SourceLUCKNOW, INDIA, July 17, 2004: In what appears to be a prelude to taking over administrative control of bigger temples, including disputed shrines of Ayodhya and Mathura, the Uttar Pradesh government plans to take appointment of priests/heads of temples in its hands and bring them under the purview of the state audit. In a government order dated June 28, 2004,…
SourceMUMBAI, INDIA, June 16, 2004: Even as India’s eastern part continues to reel under floods, lack of rains in the western parts has forced some Hindu priests — standing neck-deep in water and chanting hymns — to invoke the rain god.”Praying to Varuna — the God of rains — while standing in water is a very effective ritual,” believes K.A.…
SourceNEW YORK, NEW YORK, July 16, 2004: The age-old tradition of tolerance in India has received an honourable appreciation in a report by the United Nations. Although ranked 127 out of 177 countries, this report (more at “source”) acknowledges that India’s so-called semi-literate or illiterate majority shows greater respect to followers of other religions than in many more prosperous nations.…
HPIKAUAI, HAWAII, July 20, 2004: We received a good response to yesterday’s request for on-line audio of the Vedas and other scriptures. Here are three: http://www.vedamu.org/Media/audio/chanting.asp http://sanskrit.bhaarat.com/Dale/Audio.html http://www.urday.com/onlineaarti.htm
SourceJAMMU, July 18, 2004: The Shri Amarnath Shrine Board (SASB) is planning to preserve the ice stalagmite (Siva Lingam) at the holy Amarnath cave all through the year. The Defence Research Development Organisation (DRDO) has surveyed the cave enclave and suggested that a Skating Rink Technology could be employed to improve sustainability of the Lingam even in the hottest months…
SourceKERALA, INDIA, July 16, 2004: Hindu homes and temples in Kerala resonated with the recital of the Ramayana, as Karkitakam, the lean month of the Malayalam calendar, began on July 16. Mornings and evenings, the faithful gather at temples to recite the Adhyatma Ramayanam Kilippattu of Thunchath Ezhuthachan, the father figure of Malayalam literature. The entire text is read in…
SourceINDIANA, U.S.A., July 8, 2004: When a groom from Indiana and a bride from India decided to get married, ABC News convinced the couple to have their wedding aired on TV. So in October 2003, Tim Searight and Rupa Goswami celebrated their Hindu-Christian ceremony under the watchful eye of TV viewers. The TV crew assured Goswami that they would be…
SourceLONDON, ENGLAND, July 19, 2004: The BBC has announced plans for a new complaints procedure to make it easier for people to air grievances about programs and get mistakes corrected. The BBC promised greater openness and said licence payers would be presumed to be right, not wrong, in complaints. Director general Mark Thompson said there would be a greater willingness…
SourceKAUAI, HAWAII, July 19, 2004: An HPI reader asks, “I’m writing you to know if there is any website available for Vedas where one can read and even satsang and prathana where you can download and listen to it.” If you’re aware of such a site, please e-mail “source” above.
SourceDELHI, INDIA, July 15, 2004: The Ministry of Non-Resident Affairs announced today in the Rajya Sabha that the net amount of remittances sent by NRIs from different parts of the world during 2003-04 was US$18,885 million in terms of private transfers as compared to $14,807 million US $ in 2002-03.