Source: New York Times RIDGEWOOD, NEW JERSEY, March 29, 2002: The people in this suburban town decided they weren’t spending enough quality time as families because they were overscheduling their children. They began meeting with community leaders and school officials, and scheduled themselves some free time. Tonight was declared “Family Night,” an evening when everyone was encouraged to set aside…
GO TO SOURCE STANFORD, CALIFORNIA, April 2, 2002: Hindu Students Council (HSC) at Stanford University announces a class on “Hinduism in the Modern Era.” For the first time in Stanford University history, a class on Hinduism has been created by Hindu students. The class seeks to provide a clearer and more balanced picture of Hinduism, including religious, social, and political…
GO TO SOURCE JAMMU, INDIA, April 4, 2002: Saturday’s terrorist attack on the historic Raghunath Temple, the first major strike by the Kashmiri militants in past 12 years, has shaken the residents of Jammu. The attack, which killed ten persons, stopped business activity in the winter capital on Sunday, with people preferring to stay indoors. The 150-year-old Raghunath Temple has…
GO TO SOURCE NEW DELHI, INDIA, March 27, 2002: In disapproval of recent actions of Hindu militants, Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee on Wednesday said it would be better to “keep a distance” from the kind of Hindutva being practiced by some now. He said when Swami Vivekananda spoke of Hinduism, nobody called him being communal. “But now, some people…
GO TO SOURCE CHENNAI, INDIA, March 31, 2002: The Pondicherry government has ordered an inquiry into alleged forced conversions of prisoners into Christianity, after six prisoners formally lodged a complaint with the state government. Though there had been allegations that P. David, the jail superintendent of Pondicherry Central Prison, was forcing prisoners to convert and was allowing Christian propagandists free…
GO TO SOURCE GUWAHATI, INDIA, April 1, 2002: Mixing religion with an initiative to revive dying art forms is what temple authorities at the Dol Gobindo mandir near here did on Saturday on the occasion of Holi. The five-day-long Dol Utsav here — thronged by thousands, apart from local villagers — is not just a celebration of religion or the…
GO TO SOURCE KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA, April 1, 2002: About 400 Hindu policemen and their families offered prayers at the Arulmigu Sri Ramalingam Eswarar Temple in Jalan Maarof, Bangsar on March 30. The gathering was organized by police personnel in the Klang Valley and was meant to bless them and their families in conjunction with the recent 195th Police Day…
GO TO SOURCE CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS, March 31, 2002: The Pluralism Project, a long-term study by Harvard University, is offering small grants for religion departments, college students, and high school teachers to extend their research on America’s new religious landscape. The small grants for high school teachers encourages engagement with the religious communities of their own region as an integral part…
GO TO SOURCE KERALA, INDIA, April 1, 2002: Mata Amritanandamayi Devi will be conducting her North Kerala tour from 25 April up to 4 May. There will be two Brahmasthanam Festivals during the tour, one in Palakkad and one in Talssery. The other places she will visit are Vadakara, Kannur and Kanhangad. Amma is now on her trip to Singapore…
GO TO SOURCE KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA, March 29, 2002: The government has agreed to allow the development proposed by the management of the century-old Marathandavar Temple in Maran, said Malaysia Indian Congress president Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu. He said there should be no worries as the temple on a 3.6ha site had been gazetted as a heritage site by…