SourceUSA, January 31, 2004: This informative article in the Globe and Mail is a long report on the state of acceptance or nonacceptance of corporal punishment among various cultures and nations of the world. It reads in part: Child behavior experts and the United Nations are questioning the practise of spanking or any other form of physical punishment and many…
SourceDELHI, INDIA, February 15, 2003: Dr. Karan Singh announced the launching of his website. It is quite comprehensive, with publications, video and audio. According to the introductory page (“source”) the site “contains several sections dealing with my special interests — Hinduism, the Environment, Education, Interfaith harmony, Travelogues, Essays, Literature and Music, Trusts and Forums and my personal biography.” Dr. Singh…
SourceKANCHI, INDIA, February 15, 2004: The 35th Jayanthi (birthday) of Pujyasri Sankara Vijayendra Saraswathi Sankaracharya Swamiji of Sri Kanchi Kamakoti Peetam will be celebrated on 18 February, 2004, on Sivaratri day, in Chennai at Sri Siva Vishnu Temple, T. Nagar. Trikala Chandramouleeswara Puja will be performed at the Temple. Several fire ceremonies and pujas will be performed at Sri Sankara…
Press ReportsHYDERABAD, INDIA, February 12, 2004: The Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD), the richest Hindu Temple, has been known to adopt modern technology to make things easier for workers and pilgrims and save money. The ghee used for cooking the laddoo (a large sweet) and other prasadam (blessed food offered to the Diety) will now be supplied through pipes, making it…
SourceSAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, February 5, 2004: Bikram Choudhury opened one of his first yoga schools in San Francisco in 1973 and now boasts 900 studios worldwide. He copyrighted, trademarked and franchised his poses, breathing techniques and dialogue, creating the first chain of its kind. He also hired lawyers who sent a flurry of cease-and-desist letters warning yoga teachers in the…
SourceKOLKATA, INDIA, February 10, 2004: The Mahalakshmi temple in Kolkata will open to the public on February 12, 2004. It is designed by the same architect who designed the Swaminathan temple in Akshardham. It is modelled on ancient North Indian temple architecture and stands at an imposing 75 feet on 25,000 sq. ft. area. The central deity of the temple,…
SourceANN ARBOR, U.S.A., February 4, 2004: 2004 is the centenary year of Rukmini Devi, a luminary in Indian dance. She was born in Pudukotthai in South India 100 years ago and this month, two programs at the University of Michigan Museum of Art in Ann Arbor, Michigan, celebrate Rukmini Devi’s contributions to bringing the South Indian temple dance known as…
SourceRAMESHWARAM, INDIA, January 16, 2004: Ma Amritanandamayi, affectionately known as Amma, paid a visit to the Rameshwaram Temple, one of the major pilgrimage sites in South India. Rameshwaram is the place where Lord Rama began to build a bridge across the sea to rescue his wife Sita from her abductor, Ravana, the king of Lanka. It is also the place…
Dainik HindustanBHOPAL, INDIA, February 8, 2004: The saints of the Saiva and Vaishnava sampradayas have agreed upon the three Shahi Snan, main bathing days, of the upcoming Kumbha Mela in Ujjain, ending an uncertainty which was causing problems for the Madhya Pradesh government, who are responsible for the Mela arrangements. There are 13 akahars, monastic orders, among the sampradayas. Seven…
SourceMUMBAI, INDIA, February 8, 2004: The Elephanta caves on the outskirts of Mumbai play host to a unique festival each year. Kuchipudi advocates Dr. Raja Reddy and Radha Reddy performed at the two-day Elephanta festival, a favorite on Mumbai’s cultural calendar for the last 14 years. The sixth century bce caves on this island, 10 nautical miles from Mumbai, are…