SourceMIZORAM, INDIA, March 19, 2004: The small state of Mizoram will soon become the first state in India to officially declare its status as organic. Led by Governor A.R. Kohli, the government is drafting a new law that will ban the sale of chemical fertilizers in the state. The governor does not expect any opposition to the new bill as…
Paras RamoutarTRINIDAD, March 19, 2004: Women power is the bedrock of any religion, civilization or culture, according to Swami Nirmalatmananda, Head of the Ramkrishna Vedanta Ashram, Sao Paulo, Brazil. He was giving the fourth lecture in the series on Indian Culture and Religion at Divali Nagar on Friday night. “Women have and, will continue to uphold and to defend any…
SourceCONCORD, NEW HAMPSHIRE, March 17, 2004: Even after five years, Christy Pugh has no trouble sticking to her vegetarian regimen. The secret to her success? Eating meat. Pugh is one of a growing number of part-time vegetarians whose loose adherence to the meat-free diet is transforming a decades-old movement and the industry that feeds it, says this New York Times…
SourceLAHORE, PAKISTAN, March 21, 2004: Pakistan isn’t the place to be if you are a farm animal — nor is it the best place to be if you aren’t a farm animal eater. Hemang Badani, the pure vegetarian in the Indian team says he’s struggling. “I’m surviving on toast and spaghetti,” he says. Team analyst S. Ramakrishnan is struggling as…
Czech News Agency (CTK)PRAGUE, CZECHOSLOVAKIA, March 18, 2004: This news item was mostly about the decision of the Culture Ministry in Czechoslovakia to accept a proposal to register the Centre of Muslim Communities. But the report added that the Czech Republic registered 25 churches and religious societies, four of which — the Christian Societies, the Community of Christians, Hindu and…
SourceHYDERABAD, INDIA, March 4, 2004: The Vedic Friends Association Northeast India recently toured the area to “Give talks on encouraging people to preserve their culture and resist the pressure from Christian groups to give up their own traditions and convert to Christianity.” The trip began with a seminar in Hyderabad called “Global Hinduism in the New Millennium.” Hosted by Swami…
SourceKUPGAL HILL, INDIA, March 19, 2004: A rock art site dating back to the Neolithic or late Stone Age has been rediscovered in southern India. There is evidence that the site was first found in 1892 but the exact location was lost to future archaeologists. The Kupgal Hill site, according to the article, has boulders which have small, groove-like impressions…
SourcePRETORIA, SOUTH AFRICA, March 15, 2004: Proud parents, teachers and well-wishers of the only full-time Hindu school in South Africa have honored its first batch of matriculates. Ramesh Chhagan, Chairman of the Pretoria Hindu School (PHS) board, said the function was held not only to vindicate the establishment of the school in 1997 — with just the first three grades…
SourceMUMBAI, INDIA, March 13, 2004: International media coverage and the celebrities descending on the 2001 Kumbh Mela in Allahabad for their holy dip marked a new opportunity for religious travel tours. Religious tourism, until lately the domain of small-time tour operators, is fast turning into a lucrative market for travel companies. A visit to Vaishnodevi, for example, which attracts more…
SourceSOUTH PLAINFIELD, U.S.A. March 13, 2004: The borough Zoning Board has voted unanimously to block the proposed construction of a Hindu temple in New Jersey. The International Swaminarayan Satsang Organization wanted to build a one-story, 14,000-square-foot temple on a 6.7-acre tract zoned for light-industrial use. “The congestion and traffic would be a detriment to the safety and welfare of the…