Orissa to Stop Commercial Use of Lord Jagannath

GO TO SOURCE BHUBANESWAR, INDIA, March 22, 2003: The Orissa Government will soon come up with a “culture policy” designed to stop the blatant commercialization of Lord Jagannath of Puri, state Panchayatiraj Minister Damodar Rout told the assembly today. The minister’s announcement came after Speaker Sarat Kumar Kar directed the state government to take necessary steps to stop the “desecration…

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Specially Trained Priests Give More Meaning to Hindu Rituals

Source: HPI PUNE, INDIA, March 22, 2003: The inclusion of scientific understanding has added a deeper meaning to traditional Hindu ceremonies, thanks to specially trained priests by the Jnana Prabodhini’s Santrika section. The head of Jnana Prabodhini, Yeshwant Lele says, “More and more people are curious about the rituals they have been performing blindly over the years. The priests trained…

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Nepalese Hindu Monarchs Worship at Meenakshi Temple

GO TO SOURCE MADURAI, INDIA, March 24, 2003: Nepal King Gyanendra and Queen Komal Rajalakshmi Devi offered prayers and had “archana” at the Sri Meenakshi Amman-Sundareswar temple in Madurai on Monday. The King and his entourage, accompanied by the officials from the External Affairs ministry, were given a traditional welcome by folk dancers at the entrance of the temple. Later…

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Maryland Temple Plans Fund Raising for Kauai’s Iraivan Temple

GO TO SOURCE MARYLAND, USA: A fund raising dinner with live entertainment for San Marga’s Iraivan Temple will be held on Saturday, April 19, 2003, from 5 to 9 p.m. at the Murugan Temple of North America. The temple is located at 6300 Princess Garden Parkway, Lanham, Maryland. For further information kindly contact “source” above.

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A Handy Guide and Description for Blessing Your Car

GO TO SOURCE NEW YORK, USA, May 25, 2002: Hindus bless all implements or items to be used for daily life, protecting them from bad influences and blessing them in God’s name. This is true of things like homes, cars and motorized vehicles of all types. Emmigration hasn’t hampered the tradition, and every temple in the US is prepared to…

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Paris Hosts Hindustani Music Fete

GO TO SOURCE PARIS, FRANCE, March 17, 2003: In Paris more than three months of festivities dedicated to Hindustani classical music from the 14th to the 20th centuries opens this week. It will include concerts, films, talks and a show of rare instruments from north India. Held at the Cite de la Musique from March 19 to June 29, the…

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A Reader Responds to “Inauspicious Thursday” Story

Source: HPI KAUAI, UNITED STATES, March 23, 2003: Prof. R. Vaidyanathan gives his view on “inauspicious Thursday” which led Air India to cancel a Thursday flight out of North East India. He wrote, “I read with interest about people in Guwahathi considering Thursdays as not auspicious. It is not the people of entire North East. This belief is mainly in…

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Arthashastra On-Line

GO TO SOURCE USA, March 23, 2003: Those interested in purusing Kautilya’s Arthashastra may find the complete text at “source” above. Arthashastra is a remarkable treatise on sophisticated government written 2,300 years ago.

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U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Says India Did Act on Gujarat Violence

GO TO SOURCE WASHINGTON D.C., March 22, 2003: The Indian government has taken “much action” against those behind the Gujarat violence but it was not reflected due to the “agonizingly slow” legal system in the country, US Assistant Secretary of State for South Asia Christina Rocca has said. “There have been a number of arrests and prosecutions,” she said on…

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