Press ReportVIJAYAWADA, INDIA, May 3, 2004: Sri Swaroopanandendra Saraswathi, the Sankaracharya of Sarada Peetam, on Monday demanded security to mutt heads and ashrams in the wake of the alleged attempts by Tridandi Sriman Narayana Ramanuja Chinna Jeer to impose Pancharatra system of rituals in all Vaishnava temples, including those following the Vaikanasa tradition. Addressing a press conference here, the Sankaracharya…
SourceUJJAIN, INDIA, May 4, 2004: The Shahi Snan (royal bath) on the last day of the ongoing month-long Simhast (Kumbh) mela began here on Tuesday, with sadhus belonging to various akharas commencing the bath by reaching the banks of river Kshipra in a royal procession and a record number of devotees arriving for the holy dip. The bath began at…
SourceLONDON, ENGLAND, April 29 2004: Mina Parmar of the Hindu Council UK is concerned that, despite the requirement of tradition and religious practice, the Lord Rama icon damaged by miscreants at the Ealing Road temple has still not been replaced. “I went dutifully to offer my prayers to Lord Rama on His birthday, Ramnavami, enthused with thoughts of His glorious…
SourceNEW YORK, NEW YORK, April 30, 2004: A United States court has asked the New York police department (NYPD) to reinstate a Sikh traffic policeman who quit after he was barred from wearing a turban while on duty and allow him to wear the religious headgear. Jasjit Singh Jaggi, a traffic officer, was “discriminated against based on his religious beliefs”…
SourceDENVER, COLORADO, May 6, 2004: The Denver Post received more than 60 letters as of Friday afternoon from angry Hindu Americans protesting the column by Pius Kamau (see HPI, May 1) reports Ved Chaudhary (“source” above). One letter read, “Like Pius Kamau, I am a first-generation immigrant to America. As I read his sweeping putdown of Hindus and Indian immigrants,…
SourceDURBAN, SOUTH AFRICA, April 25, 2004: Hindus in Phoenix have welcomed a recommendation that treated effluent be piped instead of being diverted into a river used for prayer rituals. An earlier plan by the eThekwini municipality to dispose of treated effluent from the Ohlanga catchments area in the Eastbury Drive River in Phoenix drew sharp criticism from Hindu organizations. Common…
SourceTAMIL NADU, INDIA, April 30, 2004: A proposal by the Union Ministry of Culture and Tourism to have the Government of India implement improvement “For the protection and conservation of the Arunachaleswarar temple in Tiruvannamalai in Tamil Nadu, dedicated to Lord Siva, as a national heritage monument,” has been rejected by the Tamil Nadu government. The Tamil Nadu government responded…
SourceMONROEVILLE, PENNSYLVANIA, May 2, 2004: This is a marvelous article on the Hindu-Jain temple here in suburban Pittsburgh, complete with excellent photos and outstanding audio of the temple puja and explanations by the priest. The article, an example of what “good press” can be, reads: Every morning, on a hilltop in suburban Pittsburgh, God awakens. All around, traffic zooms, construction…
SourceNEW DELHI, INDIA, May 1, 2004: In a major public health measure, the ban on smoking in public places, direct and indirect advertising of all tobacco products and their sale to minors came into force on Saturday in the country under the Anti-smoking Act. Government is also working on other aspects of the Act like prohibition of sale of tobacco…
SourceWASHINGTON, D.C., April 29, 2004: A group of religious leaders representing all faiths, including Hinduism, gathered last weekend in New York to condemn domestic violence and to discuss how to raise community awareness and how to be of greater help to the victims. The event, arranged by young Pakistani lawyer Sonia Mansoor, was hosted by the Community Liaison Project (CLP)…