GO TO SOURCE MUMBAI, INDIA, July 10 2002: Having failed in its endeavor to reduce addiction to liquor and tobacco-related products through its various programs, the Prohibition Department of the Maharashtra government has now turned to spirituality. The minister concerned, Dr Dashrath Bhande, has directed the district collectors to seek the help of kirtankars and provachankars (those who deliver spiritual…
GO TO SOURCE KHEDA & PETLAD, INDIA, July 13, 2002: While peace prevailed in most of the state, it was central Gujarat that witnessed communal flare-ups on the day of the Jagannath Rath Yatra. Both Kheda and Petlad towns witnessed pitched battles between the Muslim and Hindu communities on Friday night and the situation was tense even on Saturday, as…
GO TO SOURCE LUCKNOW, INDIA, July 14, 2002: The historically rich Garh Mukteshwar may well turn out to be Uttar Pradesh’s “Hardwar,” which it lost to the new state of Uttaranchal, carved out of UP in 2000. Hardwar is one of the foremost pilgrimage destinations of India. The star attraction at both sites is the holy Ganga, which the UP…
GO TO SOURCE PUTTAPARTHI, INDIA, July 14, 2002: India’s missile man and National Democratic Alliance candidate for the presidential election A P J Abdul Kalam made a low-profile visit to Puttaparthi in Andhra Pradesh over the weekend to meet the religious leader, Satya Sai Baba. Kalam flew into Bangalore on Saturday afternoon without any fanfare and, in the evening, left…
GO TO SOURCE LUCKNOW, INDIA, JULY 14, 2002: Recently the Union Human Resource Development Ministry felt that the standards of conducting Hindu rituals were declining. The answer, the “Karma Kand Kriya,” a three-month training course for students aspiring to become priests conducted by the Uttar Pradesh Sanskrit Sansthan, opened to Hindus, including the Dalits (“outcastes). “I had 24 Dalit students…
GO TO SOURCE JAMMU, INDIA, July 14, 2002: 15,000 soldiers and 500 commandos will be deployed to protect pilgrims when they make their annual pilgrimage this month to the revered temple cave of Amarnath in Kashmir, officials said on Saturday. Security forces will guard the 320-km pilgrimage route from the start of the month-long religious event, when pilgrims make their…
GO TO SOURCE TRANQUEBAR, TAMIL NADU, INDIA, July 13, 2002: The junior pontiff of Thiruvaduthruai Aadheenam, Kasiviswanatha Paramachraya, was arrested on Saturday in connection with the attempt on the life of the Aadheenam’s chief guru Maha Sannidhanam Sri Sivaprakasa Paramacharya Swamigal on the night of July 7. A case has also been registered against him for attempting to commit suicide…
GO TO SOURCE BHUBANESWAR, ORISSA, INDIA, July 12, 2002: The Rath Yatra of Lord Jagannath in the temple town of Puri was incident-free, but for the death of a 30-year-old man who fell from the temple while trying to have a glimpse of the yatra. More than 800,000 devotees participated in the day-long parade of giant chariots. The three chariots…
GO TO SOURCE NEW DELHI, INDIA, July 14, 2002: Many foreign tourists are leaving Indian shores these days with a broader smile. Literally. Between seeing the Taj and sunbathing at Kovalam, a large number of Europeans, Americans and even Asian tourists are now spending time in the dentist’s chair, getting that perfect and healthy set of teeth. All this for…
GO TO SOURCE JAMMU, INDIA, July 13, 2002: Islamic guerrillas threw grenades and engaged security forces in a gun battle Saturday, killing 25 Hindus — mostly women and children– in a shantytown outside the winter capital of Jammu-Kashmir state, police and hospital officials said. More than 30 people were wounded, according to officials at the Government Medical College Hospital in…