SourceMUMBAI, INDIA, December 17, 2003: Despite pressures from politicians of different hues, authorities have demolished more than 900 illegal roadside shrines in India’s financial capital over the past several weeks. Most structures were occupying large chunks of footpaths. Many had been in existence for years, some for decades. Over the past weeks, civic officials have worked out a comprehensive plan…
SourceHOUSTON, TEXAS, December 2003: “What’s a country in Asia that loves cows, believes in hundreds of Gods and is filled with horrible poverty and pollution?” That’s easy — India, of course. “I heard they even sleep on beds made of needles at night.” Misinformation about India is rampant. Schoolbooks often give incorrect information leaving teachers with nowhere to turn to.…
SourceNEW DELHI, INDIA, December 15, 2003: A four-day conference on Religions in the Indic Civilization will begin in New Delhi, India, on December 18, 2003. The aim of the conference is to encourage secular studies of religious traditions in India: Hinduism, Zoroastrianism, Bahaii, Jainism, Buddhism, Neo-Buddhism, Christianity, Islam and Sikhism, including their various sects and branches. The Conference also hopes…
The Arizona RepublicSCOTTSDALE, ARIZONA, December 15, 2003: A colorful display of Gods and Goddesses can be seen at the Hindu Temple of Arizona in one of the least diverse parts of the Valley — Scottsdale. Bakshi Pitaji, the hospitable “father” of the temple, said that when he moved to the Valley in 1998, the only space he had to do…
SourceCHENNAI, INDIA, December 14, 2003: Calling the month-long rejuvenation camps for elephants at the Mudumalai Sanctuary and Top Slip in Coimbatore district a success, Chief Minister Jayalalithaa today said the camps will now be held every year. Although there was criticism when the camps first started, the benefits of holding the camps were praised by visitors and conservationists, she said…
SourceTHANJAVUR, INDIA, December 17, 2003: 55-year-old Vellaiyammal walked majestically into the Big Temple here, alighting from a truck which brought her back today from a month-long rejuvenation camp for elephants in the Mudumalai sanctuary. As the truck entered the temple, the pachyderm trumpeted to express its happiness over home-coming. Walking down the truck, which pulled up near the Nandi Mandapam,…
SourceBHUBANESWAR, INDIA, December 12, 2003: To curb harassment of women in its premises, a temple in Orissa has announced its own punishment for the guilty, which involves paying a hefty fine and also apologizing for their behavior. Concerned about recent incidents of harassment (called “eve-teasing” in India, though it goes far beyond mere “teasing”), the Managing Committee of the Paschimaswar…
SourceTOLOSA, SPAIN, December 15, 2003: (translated from Spanish) The story of “Krishna” wowed Spanish audiences at the 21st annual International Marionette Festival of Tolosa in the Basque province of northern Spain during the first week of December. Twenty-one puppet groups from nine countries performed at the Festival. This was the first year that India participated. Two companies, the Mayur Puppet…
SourceWASHINGTON, D.C., U.S.A, December 15, 2003: The Institute on Religion and Public Policy is watching closely the debates in Western Europe regarding religious garb. This is an issue which may already be impacting Hindus, and which Hindus should watch closely. As Europe struggles with the integration of its rising Muslim population and a new wave of anti-Semitism, a long-awaited official…
SourceDENPASAR, BALI, December 12, 2003: Dozens of students of an elementary school on the island of Bali fell into a trance this week, before they were “exorcised” by local Hindu priests. Teachers and priests said on Thursday that the school’s failure to conduct certain rituals, and make offerings to appease troubled spirits, was to blame for the incident, says this…