GO TO SOURCE CHENNAI, INDIA, Aug. 24, 2002: Concerned at the incalculable damage done to priceless and ancient sculptures and the structural stability of various temples, the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments department has placed a blanket ban on sandblasting, adopted to clean icons and walls. This directive is a sequel to objections raised by conservationists, historians and culture-lovers in…
Source: The Guardian LONDON, ENGLAND, August 21, 2002: Bradford’s Hindu Cultural Society has submitted a proposal to Bradford Council to allow a small stretch of the River Aire at Apperley Bridge to be used for the scattering of ashes after a traditional Hindu funeral. A spokesman for the cultural society says, “Most of our community still travel to India for…
Source: Daily Post SUVA, FIJI, September 2, 2002: Amid racial slurs and religious backstabbing in the Senate, a temple was attacked here. A Hindu temple at Naila, along Bau Road in Nausori, was the target of vandals who ransacked and set it alight. Fortunately the smoke was spotted by a neighbor and the fire extinguished with minor damage. Other temples…
Source: Vancouver Sun VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA, August 19, 2002: Hindus and Sikhs in the Province of British Columbia, Canada, can now rest assured that their loved ones will have their last rites performed according to tradition. Riverside Funeral Home and Crematorium located near the Fraser River at 7410 Hopcott Road is operated by a non-profit society. Mourners are able…
GO TO SOURCE LONDON, ENGLAND, August 17, 2002: This opinion piece by Vijay Rana reads in part, “The first time I was forced to declare myself as a devout Hindu was when I approached one of the finest schools in London for the admission of my daughter. The priest lectured me on the advantages of regular temple visits. He reluctantly…
Source: Hindustan Times KOLKATA, INDIA, August 28, 2002: While Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Devdas dedicated generous celluloid space to the Bengali tradition of procuring earth from a prostitute’s threshold for Goddess Durga’s idols, the country’s largest body of sex workers has declined to yield to the pre-puja custom this year. For the first time, the conglomerate Durbar Mahila Samanvaya Committee has…
Source: The Telegraph KOLKATA, INDIA, August 29, 2002: The Calcutta Municipal Corporation (CMC) has embarked on a clean-puja (festival) campaign. Around 500 trash bins will be placed on main thoroughfares for passersby to dump their trash. The conservancy department is investing over $30,000 for the fiberglass bins and the civic authorities mean business. They will make the errant Calcuttan pay…
GO TO SOURCE MUMBAI, INDIA July 18, 2002: The next time you visit the Siddhivinayak (Ganesha) temple, Prabhadevi, and the temple guard finds your dress inappropriate for the holy environs, you could be given a lesson in modest dressing and the temple guard will advise you not to wear such clothes the next time you visit there. A guard says,…
GO TO SOURCE MUMBAI, INDIA, August 31, 2002: In the narrow lanes of Mumbai and elsewhere in Maharashtra, groups of youngsters formed human pyramids and brought down earthen pots brimming with curds and milk on the occasion of Krishna Janmashtami on Saturday. Pots, filled with fresh white curds, home-made butter milk, bananas and a coconut were hung several feet above…
GO TO SOURCE MUMBAI, INDIA, August 30, 2002: The Shanmukhananda Sangeet Vidyalaya will offer a University of Mumbai-recognized degree course in the Indian classical Carnatic music as part of the golden jubilee celebrations of its parent body, the Shanmukhananda Fine Arts and Sangeetha Sabha, located in Sion. The Bachelor of Fine Arts (Carnatic) to be offered by the Vidyalaya will…