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…
SourceIOWA, U.S.A., May 17, 2003: If you are a Hindu living in Madrid, Iowa, you now have a Hindu temple to worship in. Located right beside the Des Moines River, the new temple will cost US$1.6 million when it is finished. The community at large has accepted the new house of worship as was evidenced when 300 nonmembers visited the…
SourceNEW YORK, May 15, 2003: Sanskrit is among the world’s oldest recorded language, but putting works created over the last 3,000 years onto the Web has not been easy. Documents written in Devanagiri, a compound word whose literal translation means “city of immortals” and whose script is used for Sanskrit and other South Asian languages, can be scanned as images.…
Hindustan TimesLONDON, UK, May 14, 2003: The British government has raised the age at which a spouse can be brought to Britain in an attempt to combat forced marriages, mostly taking place in Pakistani and Bangladesh Muslim communities. The Home Secretary, introduced the measure on April 1 without making an announcement. The government has been concerned over the rising number…
SourceCHICAGO, ILLINOIS, May 17, 2003: Another Hindu temple of grandiose proportions is being built in the U.S. just outside Chicago in Bartlett. Supported by the Swaminarayan Sect (BSS) of the Gujarat community, US$30 million will be spent to erect the temple of Italian marble and Turkish limestone. Spreading over 100,000 square feet, the complex will be built in traditional Indian…
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,…