Michigan Sambodh Society Celebrates Bhoomi Puja
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…
Increasing Awareness of Domestic Violence in China
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…
Ramakrishna Mission Receives Honorary Mention from UNESCO
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…
Temple Rights Writ Filed in Chennai High Court
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…
Men Now Pay to Get Married in India
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…
Eighty-Six Claimed to Convert to Christianity and Buddhism in Tamil Nadu
GO TO SOURCE CHENNAI, INDIA, December 6, 2002: Eighty-six people converted to Christianity and Buddhism in Chennai on Friday to protest against the Anti-Conversion Act of the Tamil Nadu government, organizers claimed. The All India SC and ST Federation, the main organizer of the program, had earlier said 2,000 dalits (“untouchables”) would embrace Buddhism and another 1,000 Christianity. However, police…
Keeping Indian Heritage Alive in Tamil Nadu
Source: The Hindu THANJAVUR, INDIA, December 1, 2002: People in Thanjavur affectionately call him “Maharaja,” but S. Babaji Rajah Bhonsle Chattrapathy, Senior Prince of Thanjavur, is a civil engineer with a keen interest in preserving heritage structures. He is the hereditary trustee of the Thanjavur Palace Devasthanam, which comprises 88 temples, including the Brihadeeswara Temple. Chattrapathy is also the sixth…
Chhattisgarh Police Will No Longer Use Caste Derivations in Records
GO TO SOURCE RAIPUR, INDIA, November 29, 2002: Names like Rajesh Sindhi, Salim Mussalman, Sudhir Bengali and Babulal Satnami will no longer figure in the records of Chhattisgarh Police. There will be only proper names and surnames. The state police have decided to completely do away with recording the caste of both the complainant and the suspect/accused from complaint registers,…
Puri Priests Learn Martial Arts
GO TO SOURCE BHUBANESWAR, INDIA, November 29, 2002: Servants of Puri’s Lord Jagannath might soon have an added qualification on their resumes. Priests who have spent a lifetime fine-tuning ritual supplication will now learn the art of resistance. Wary of an Akshardham or a Raghunath temple-style attack, administrators of Puri’s most famous landmark have decided to impart martial arts training…