SourceCHENNAI, INDIA, June 7, 2003: Popular South Indian Actor Kamal Hasan has vowed that he will never again be seen smoking in any of his future films. This prompted a leading cancer surgeon to appeal to other stars, particularly Mr. Hasan’s peer, Rajnikanth, to follow suit. Speaking at a function organized by WHO on “Tobacco-free films and fashion” Mr. Hasan…
Press Trust of IndiaPARAMARIBO, SURINAM, June 9, 2003: The World Hindi Conference was in an uproar Monday, PTI of India reported, when some believed efforts were made to project Hindu culture as Indian culture. Opponents alleged that it was an attempt to “saffronize” the conference. The uproar began when the chairman of the session, Dharmpal Maini, one of the ten…
SourceLONDON, ENGLAND, June 10, 2003: A serious controversy has erupted following the release of a report by the House of Lords Select Committee on Religious Offenses. The committee was asked to decide whether the present law on religious offenses, that, according to yesterday’s HPI, guarantees protection to only the Church of England, should be extended to protect all religious faiths…
Hindustan TimesNEW DELHI, INDIA, June 7, 2003: A survey of people’s attitudes from around the world has shown Indians were the most nationalistic. The latest survey of the US-based Pew Global Attitudes Project (http://people-press.org/), “Views of a Changing World,” asked people of 44 countries about the superiority of their culture, their wariness regarding foreign influence on their way of life,…
Columbus Dispatch (Ohio)COLUMBUS, OHIO, June 6, 2003: At times Dr. Raj Tripathi seems as much a fixture at Powell’s Hindu temple as are the majestic statues that give the building its identity. And yet he is at or near the Bharatiya Temple only part of the week. The rest of the time, he’s 90 miles to the east, working as…
SourceATLANTIC CITY, NEW JERSEY, June 12, 2003: The World Council of Elders of the Ancient Traditions and Cultures in collaboration with the World Congress of Ethnic Religions, Vilnius, Lithuania, proudly announces the First Conference (in a series of understanding ancient traditions and cultures of the world) on Indo Romuva Cultures. The conference will be October 10-12, 2003, at the Howard…
SourceEDMONTON, CANADA, June 12, 2003 The Maha Ganapati Temple’s Alankaara Utsavam (Annual Festival) will begin on Friday, June 27, and continue through Sunday, July 6. The last day marks the date of Attha Nakshadhra of the Tamil month of Aani on which day the Prathishta Maha Kumbabishekam took place in the year of 2000. The temple is located at 128…
SourceCHENNAI, INDIA, June 8, 2003: Leaders of the women’s movement in Tamil Nadu have decided to make the two recent anti-dowry incidents–Vidya in Chennai and Nisha Sharma in Delhi calling off their marriages because of new demands–prototypes for young brides harassed by greedy grooms and their families. The follow-up action by the police and the media attention that these two…
SourcePARAMARIBO, SURINAM, June 6, 2003: In a bid to get Hindi established as an international language, the 7th World Hindi Conference began here today with the singing of Saraswati Vandana. Surinam President Ronaldo declared the four-day conference open with nearly 400 delegates from 20 countries participating, the largest contingent being from India. Indian President Kalam said the conference would enrich…
SourceLUCKNOW, INDIA, June 7, 2003: If you have been forced to postpone or cancel a family samskara because the priest was booked or ill, the Uttar Pradesh Sanskrit Sansthan has found a solution. For Rs 100, one can purchase the Paurohitya Karm Prashikshak or simply the Karmkand Manual, a perfect do-it-yourself guide to various elaborate Hindu rituals. From the rituals…