News ReportPUNE, INDIA, DECEMBER 8, 2003: The magnificent Lord Venkateshwara Temple at Ketkawale village, about 40 kilometers from Pune, was inaugurated recently. Spread over 10 acres, the new, full-fledged, temple with the grandeur of its original is the biggest replica of the world famous Tirumala Tirupathi Balaji temple in Andhra Pradesh. More than 6,000 devotees and farmers flocked to see…
SourceFLUSHING, NEW YORK, December 5, 2003: “For three decades, the Hindu Temple Society of North America has been a peaceful refuge,” reads this prominent article in the New York Times. “Every weekend, thousands of devotees stream to this sanctuary on Bowne Street in Flushing, New York. A recent dispute has shattered the temple’s calm. The dispute has nothing do with…
SourceMADISON, WISCONSIN, U.S.A., December 8, 2003: The Governor of Wisconsin has declared the week of December 8-12 as “Interfaith Awareness Week,” with the main purpose of the celebration to develop awareness and establish mutual understanding and respect among religions. The American Hindu Association, along with other faith groups, is participating. The inaugurating events will be on Wednesday, December 10 from…
SourceTUSTIN, CALIFORNIA, December 10, 2003: Vishal Agarwal (“source”) of the Hindu Mahasabha of America submits the following article: India is currently witnessing a Hindu revival that is attributed by most political commentators to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and its affiliate organizations. Such reductionism ignores the pioneering work of Sita Ram Goel, who practically lead an independent movement for the…
SourceSAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, December 4, 2003: A growing number of Americans simply answer “none” or “no religion” when pollsters ask them their religious affiliation. Some “nones” identify themselves as atheists or agnostics, but the vast majority believe in God, pray and often describe themselves as “spiritual, but not religious.” Nones are one of the fastest growing religious categories in the…
Sify NewsLUCKNOW, INDIA: December 2003: Dr. Chandra Balasubramanium’s living room looks like a museum. She boasts of having the largest collection of Lord Ganesha idols in India — 480 exquisite Ganeshas collected over 22 years. The collection includes Lord Ganesha’s icons made in gold, silver, copper, ivory, marble, amethyst, plastic, mud, rose wood, fibre, sandal, crystal, Bohemian glass, log wood,…
SourceAHMEDABAD, INDIA, December 6, 2003: Junk food, obesity and lifestyle diseases are not confined only to hamburger-eating US but have spread to vegetarian Gujarat as well, with a staggering 7.5 million people suffering from diabetes. The statistics are intimidating. Of Gujarat’s 50 million people, 15 percent suffer from diabetes. Of these, 10 percent are in urban areas and five percent…
SourceJAMMU, INDIA, December 6, 2003: Simultaneous with thaw in Indo-Pak relations, Shri Mata Vaishno Devi pilgrims in record breaking numbers are pouring into Jammu and Kashmir. For the first time in the month of November, the number of pilgrims visiting the revered Hindu shrine of Shri Mata Vaishno Devi in Trikuta hills in north of Jammu has crossed the five…
SourceMADURAI, INDIA, December 5, 2003: The Tamil Nadu Government’s Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowment (HR&CE) has approved the unprecedented sale of lands of the famed Arulmighu Meenakshi Sundareswarar Temple to the Mother Teresa Women’s University, Kodaikanal. The university has purchased 2.29 acres of lands owned by the temple in Valayangulam at a cost of US$20,000 to house its extension center…
SourcePUTRAJAYA, MALAYSIA, December 4, 2003: Beginning next year, Hindu, Buddhist, Sikh and Christian priests on visit passes need not make fresh applications to extend their services after serving in the country for one year, Deputy Home Minister Datuk Chor Chee Heung said Wednesday. Instead, they only need to inform State immigration directors and they would be given extensions automatically, he…