GO TO SOURCE BANGKOK, THAILAND, Dec 2, 2001: Khun Phra, Thailand’s esteemed royal white elephant, is in the pink of health and that spells good news for a nation worried about its shaky economy. Thailand considers white elephants to be highly auspicious and deserving of the greatest care. The country has 11 white elephants chosen on the basis of distinct…
GO TO SOURCE HYDERABAD, INDIA, November 28, 2001: Up until recently, the outer walls of temple compounds have had advertising on them as well as film posters and political agendas. Desperate to maintain temples in the state of Andhra Pradesh, the government, with prompting from the Endowment Department, allowed billboards to be erected within the temple premises. Temple trustees at…
GO TO SOURCE CHENNAI, INDIA, December 3, 2001: A new web site on very popular Tamil orator and singer, Thirumuruga Kirupanandha Vaariyar Swamigal, has been created by S.Thiru Chudar Nambiand is now available at “source” above.
Source: Press Release NEW YORK, USA, December 2, 2001: The Vraj Temple of the Pusti Margiya Vaishnava Samaj of North America received a major financial boost in its bid to build a large temple on a 50,000 square-foot area. New Jersey-based well-known Indian American community leader and philanthropist, Dr. Sudhir M. Parikh, made a record donation of US$151,000 on the…
GO TO SOURCE KASHMIR, INDIA, December 2, 2001: Seven Hindus en route to a wedding in Udhampur district were massacred by Islamic guerrillas in the southern mountains of Kashmir, adding to the 19 deaths in overnight violence. In New Delhi, a defense ministry source said that a “pro-active” plan was being put in place to quell Islamic raiders in Udhampur,…
Source: CNN LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, December 1, 2001: After a prolonged battle with cancer, former Beatle lead guitarist and songwriter George Harrison is dead at 58. About Indian music and philosophy, Harrison had said: “After ‘Norwegian Wood,’ I met Ravi Shankar at a friend’s house in London for dinner. He offered to give me instructions in the basics of the…
GO TO SOURCE LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, December 1, 2001: Ex-Beatle George Harrison, stricken with cancer, passed away to the sonorous tone of Hare Krishna chants. He was a lifelong follower of Hindu philosophy and was associated with the Hare Krishna movement. By his bedside was sitar maestro Ravi Shankar, now 82, a father figure to Harrison. Ravi Shankar, who in…
GO TO SOURCE DURBAN, SOUTH AFRICA, November 27, 2001: A record crowd of 120,000 turned up for the Diwali festivities on the Durban beachfront at the weekend. Festivities started on Saturday with a religious program, followed by a variety concert and Indian bazaar ending with a spectacular fireworks display. “I have not seen such a crowd before. It surpassed all…
GO TO SOURCE CHENNAI, INDIA, November 9, 2001: When statistics revealed that around 800,000 people die annually in India from smoking tobacco, the Supreme Court of India decided to take action. As of November 2, smoking in public places such as hospitals, courts, educational institutions, libraries, and on public transportation, has been banned. Citizens realized that the government was serious…
Source: The Straits Times KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA, November 8, 2001: The number of Malays and other indigenous groups has gone up by 4.5% in the past ten years, a gain of 4 million people, according to the most recent census reports released November 6 by the government. The percentage of Hindus dropped from 7.9% to 7.7%, and the percentage of…