News

Source: Austin American Stateman AUSTIN, U.S.A., November 28, 2002: This year’s 18th Ecumenical Thanksgiving Gathering sponsored by the Austin Area Inter-religious Ministries was held at the Barsana Dham Hindu temple. Attended by over 1,000 leaders from the Catholic, Episcopal, Protestant denominations, Judaism, Buddhism, Islam and Hindu faiths, the gathering demonstrated America’s religious freedom. Respecting Hindu tradition, everybody attending the ceremony…

Source: Times of India BANGALORE, INDIA, December 8, 2002: Women too will henceforth be punished with three years imprisonment and a fine of Rs 50,000 if they undergo sex-determination test, if the National Committee on Empowerment of Women have their say. In more than 98 per cent of the cases, pregnant women are forced by their families to terminate or…

GO TO SOURCE KOLKATA, INDIA, December 8, 2002: Since 1995 the first Bengali Internet Daily has been successfully online and published from India. The publishers announce a new publication of a print media Bengali magazine from Kolkata called “Sangbad Bichitra.” Editor Dr. Subhra Bose invites Benaglis or others interested in Bengali news to visit their website to give their views,…

GO TO SOURCE HYDERABAD, INDIA, December 7, 2002: Mahyco-Monsanto’s Bt. (biotechnology) cotton in Warangal district of Andhra Pradesh has failed on all three counts of ensuring higher yields, reducing pesticide usage and being economically rewarding for the farmer, according to an independent study commissioned by the Andhra Pradesh Coalition in Defense of Diversity. The study estimated that the farmers growing…

GO TO SOURCE KALAMAZOO, U.S.A., December 7, 2002: In the forests of Michigan near Kalamazoo, The Sambodh Society, Inc., a nonprofit religious organization for the teaching of Vedanta and meditation, organized a Bhoomi Puja and Devata Homas on October 19, 2002, under the spiritual direction of Swami Bodhananda Saraswati, the founder of the Society. Bhoomi or Bhu Devi is Mother…

GO TO SOURCE BEIJING, CHINA, December 4, 2002: With the help of a Canadian-based campaign, the United Nations and a ground breaking television serial, China is waking up to the problem of domestic violence. The series, “Don’t Talk to Strangers,” burst into Chinese living rooms depicting graphic scenes of violence, mostly done at home and against women. Director Zhang Jiandong…

GO TO SOURCE NEW DELHI, INDIA, December 7, 2002: The Ramakrishna Mission has been selected for an honorary mention of the UNESCO Madanjeet Singh Prize for Promotion of Tolerance and Nonviolence 2002. The selection was unanimous, made by an international jury that met in Paris on October 3 and 4. UNESCO’s communication sent to the Ramakrishna Mission states, “This honorary…

Source: The Times of India TIRUCHIRAPALLI, INDIA, December 4, 2002: A writ petition has been filed in the Chennai High Court seeking to revive the age-old practice of reciting Vedic hymns at the Srirangam Ranganthaswamy Temple during annual festivals. The petitioner, Vaishnava Sri A. Krishnamachari, editor of Paanjchanyam, a religious monthly, has requested that the court issue directions to the…

GO TO SOURCE NEW DELHI, INDIA, Dec 4, 2002: Brides are becoming scarce in India because of a growing imbalance in the number of males and females being born here. The situation is so bad that some parents are not only dropping demands for wedding dowries, but are also offering a “bride price” when asking for a woman’s hand in…