am not claiming perfection and unfailing wisdom in the administration of the Great Council of Chiefs for the past 130 years…
SourceTRIPLICANE, INDIA, May 22, 2004: The Sri Parthasarathy Perumal Temple has been receiving a good dose of tender loving care. Situated near the Bay of Bengal coast, the 2,000-year-old temple, whose presiding deity Venkatakrishan was installed by Sage Athreya, has inscriptions from the 8th century. An air conditioner has been installed near the sanctum sanctorum and pillars have been given…