SourceNEW YORK, NEW YORK, September 27, 2003: HPI has received the following request: “A national magazine for teenage girls, ym, is working on an article about different coming-of-age ceremonies that American girls participate in. So far we will be featuring an Apache ceremony, a bar mitzva and a quinceanera. One of the rites of passage we are most interested in,…
SourceNEW YORK, NEW YORK, September 28, 2003: If you’re obese and think your problems end when you die, think again, suggests this article in the New York Times. Like the airline industry, the article says, which was warned in May that passengers were heavier than they used to be, and was asked to adjust weight estimates accordingly, the funeral industry…
SourcePRESTON, UNITED KINGDOM, September 17, 2003: Gathering together to celebrate their culture, faith, and identity, 3,000 Hindu youth participated in the “Get Connected” Hindu Youth Festival 2002. Every aspect of the event was a reflection of Hindu culture in some way, from the grand opening paying respects to Lord Ganesha to the greeting of guests by offering a sweet and…
SourceCOVENTRY, U.K, September 24, 2003: Hindus in Coventry, U.K., are gearing up for Navaratri, the annual nine-day festival, which begins on Friday. The festival marks the celebration of goodness conquering evil. The nine nights of Navaratri are dedicated to three Hindu Goddesses: Lakshmi, Paravati and Saraswati and include worship, dance and music. Venues in Coventry which celebrate the festival each…
SourceMUMBAI, INDIA, September 24, 2003: The Mumbai High Court has given an interim order to curb noise pollution during Navaratri, following a Public Interest Litigation. According to the interim ruling, noise levels should not cross 45 decibels after 10 p.m. (IST). But the state government has extended the permission for loudspeakers till midnight for the three days of the festival.…
SourceKOCHI, INDIA, September 24, 2003: Kochi is closed on Tuesday for a special election, but a visitor may easily think it is part of the celebration honoring Mata Amritanandamayi’s 50th birthday instead. Amma was named “Hindu of the Year” by Hinduism Today in 1993 and represented Hinduism at the 1993 Parliament of the World Religions in Chicago and again at…
SourceCOLOMBO, SRI LANKA, September 25, 2003: Elephant experts here have turned to Asia’s reverence of the beasts to push conservation amid calls for a cull to tackle growing wild jumbo populations in Africa. Ian Douglas-Hamilton, an authority on African elephants said religious and cultural practices in Asia shows the peaceful coexistence between people and elephants amid increasing pressure on habitats.…
SourceBALI, INDONESIA, September 12, 2003: Three world top rank tennis players took time from their busy schedules on Thursday, September 11, to visit the Taman Temple of Grand Hyatt Hotel Nusa Dua to say a prayer for world peace. Tamarine Tanasugarn of Thailand, Elena Dementieva of Russia and Barbara Schett of Austria, are competing in a tennis tournament of Wismilak…
SourcePENANG, MALAYSIA, September 23, 2003: The Malaysia Hindu Sangam is outraged over the sale of imported statues of the Lord Ganesha which were altered and had additional accessories. The Malaysia Hindu Sangam Penang state council chairman, P. Murugiah, said statues of the Hindu Deity wearing a turban and a pair of shoes and holding a handphone were being sold in…
SourcePRETORIA, SOUTH AFRICA, September 23, 2003: South Indian devotional singer Veeramani Raju is performing in South Africa to help raise funds for the completion of the first Ayyappa temple in the southern hemisphere. “Although he has been here several times before, Veeramani has done concerts that had a commercial objective,” said Raj Kolapan of the Pretoria Bhajanai Mandram. “This time…