SourceINDIA, November 14, 2003: Mystic India is a new film produced by BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha. Billed as the world’s first large format epic on India, this period film, set 200 years back in time, retraces an incredible journey of inspiration, according to the press release. A trailer for the film is available at “source.” The release goes on, “An adventure…
SourceKUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA, November 14, 2003: Malaysian Hindus, living and believing in one of their national themes, “Malaysia Boleh” (Malaysia Can), have contributed more than US$450,000 towards the San Marga Iraivan Temple project on the Hawaiian island of Kauai, USA. Iraivan Temple, as it is popularly known, is considered an icon of Hinduism’s beauty and strength. It is the vision…
SourceNEW DELHI, INDIA, November 13, 2003: Some 12,000 couples, taking advantage of a rare auspicious date for weddings in the midsts of months of bad ones, will get married on the same day in the Indian capital New Delhi, a report said today. The huge number of nuptials will take place on November 27, which Hindu priests have said is…
SourceUSA, November 14, 2003: The article at “source” above is called “The 101 Dumbest Moments in Business.” The ninth “dumbest moment” caught HPI’s attention. It reads: “Because nobody understands 12-year-old girls quite like a cattle rancher. The National Cattlemen’s Beef Assn. launches www.cool-2b-real.com, a site designed to ‘steer’ young girls away from vegetarianism. Featuring enlightening articles and insightful quizzes (‘What…
SourcePESHAWAR, PAKISTAN, November 13, 2003: This BBC report is on the same situation as our November 11 report, but with additional details: The report by BBC correspondent Haroon Rashid reads, in part, “A 150-year-old Hindu temple in the Pakistani city of Peshawar has become the focus of a property dispute involving the army. This is the most important temple for…
SourceHAGUE, March 6, 2003: This story originally appears in Dutch and just recently came to HPI’s attention. On March 5, 2003, Defence State Secretary Cees van der Knaap formally founded the Hindu Spiritual Welfare Service, by presenting the Chairman of the Hindu Council, Mr. Natoewal, with the new cap badge for the service. The ceremony took place in the Hague.…
SourceKAUAI, HAWAII, November 13, 2003: Hinduism Today is preparing an article on the subject of common misconceptions and mistakes about Hinduism in the Western world. For this we need quotes from text books used in US, Canadian or UK schools that misrepresent Hinduism, are outright mistakes, or present a Hindu concept in the worst possible light. Here’s one example: “By…
SourcePARIS, FRANCE, November 12, 2003: The oral tradition of Vedic chanting has been declared an intangible heritage of humanity by UNESCO. In a meeting of jury members on November 7, 2003, at Paris, Mr. Koichiro Matsuura, Director-General of UNESCO, declared the chanting of Vedas in India an outstanding example of heritage and form of cultural expressions. The proclamation says that…
SourceMUMBAI, INDIA, November 4, 2003: The ancient language of Sanskrit has become prevalent once again at schools and universities in the country. At Mumbai University, this article says that the number of students registered for courses at the University’s Sanskrit department has gone up from 175 to 260 in the last 4 years. Dr. G.P. Mahulikar, head of the University’s…
SourceBIHAR, INDIA, November 5, 2003: In an attempt to dissuade the practise of dowry in a state that has witnessed a rise in dowry death cases, the Rabri Devi government requires any of its male employees who get married to declare in writing that they never received any dowry. To back up the statement, it also has to be signed…