SourceINDIA, June 14, 2004: Tavleen Singh writes in the Indian Express: One of our new “secular” ministers talks of making the Sindhu Darshan festival less communal. The new HRD Minister, the venerable Arjun Singh, constantly talks of detoxifying textbooks. Excuse me? My inner voice has been giving me a hard time again. In this new dawn of shining secularism, when…
SourceBIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA, June 06, 2004: The first question most people ask the tall, blond, blue-eyed Hindu Swami Akhilananda from Texas is how he got to be a Hindu swami, as most seem to be from India. During a recent visit to the Hindu Temple and Cultural Center of Birmingham, Alabama, he wore sandals, beads, a saffron robe and a “tilak,”…
SourceCANADA, June 9, 2004: The Voice of the Martyrs, a Canada-based evangelical Christian organization issued the following news statement today: Within the next two weeks, it is expected that an anti-conversion bill will be presented to the Sri Lankan parliament by members of the Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU) in an apparent attempt to stem the growth of Christianity, particularly among…
TVS HariPALANI, TAMIL NADU, INDIA, June 9, 2004: The famous hill temple of Palani is in the news again, this time for correct reasons. Some time ago, when the priests in the temple observed that the navapashana icon (that is, made of nine compounds) in the sanctum sanctorum was being eroded due to excessive abhisheka (pouring of items like milk,…
Chicago Daily HeraldGRAYSLAKE, LAKE COUNTY, USA, June 02, 2004: Hundreds recently blessed the ground on which the Hindu Mandir – Lake County’s first temple – will be constructed. Sheltered from the rain by a white tent, traditional prayers were held before a fire and an icon of Ganesh, the Hindu God of beginnings. “It’s very important, before we start any…
Channel NewsAsiaSINGAPORE, June 7, 2004: Thirteen Hindu deities at an unregistered Hindu temple will have to find a new home after the High Court threw out its caretaker’s claim that the land on which it is situated belongs to him. Sri Marathadi Muneeswarar Temple, which has devotees here and from Malaysia, has stood on the state-owned site for 48 years.…
SourceNEW YORK, NEW YORK, March 24, 2004: Uvir Saran, a chef at the new Indian restaurant Amma, in Midtown, has never tasted the restaurant’s tandoor-grilled lamb chops. “My family in Delhi have been vegetarians for generations,” he said. “At least since the 15th century. Before that we are not so sure,” begins this long New York Times article. Jehangir Mehta,…
SourceLEICESTERSHIRE, ENGLAND, May 4, 2004: A woman from Leicestershire who has had three lucky escapes from fires caused by burning a religious lamp is warning others to be careful. The county’s fire service has started a new campaign aimed at cutting the number of fires started by diva lamps, small oil lamps used on the home shrine of Hindus. Kumudbhen…
SourceLONDON, ENGLAND, June 9, 2004: In an unexpectedly quick and decisive victory for Britain’s half-a-million strong Hindu community, one of Italy’s leading designers has apologized for the launch of swimwear and lingerie emblazoned with Hindu deities at strategic places. The bikinis with an image of what looks like Lord Ram as the main motif, were designed by Roberto Cavalli, often…
SourceEXETER, NEW HAMPSHIRE, USA, June 6, 2004: As a 14-year-old freshman at Phillips Exeter Academy, Vivek Asija came to his campus minister, the Rev. Robert Thompson, asking how to become a Christian. “Rev,” as students call him, told the young man to go back to his daddy and learn what it meant to be a Hindu. Both men now agree…