GO TO SOURCE LONDON, ENGLAND, October 25, 2002: British Prime Minister Tony Blair said Deepavali, celebrated by Hindus worldwide, contains a message for “all of us, whatever our faith.” Stressing that “Britain’s diversity of backgrounds and experiences has brought tremendous strengths and benefits to the society,” the Prime Minister said festivals like Deepavali “play an important role in helping us…
GO TO SOURCE ORISSA, INDIA, October 21, 2002: One finds images of Hindu Gods and Goddesses decorating walls of government offices in Orissa nowadays. One also finds those walls cleaner than before. The Orissa government is making use of religious sentiments to keep people, especially those who chew paan, from spitting on walls. Former Works Secretary and Chief Engineer, N.…
GO TO SOURCE INDIA, October 24, 2002: Some thought provoking and articulate books by modern Hindu thinkers are now available in complete form online. Sita Ram Goel’s Heroic Hindu Resistance to Muslim Invaders, Hindu Society Under Siege, Muslim Separatism, and The Story of Islamic Imperialism in India can be found there. Books by David Frawley, Koenraad Elst and Shrikant Talageri…
GO TO SOURCE TIRUPATI, INDIA, October 23, 2002: The controversial BBC News feature on the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD), shown under its “Business Bizarre” slot, called “The Business of Faith,” was shown today to the local media by the TTD’s public relations department in a bid to set at rest the controversy it has caused. The July 9 telecast caused…
GO TO SOURCE NEW DELHI, October 25, 2002: The beauty parlor at Tihar Jail was the scene of unusual rush this week. The effort put in by the parlor staff was evident in Jail No. 6 where the women inmates looked strikingly beautiful this Karva Chauth (Husband’s Day). Dressed in their best saris, new back clips and hair specially set…
Source: Shrinivas Tilak October 26, 2002: Following are the major and minor festivals of Hinduism for the next month. October 26, KARVA ( or Karwah) CHAUTH: Married Hindu women of North India observe fast and offer prayers seeking the welfare, prosperity, and a long life of their husbands and families. The fast is broken only after the moon is sighted…
Source: Agence France Presse KUTA, INDONESIA, October 18, 2002: Hindu priests led hundreds of villagers and tourists in a solemn ceremony at the site of a massive car bomb explosion where nearly 200 were killed. Crowds carrying flowers and wreaths walked along the narrow Raya Legian Street to Bali’s “Ground Zero.” They were allowed inside a police cordon to say…
GO TO SOURCE UNITED STATES, October 25, 2002: As the United States moves toward a more multicultural and multi-faith society at the beginning of the 21st century, “Hindu-Bashing in Early 20th Century U.S.A.,” brings to light some unpleasant realities early Hindu immigrants faced in America. By 1920, 6,400 Asian Indians, mostly Sikhs from the Punjab, had immigrated to America. They…
Source: Outlook India BANARAS INDIA, October 20,2002: Dayanita Singh, renowned photographer whose ground breaking work showing middle class India has helped redefine the Western view of India, recently visited Anandamaya Ma’s Kanyapeeth in Banaras. One of the 20th century’s most important saints, Anandamaya Ma, who attained Mahasamadhi in 1982, set up what is probably still the only gurukulam for girls…
GO TO SOURCE RISHIKESH, INDIA, October 25, 2002: Swami Rama Sadhana Mandir Trust and Swami Rama’s Himalayan Institute Hospital will convene an International Conference on Science and Meditation, November 10 through the 12, 2002, near Rishikesh, India. The ICSM offers a unique opportunity for dialogue between practitioners of various meditative traditions and with scientists, whose expertise in meditation research is…