SourceNAINITAL, INDIA, February 18, 2004: The government-organized pilgrimage to Mt. Kailash each year from India is open only to first-timers, according to this news report. Only 16 batches of 44 persons each are selected in a lottery system to go on the arduous pilgrimage which proceeds mostly on foot from India over a 19,500 foot pass into Tibet. To qualify,…
SourceBANGALORE, INDIA, February 1, 2004: As many as 618 Bangalore-based Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) received over US$80 million in funds from foreign agencies during 2001-02, according to the Union Home Ministry’s latest annual Foreign Inward Remittance Report. Among the cities in India, Bangalore tops the list of recipients, followed by Chennai with over US$ 69 million and Mumbai with over US$…
News ReportsFebruary 21, 2004: Many reports were received regarding the celebration of Maha Sivaratri, “Siva’s Great Night,” on February 18/19. The all-night worship is the foremost celebration of Saivism and is celebrated on the night before the new moon in the lunar month of February-March. Fasting and an all-night vigil are observed as well as other disciplines: chanting, praying, meditating…
Utusan.comBOMBAY, INDIA, February 17, 2004: Queen of rock and roll Tina Turner has been signed for a mystic Hollywood movie by US-based Indian director Ismail Merchant. The 63-year-old pop diva and grandmother, who is a convert to Buddhism, has spent two weeks touring India to familiarize herself with Indian culture before filming the movie, “The Goddess,” which is about the…
SourceCHENNAI, INDIA, February 20, 2004: The southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu has lifted a ban on the sacrifice of animals and birds in Hindu temples. The chief minister of Tamil Nadu, Jayalalitha, said the restrictions were being withdrawn following requests from across the state. Last year, her government decided to enforce strictly existing legislation against animal sacrifice despite opponents…
SourceUSA, February 18, 2004: A U.S. study indicating that smoking scenes in today’s movies are now only slightly more numerous than the smoke-filled flicks of the 1950s has touched off an uproar in Britain, where restrictions on cigarette advertising are in many ways stricter than they are in the U.S. The study, conducted by the University of California at Berkeley…
SourceMAURITIUS, February 13, 2004: “National Unity and Harmony — that is the essential message that we wish to express throughout the country on the occasion of Maha Sivaratri” says Rajendra Ramdheean of the Mauritius Sanatan Dharma Temples Federation (MSDTF), the main organizer of the annual pilgrimage to the Ganga Talao at Grand-Bassin, a large natural lake considered the Ganges of…
SourceMONTREAL, CANADA, February 15, 2004: Current Biology, a technical magazine, carries an article on the Indian caste system in its recent edition. The summary reads: “The origins of the nearly one billion people inhabiting the Indian subcontinent and following the customs of the Hindu caste system are controversial: are they largely derived from Indian local populations (i.e. tribal groups) or…
SourceINDIA: February 11, 2004: Imagine sitting on the jetty in Kanyakumari, facing the Vivekananda rock. When the sun goes down the rock lights up and projected on it is an audio-visual story of Swami Vivekananda. There is music, sound effects, voice-overs and light effects that capture the ambience of the time that the Swami lived in. This program at Kanyakumari…
SourceKAUAI, HAWAII, February 18, 2004: Hinduism Today magazine is researching the concept of the Trimurti (Brahma/Vishnu/Siva), also sometimes referred to as the “Hindu Trinity.” We’re looking for expert opinion and information on how Hindus past and present have viewed the Trimurti, as well as where the concept and its depictions have occurred historically, such as scriptural references, art (for example,…