SourceANDAMAN ISLANDS, INDIA, April 5, 2004: Just off the coast of Burma in the Bay of Bengal is a group of islands called the Andaman Islands that belong to India. What is unique about the islands is the fact that they boast a tribal race of 250 people known as the Jarawa tribe. The Jarawa tribe live today as they…
Hinduism TodayNEW DELHI, INDIA, April 14, 2004: Hinduism Today’s Delhi correspondent investigated why the Ujjain Kumbha Mela is being held just one year after the Nashik Kumbha Mela. The common, and mistaken, understanding is that the Mela is held every three years in rotation through four cities. But journalist Arun Khonde of Nashik explained to Rajiv that each city has…
Bernama (Malaysian National News Agency)KUALA LUMPUR, April 9, 2004: About 500 Hindu police officers and former police officers gathered at the Sri Thandaithabani Temple, Jalan Ipoh, to offer special prayers in conjunction with the 197th Police Day. The function started off with the Sangga Abishagam (bathing of the Deity with water blessed in conch shells) at 3pm followed by the…
SourceNEW DELHI, INDIA, April 3, 2004: The popular movie, “My Big Fat Greek Wedding,” has a sequel of interest to the Indian community called “My Bigger Fatter Indian Wedding” begins this humorous article It is a very fitting sequel as Indian families cherish and love Indian weddings. As part of what the article refers to as high-context cultures, Asian family…
SourceUSA, April 13, 2004: Jean-Francoise Mayer reports in the current issue of Religion Watch that 27.3 percent of undergraduate departments of religion in American Universities have classes in Hinduism and other religions of India. The study by Hans J. Hillerbrand revealed that there are 1,131 departments of religion, religious studies or theology in American universities, with 308 offering classes in…
SourceFINLAND, April 9, 2004: In Finland children do not start school until they are 7, spending is $5,000 a year per student, there are no gifted programs and class sizes often approach 30. Finland topped a respected international survey last year, coming in first in literacy and placing in the top five in math and science. The question on people’s…
SourceNEW YORK, USA, April 9, 2004: India’s traditional system of medicine, ayurveda, has been for the first time included in an advisory body to the US National Institutes of health (NIH) with the appointment of researcher Bala V.Manyam. Manyam, a director of Plummer Movement Disorder Center, in the Neurology Department at the Scott & White Clinic in Temple, Texas, has…
Hindustan TimesHYDERABAD, INDIA, April 9, 2004: Some people believe a pilgrimage is successful only if a person undergoes hardships during the journey. That is why many a Hindu pilgrims walk or pant all the way to reach hilltop shrines such as Vaishnodevi or Tirupati Balaji. A 58-year-old temple official at Tirupati has created what is considered a world record of…
SourceAHMEDABAD, INDIA, April 11, 2004: This report appeared in the Newindpress.com and is attributed to Indo-Asian News Service. They are well versed in Hindu rituals and are proud followers of the religion. But some young non-resident Gujaratis (NRGs) are not willing to say the same for India. “I perform puja (prayer) every morning, and I know the Gayatri Mantra by…
SourceINDIA, March 27, 2004: Compassion Unlimited Plus Action (CUPA) filed an police report against the Aiyappan Temple in Jalahalli and the two mahouts attached to the temple for “animal abuse.” According to Suparna Ganguly, vice-president, CUPA, the temple’s male elephant has been subjected to immense cruelty. There are three temple elephants in the city, all in similar condition. The one…