SourceNOIDA, INDIA, May 16, 2003: The musicians were playing, the 2,000 guests were dining, the Hindu priest was preparing the ceremony and the bride was dressed in red, her hands and feet festively painted with henna. Then, the bride’s family says, the groom’s family moved in for the kill. The dowry of two televisions, two home theater sets, two refrigerators,…
www.ndtv.com (archive)GUJARAT, INDIA, May 11, 2003: Wells in north Gujarat have run dry but there is one cattle camp in Surendranagar district with nearly 30,000 cattle still in operation. Veja Bhagat, who has been running the place for over 30 years has to buy 50 tankers of water a day, 600 kilos of bajra and 180 tons of dry grass,…
SourceJAIPUR, INDIA, May 9, 2003: Strapped for money, the Rajasthan Government approached the sadhus of the state to raise US$297,526.87 for a new university. “We have entered into an agreement with the sadhus of Triveni Ashram in Shahpura (near Jaipur) for collecting money for a new Sanskrit University,” Deputy Chief Minister Kamla said. “According to the agreement, the sadhus, led…
SourcePATIALA, INDIA, May 17, 2003: What type of illnesses are you prone to? What will be the nature of the disease and its duration? How does one go about diagnosing a particular disease — do we take into account physical symptoms only? “Some of these questions that have perturbed mankind for ages find ready answers in the science of astrology,”…
SourceGENEVA, SWITZERLAND, May 19, 2003: Excerpted from H.H. Mata Amritanandamayi Devi’s speech at the Global Peace Initiative of Women Spiritual Leaders: “Captivity is in the mind. Look at the elephant, which can uproot huge trees with its trunk. When an elephant living in captivity is still a baby, it is tied to a tree with a strong rope or a…
SourceNASHIK, INDIA, May 14, 2003: The Kumbha Mela is scheduled to begin July 30, 2003, and about 250,000 sadhus and 700,000 pilgrims are expected to visit Nashik and Trimbakeshwar for the rituals till August, 2004. A new route constructed for the sadhus (without their consultation) for their holy baths during the forthcoming Kumbha Mela has been declared unusable as all…
SourceSAN FRANCISCO, U.S.A., May 11, 2003: In a review of Jonathan Schell’s new book, “The Unconquerable World: Power, Nonviolence and the Will of the People,” Curiel says, “It’s clear that the peace movement in the United States and abroad succeeded on a basic level: They gave voice to an ideology that — in the long run — may be more…
SourceKAUAI, U.S.A., May 19, 2003: Yesterday’s HPI included a story about America’s alleged Christian, Judiac-Christian or Judiac-Christian-Islamic cultures, depending on one’s point of view. Some research uncovered what are generally called The Barbary Treaties, a number of past legal agreements between the United States and Tripoly (North African coastal area) intending to protect American ships. The Treaty of Peace and…
SourceWASHINGTON, D.C., May 16, 2003: India is having to bare the brunt for golfer Vijay Singh’s unpopular stand on a woman golfer joining the men’s tour. Singh, a Fijian of Indian ancestry, has briefly become one of the American sporting world’s targets, right up there with the Augusta National for refusing women members, because of his opposition to top female…
Religion News ServiceUNITED STATES, May 17, 2003: Leading Muslim organizations say it’s time for Americans to stop using the phrase “Judeo-Christian” when describing the values and character that define the United States. Better choices, they say, are “Judeo-Christian-Islamic” or “Abrahamic,” referring to Abraham, the patriarch held in common by the monotheistic big three religions. The new language should be used…