Source: Nottingham Evening Post NOTTINGHAM, ENGLAND, January 2, 2003: The strains of soul and reggae music are not what you would expect to hear emanating from the gym at Nottingham Prison. And even less, to find among the basketball hoops and badminton courts, about 40 prisoners milling around eating Caribbean food and reading about the development of the Hindu religion.…
GO TO SOURCE NEW DELHI, INDIA, January 6, 2003: Sharbari Datta is giving a sartorial flare by reviving the traditional Indian men’s garment. She is the first to introduce the concept of colored silk dhotis, angarakhas, achkans, bandhgalas, sherwanis and kurtas and has successfully created a revolution in men’s fashion. Datta says, “I sell my designs and not my label.…
GO TO SOURCE NEW DELHI, January 11, 2003: After making a mark in India, the country’s first lady IPS officer, Kiran Bedi has been appointed Civilian Police Adviser in the Department of Peacekeeping at the U.N. The first woman to hold the post, her appointment was made by UN Secretary General Kofi Annan. “I am happy while being grateful to…
Source: Manchester Guardian Weekly NEW DELHI, INDIA, January 6, 2003 : The New Delhi’s Parliamentary Library designed by Raj Rewal, takes its inspiration from a Hindu temple. The library is the first major addition to the old capital since independence and Mr. Rewals’ design appears to be adapted from the style and symbolism of the Hindu temple. The Hindu temple,…
Source: National Network AHMEDABAD, INDIA, January 5, 2003: Over 50 Muslim artisans from Kapadwanj are camping at Trimandir on Ahmedabad-Mehsana Highway near Adalaj. Their task is to make domes for the temple. They’re not the only ones. About 20 Muslim artisans from Kolkata are also at work in a timber godown at Pethapur near Gandhinagar, making pillars and doors for…
GO TO SOURCE INDIA, January 7, 2003: Mr. N.S. Rajaram, organizer of the Mythic Society conference, writes that statements reported in numerous news stories about the conference discussions on Tamil Nadu’s ancient cities possibly predating Mesopotamian civilization are not accurate. Mr. Rajaram states, “Mr. Hancock’s theory is based on the findings of the National Institute of Ocean Technology on the…
Source: The San Francisco Chronicle SAN FRANCISCO, UNITED STATES, January 8, 2003: It’s a small sign of a big change for California’s Indian-Americans. Once busy showing Bollywood blockbusters, a Fremont theater specializing in Indian films, relocated to a smaller home this week after attendance dropped along with the tech economy. The theater, which serves South Asians hungry for a taste…
GO TO SOURCE PONDICHERRY, INDIA, January 8, 2003: The chief superintendent of prisons at India’s Pondicherry Central Jail, Mr. G. David, is facing a judicial inquiry after being accused of forcibly converting inmates to Christianity. A Hindu organization called Munanni is also asking for his suspension and calling upon state legislators to adopt an anti-conversion law similar to that in…
GO TO SOURCE UNITED STATES, January 2, 2003: This lengthy article by Hari Chandra is a well-written rebuttal in response to “Hijacking India’s History,” an Op-Ed piece by Kay Friese, published in the New York Times on December 30, 2002. Mr. Chandra writes: “India’s Hindu nationalists have a rightful quarrel with the official history, which has for long been guided…
GO TO SOURCE SRINAGAR, INDIA, January 4, 2003: In a place where hundreds of people have died in terrorist attacks for over a decade, the death of a script has gone unnoticed. Sharda, the script that gave Kashmir its former name, Sharda Desha, is understood by few Kashmiris today. One of the last Sharda scholars in Srinagar, Professor T. N.…