SourceTAMIL NADU, INDIA, July 8, 2004: Mr. N.G. Anbalagan, an eco-agricultural technologist and a strong advocate of organic farming, used his own farmland to demonstrate that traditional rice can be grown organically and will produce a viable and marketable end product. The article says, “He grew GEB 24 variety rice (also called Kichili Samba) successfully in his farm in Thottanaval…
SourceFLORIDA, USA, July 14, 2004: International Drive, Orlando, witnessed a different type of attraction this summer. A series of educational, spiritual and fun-packed conventions for the youth and the children was organized by the Bochasanwasi Shree Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS). Recognized for its youth based activities worldwide, BAPS holds many such annual conferences, which have been inspired by His…
SourceHOUSTON, TEXAS, July 25, 2004: Kedar Thakkar took a two-month vacation from his desk job so he could get to work — carting stone, sweeping away construction debris and slogging through heat and rain. The 30-year-old software developer made the trade to help build a monument to his Hindu faith in Fort Bend County. “This is the one thing that…
SourceBALI, INDONESIA, July 23, 2004: Thousands of locals and foreign tourists will flock to the mountain resort town of Ubud this weekend for one of Bali’s largest royal cremations this century. After weeks of preparation, Hindu high priests will tomorrow fire an arrow into the heart of an ornate dragon to free the soul of Tjokorda Istri Niyang Muter, the…
SourceCOLOMBO, SRI LANKA, July 23, 2004: Sri Lankan President Chandrika Kumaratunga has said all responsible for the July 1983 ethnic riots that sparked off a civil war in the country must apologize if the country is to move forward, Xinhua reports. “We should apologize to each other. There should be a public apology. It is only then that we can…
SourceRAIPUR, INDIA, July 23, 2004: The RSS, India’s largest social service organization, is reportedly reconsidering the rule that forbids pracharaks, those dedicating their life to work for the organization, from having familial ties. The rule effectively prevents pracharaks from getting married. The Sangh is worried because the recruitment level of swayamsevaks is falling. And the fact that a group of…
SourceNAGPUR, INDIA, July 22, 2004: Nagpur girl Vandana Joshi has made it to the Guinness Book of World Records with flying colors with the prestigious book recognizing a rangoli made by her as the largest one of its kind in the globe. Guinness World Records, the publishers of the records book, have issued a certificate recognizing a 466 square metre…
SourceKARACHI, PAKISTAN, July 20, 2004: Hindu traders will suspend their businesses across Sindh and go on hunger strike if Santosh Kumar, a prominent Hindu who has been kidnapped, is not recovered immediately. Speaking at a news conference here on Monday, Bhagwandas Chawla, president of the Karachi Hindu Panchayat and a former MNA, said the kidnapping of members of the Hindu…
New Straits TimesLONDON, ENGLAND, July 23, 2004: The Home Secretary, Rt. Hon. David Blunkett, MP, has announced today that with effect from 31 August 2004 a new legislation will come into force that will allow work permits to be granted only to Ministers of Religion who can provide a certificate of English competency up to a minimum level 4 under…
Straits TimesKUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA, July 21, 2004: A Hindu woman has been granted day-to-day custody of her two sons who had been converted to Islam by their father after he embraced the religion. The father, Dr. Jeyaganesh C. Mogarajah, 36, was given joint legal custody and visitation rights, but the High Court ruled that his estranged wife Shamala Sathiyaseelan, 32,…