SourceNEW DELHI, INDIA, August 8, 2003: It is estimated that there will be 57 million diabetics in India by 2025. An Indian drug company has launched what it claims is Asia’s first vegetarian insulin. The new insulin is derived from yeast, as opposed to pigs or cows, as most insulin in India is at present. The company which has manufactured…
SourcePATNA, INDIA, August 5,2003: The Mahapatra brahmins of Sahupura village in Buxar district of Bihar are finding that they are virtual untouchables in their own land. They perform cremation rituals and their very appearance at a doorstep is considered a bad omen.”We used to knock at the door of a house only when there was a death in the house…
SourceNASIK, INDIA, August 4, 2003: The Kumbha Mela, among the largest gatherings in the world, besides attracting devotees, sadhus and exotica-seekers, has its share of media adding to the crowd. There are at least five reporters doing live telecasts at any given point in time. The first to arrive was the NDTV outdoor broadcast van, which is not a van…
SourceSTUTTGART, GERMANY, August 2, 2003: A Ratha (chariot) festival was conducted for the first time in the streets of Stuttgart by the Hindu community on Saturday, August 2. Many German residents of the city stretched their necks out of their windows, unbelievingly, as hundreds of Hindus pulled the Elephant God on a holy vehicle through the streets. For nine days,…
SourceUSA, August 7, 2003: For a free space view of Mount Everest, click “source” above. Also available is a dizzying 3D fly-over of the world’s highest mountain.
SourcePORT OF SPAIN, TRINIDAD, August 4, 2003: Three Hindu women have created a record when they read the holy Ramayana for five nights at a Ramayan Yagna hosted here. The all-women panel read from the Ramayana at the religious ceremony hosted by the Hindu Prachar Kendras Ninth Annual Tulsidas Jayanti Festival here. The triad included Mayaanti Maharaj, Gita Ramsingh and…
Daily PioneerPURI, INDIA, August 2, 2003: The crowds pouring into Puri for the rath yatra are thronging the beach to view the 10-foot sand chariot crafted by famous sand artist Sudarshan Patnaik. Apart from being Patnaik’s personal tribute to the three deities of the historic Jagannath temple who make their annual journey to their aunt’s house in July, the creation…
The TimesLONDON, ENGLAND, August 1, 2003: A Hindu prayer hall in Hounslow, England, has been granted permission to continue holding services for another three years. Residents of the area had complained of increased traffic and smell from spicy cooking and incense and had called for enforcement action to stop activities at the hall. But a decision was deferred three times.…
Press Trust Of IndiaAMARNATH, INDIA, July 31, 2003: Amarnath is one Hindu pilgrimage run and managed to a large extent by Muslims in the militancy-tormented Kashmir valley in the northern tip of India. Nearly the entire infrastructure back-up for the month-long annual Amarnath Yatra, in which devout Hindus trek the arduous terrain to pay obeisance to an annual ice formation…
Daily PioneerPURI, INDIA, August 2, 2003: The Grand road in Puri was crowded with people on Tuesday as nearly 1 million devotees turned up to witness the annual Rath Yatra of Lord Jagannath and His two siblings, Balbhadra and Subhadra. The Deities were carried to their gaily decorated chariots amid the beating of drums and cymbals. The chariots began rolling…