SourceSAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA, May 18, 2003: Manoj Mathai’s hunt for his first house could be a lesson to Silicon Valley real estate professionals. A home must have certain qualities to make the native of India happy. The front door must face east because good fortune comes from a rising sun. “In the back of our minds, we Indians are looking…
SourceLONDON, U.K., May 17, 2003: The British Government appears ready to ban the slaughter of animals without stunning them. This would affect the supply of halal meat (animals that are slaughtered according to the Islamic sharia law.) For the last few years, authorities have gone out of their way to accommodate the request by the Muslim community to provide only…
SourceNEW DELHI, May 18, 2003: India’s working women are all set for an outfit conversion. Though the salwar kameez remains their most-preferred work wear, a strong urge for a shift to Western attire has placed them on the brink of change, according to the responses of 891 participants. Most respondents said they would put on Western wear for the office,…
SourceCALICUT, INDIA, May 4, 2003: More than 60 people are under arrest in a south Indian fishing village, after nine fishermen were killed and more than 20 people injured. The victims who died in the attack in the state of Kerala, were all Hindus. Marad had been tense since January last year, when five people, including four Muslims, died in…
The HinduCHENNAI, INDIA, October 19, 2002: There is a train called the Tirukkural Express with weekly routes between Hazarat Nizamuddin to Kanyakumari and back. The Tirukkural is a 2,200-year-old South Indian Dravidian classic on ethical living. Its 1,330 verses were written by a Tamil weaver sage name Tiruvalluvar. Tiru means “holy” or “sacred,” and kural describes a brief verse or…
SourceKOLHAPUR, INDIA, May 14, 2003: A Dalit (“untouchable”) movement to allow entry into temples in the Kolhapur district of Maharashtra has taken a bloody turn with the upper castes resorting to violence against it. Earlier, upper caste community members had tried ostracizing and threatening Dalit Mahasangh, the group spearheading the movement. The Mahasangh is active in Sangli, Satara and Kolhapur…
SourceANDHRA PRADESH, INDIA, May 12, 2003: Recognizing the need, the Andhra Pradesh government is allocating US$810,000 to restore ancient temples in the state. Minister for Endowments D. Sivaramaraju says, “The state government has decided to provide more facilities for visitors and devotees.” At a recent visit to the Swamy Temple, atop Durgamalleswara hill, gold gopurams were installed and the temple…
SourceNEW DELHI, INDIA, May 14, 2003: Tourism and Culture Minister Jagmohan has directed the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) to declare the Kalkaji temple in south Delhi a protected monument. The notification is aimed at protecting the temple from people who misuse the temple’s premises and property. The ASI will be empowered to clear the area of all illegal construction…
SourceGUJARAT, INDIA, May 12, 2003: A rare phenomena has captured the hearts and minds of inhabitants of a village in Gujarat. It all started last October when a leopard began making regular nocturnal visits to a cow in the village. At first the villagers were leery of the visits, but word soon spread about the unusual relationship. Rohit Vyas explained,…
HPINEW DELHI, INDIA, May 20 ,2003: The Sindhu Darshan Photo Exhibition was inaugurated by Shri Jagmohan, Minister of Tourism and Culture, on May 18, 2003, at the Tea Lounge of New Delhi’s Ashok Hotel. The exhibition will remained open for the public until May 19. Speaking to the journalists on this occasion Sri Jagmohan said the exhibition is connected to…