Researcher Requests Assistance with “Contemporary Cultural Sources of the Hindu Heritage: An Illustrated Guide for Young People”

SourceLONDON, ENGLAND, August 10, 2003: Ripin Kalra writes, “My research is currently in its proposal stage and is relevant to the Hindu Diaspora. The main objective of the research is to produce a guide for young people who wish to access current sources of the Hindu Heritage and visualize its complexity. The guide is intended to be illustrated and forge…

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Refugees International Reports on Discrimination Against Hindus in Bangladesh

SourceWASHINGTON, D.C., August 9, 2003: A US-based human rights organization has claimed that religious minorities, especially Hindus, still face discrimination in Bangladesh even though the country has recently taken steps to protect minorities. Refugees International, in its recently published report, alleged that although Bangladesh provides for “freedom of religion,” religious minorities “face restrictions in areas such as access to jobs…

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Bhagavad Gita and Teaching of Buddha Join Bibles in US Hotel Rooms

Religion WatchUSA, August 9, 2003: The American hotel tradition of placing a Bible in guests’ rooms is changing as these establishments broaden their menu of religious reading material to please the new diversity of guests. USA Today (July 10) reports that the Bibles placed in hotel rooms for over a century by the Gideon International ministry has become “an unwitting…

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Vaishnava Monasteries Threatened by Brahmaputra River Erosion

SourceMANJULI, INDIA, August 7, 2003: An ecological disaster looms over Manjuli, the world’s largest river island, located in the Brahmaputra river in India’s north-eastern state of Assam. Majuli is rapidly eroding away, threatening the lives of the 150,000 islanders. Environmentalists say Manjuli has shrunk by more than 400 square kilometers in the past three decades, reducing the island to two-thirds…

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Coca-Cola India Releases Test Results to Refute Claims of Pesticides in Soft Drinks

SourceDELHI, INDIA, August 9, 2003: The Coca-Cola Company in India posted test results from the TNO company in The Netherlands which show samples of their products to test within acceptable limits (negative, in nearly all cases) for dozens of pesticides, contrary to results released by a government laboratory in India. The reports are available at their website, “source,” above.

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Indian Firm Markets Vegetarian Insulin

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…

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The Brahmins Who Became Untouchables

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…

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All-Women Reading of Ramayana in Trinidad

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…

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Puri Beach 10-Ft Sand Chariot Awes Devotees

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…

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