The HinduCHERUKOLPUZHA, KERALA, February 1, 2004: The 92nd annual Hindu religious meet, organized by the Hindumatha Maha Mandalam (HMM), began on the sand-bed of the Pampa river at Cherukolpuzha, near Kozhencherry, on February 1, 2004. The vice-chairman of the Mata Amritanandamayi Math, Swami Amruthaswaroopananda Puri, who inaugurated the week-long convention, said strengthening military might or providing employment to all would…
Agence France PressePATNA, India, January 30, 2004: India’s temperamental bullion market has forced caution upon middle-class buyers ahead of the wedding season, which gets into full swing after Sunday when the astrology becomes auspicious for weddings after a long period. Last November, hundreds of thousands of nuptials held in a single week to fit into the decade’s most auspicious celestial…
SourceINDIA, February 02, 2004: Monsanto, the world’s largest genetically modified seed company, has been awarded patents on the wheat used for making chapati — the flat bread staple of northern India, reports this article. The patents give Monsanto, a US-based multinational company, exclusive ownership over Nap Hal, a strain of wheat whose gene sequence makes it particularly suited to producing…
News ReportALLAHABAD, INDIA, February 2, 2004: The world’s biggest Mahayagna with 100,008 yagna kunds (fire altars) will be held at Sangam (the confluence of the Ganga and Yamuna Rivers, where the Kumbha Mela is held) from January 26 to February 6. The religious event would attract as many as 100 top politicians and ministers from different political outfits and States…
Tri-Valley HeraldPLEASANTON, CALIFORNIA, January 17, 2004: In addition to providing a sanctuary where Hindus can pray, study their religion, and attend cultural performances, the Hindu temple in Livermore also offers a grant program to support nonprofit human services agencies. Krishna Reddy, chairman of the Hindu Community Center expects that more than $15,000 will be given away this year to assist…
The New York TimesNEW YORK CITY, U.S.A., January 18, 2004: New York City’s Hindu population of 171,000 is asking the city to recognize the Hindu celebration of Deepavali. Deepavali is a five-day festival of lights marking the end of the Hindu year. The city already recognizes the Muslim holiday of Id al-Fitr, the end of Ramadan. President of the Jackson…
The Ottawa CitizenOTTAWA, ONTARIO, CANADA, December 28, 2003: Ottawa, the capital of Canada, is setting an example of interfaith harmony for the rest of the country and perhaps the world. Two organizations, the Capital Region Interfaith Council and Interfaith Ottawa, are cited as the initiatives responsible for the interfaith harmony. The article explains the functions of the two organizations, “Capital…
SourceSRI LANKA, February 2, 2004: This press release reads: “FOCUS is a website (“source” above) that examines Christian evangelism in South Asia, with a particular focus on Sri Lanka. This website was created to function as a forum where people of all religious persuasions can communicate with each other over the issue of evangelism. This website also provides exposure to…
SourceCHANDIGARH, INDIA, January 16, 2004: Established three years ago in India with a grant of US$4.3 million, the National Innovation Foundation has received ideas from over 16,000 people. The mission of the foundation is to give grassroot inventors an opportunity to submit their innovations, patent their ideas, and if they are developed the inventor would receive credit and perhaps financial…
SourceNEW DELHI, INDIA, January 26, 2004: Thanks to a campaign initiated by Peta and supported by Hollywood filmstar James Cromwell and Maneka Gandhi, DaimlerChrysler India now offers a non-leather car seat cover for all its Mercedes Benz models sold in India. However Peta was not satisfied with this victory and the article says, “Peta and Cromwell are taking the campaign…