GO TO SOURCE PUSHKAR, INDIA, November 19, 2002: The annual full-moon festival was attended by devotees who took a holy dip in Pushkar Lake while temple bells rang and Vedic mantras were chanted. Despite the cold winds, an estimated 100,000 devotees participated in the pilgrimage that coincides with the Pushkar Fair. After bathing, food was distributed to sadhus and pilgrims…
GO TO SOURCE CHENNAI, INDIA, November 22, 2002: Field hockey may be India’s national game but ask any Indian which sport is the national obsession, and he would say cricket. Everything comes to a standstill when the Indian team is playing. And if India wins, which of late has not been often, it becomes a cause for national celebration. In…
GO TO SOURCE EDINBURGH, SCOTLAND, November 25, 2002: A Hindu Spirituality Conference, sponsored by the Edinburgh International Center for World Spiritualities, is planned for Saturday, December 21, 2002. The Consulate General of India, Edinburgh, will host the conference from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. According to organizers, this is one of a series of conferences that “celebrates the strength and…
GO TO SOURCE NEW DELHI, INDIA, November 18, 2002: In March 2003, Oxford Reference Online will be available to internet users. Of interest to Hindus is the Oxford Dictionary of First Names where India is listed as a common first name for children in Britain and the United States. The dictionary says, “India as a first name is presumably from…
GO TO SOURCE JAMMU, INDIA, November 24, 2002: A group of heavily armed militants stormed the Raghunath temple in Jammu which was packed with Sunday evening devotees. Throwing grenades and firing from guns, seven people were killed, including one of the attackers, and 28 injured. The militants were still holed up inside the temple and a fierce gun battle with…
GO TO SOURCE PATNA, INDIA, November 19, 2002 : About one million Hindu devotees bathed in the holy Ganges in Bihar to mark the festival of Kartika Purnima. Pilgrims filled Patna, most having come from rural areas all over the state and neighboring Uttar Pradesh. Hundreds of Hindus from neighboring Nepal also reached Sonepur to participate in the pilgrimage. Hundreds…
GO TO SOURCE NEW DELHI, INDIA, November 20, 2002: According to the United Nations almost 80 million people in India are over 60, and by the year 2021 that number will increase to 137 million. That means India’s population is aging, resulting in several implications on health, economic security, family life and well-being of people. The responsibility of a larger…
Source: San Jose Mercury News SAN JOSE, U.S.A., November 20, 2002: When leaders of the Hindu Temple and Community Center asked the city to abandon Persian Drive and rename it Mandir Drive after the Hindi name for “temple,” it started an emotional feud of national pride between local Indian and Iranian Americans. Stunned by a sudden outburst of objections by…
GO TO SOURCE PALANI, INDIA, November 20, 2002 : Named Dhandayuthapani, the presiding Deity at the famous Palani Hills Temple is Lord Karthikeya. The saint physician and composer, Bogar Siddhar, is believed to have crafted the existing statue using nine highly toxic herbs over 5,000 years ago. The aging murthi has been developing cracks and for some years abhishekams have…
GO TO SOURCE MARYLAND, U.S.A., November 22, 2002: The India Development and Relief Fund, a Maryland-based charity, has denied allegations that it is raising millions of dollars from nonresident Indians and American corporations and using the money to fund a “hate campaign” in India. A group of Christians have released in New Delhi a report accusing IDRF of being a…