Source: Hindustan Times LONDON, ENGLAND, November 2, 2002: The venue was Trafalgar Square, a London landmark that is a must see for visitors, but on Friday evening it was decorated in a manner not seen in London before. Ringed by 50 colorful saris, the fountains were switched off to make way for Deepavali lamps on the pool and “Happy Deepavali”…
GO TO SOURCE KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA, November 6, 2002: There will be a final organizational meeting on November 13, at 7:30 p.m., for the Hindu Renaissance Rally to be held November 17, 2002. Leaders of Hindu organizations, Temples, members of the central council of the Malaysian Hindu Sangam, and members of the organizing committee are asked to attend this very…
GO TO SOURCE PATRAPADA, INDIA, November 7, 2002: Every year on the Maha Bishuva Sankranti day more than 1,000 goats and sheep are sacrificed at the Bayani Thakurani (Goddess Kali) Temple in Patrapada village, Angul district, Orissa. This year Maneka Gandhi stepped in to save the animals and additionally to stop the age-old tradition of large-scale animal sacrifice. A week…
GO TO SOURCE CHENNAI, INDIA, October 31, 2002: The Hindu religion does not subscribe to untouchability, which is prevalent in some rural areas, states Sankaracharya Jayendra Saraswathi. Untouchability exists, His Holiness believes, because of illiteracy and can be eradicated only by educating people. His Kanchipuram Mutt is taking steps to eradicate it. Referring to a recent court ruling that anyone…
GO TO SOURCE MADURAI, INDIA, November 6, 2002: Heavy and continuous rains have damaged an older gopuram of the Meenakshi Temple in Tamil Nadu. Dedicated to Mother Goddess, Meenakshiamman, the temple is 500 km south of Chennai. The gopuram of the Mukkuruni Vinayaka temple, built in 1559 and dedicated to Lord Ganesha, was damaged. It is one of the smaller…
Source: CNN.com HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA, October 31, 2002: Fox Television Network is developing “Married by America,” a weekly reality series that will search for people anxious to get married — and then set them up with arranged marriages. The American viewing public will play matchmaker, voting on which couples will get engaged. “Married” is the latest in what has become an…
GO TO SOURCE WASHINGTON D.C., United States, November 1, 2002: Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, niece of late president John F. Kennedy, has promised the Indian community that she would organize a Deepavali Mela at the Maryland State House if she is elected Maryland’s governor in the November 5 election. She also pledged to strengthen economic ties between Maryland and India. Along…
Source: Newsday (New York, NY) FLUSHING, NEW YORK, October 21, 2002: New immigrants coming to America are seeking solace in their religious roots and nowhere is this more evident than in New York City. Rajesh Vohra, a 39-year-old restaurant manager originally from New Delhi, says, “First I began coming to the Ganapati Temple on Bowne Street because I missed family…
GO TO SOURCE LONDON, ENGLAND, October 28, 2002: Hundreds of young British Hindus, from various communities and youth groups worked side-by-side in an extraordinary show of solidarity, creativity and inspiration to put on the Get Connected Hindu Youth Festival in London. Over 9,000 visitors flocked to the spectacular Alexandra Palace in North London to attend the free festival, which sought…
GO TO SOURCE TIRUVANANTHAPURAM, KERALA, October 29, 2002: The government of Kerala is making efforts to integrate spirituality with the medical system in their bid to tackle the growing incidence of mental afflictions in the state. The idea is to ensure availability of a psychiatrist, laboratory, referral infrastructure and other modern facilities in these centers to enable them to better…