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…
GO TO SOURCE LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, November 21, 2001: Research conducted at the University of California in Los Angeles has led a team of scientists to conclude that curcumin, the main chemical compound constituting tumeric, may be responsible for “slowing down the progression of the neurodegenerative disease” called Alzheimer’s. Apparently curcumin prevents the formation of knots in the brain called…
Source: The Hindu HYDERABAD, INDIA, November 27, 2001: The Andhra Pradesh State Endowments Minister, Mr D. Sivarama Raju, has said that there is “no point in temple priests still continuing their agitation with the closure of temples on Karthika Purnima day” on November 30 after regular worship, when their demands have already been met by the Government. Referring to the…
GO TO SOURCE LONDON, ENGLAND, November 26, 2001: An attempt to block legislation for a new offense of incitement to religious hatred has been defeated despite the rebellion of several Labour MPs. The bill extends the racially aggravated offenses of assault, public order, criminal damage and harassment to cover attacks aggravated by religious hostility. They extend the provisions concerning incitement…
GO TO SOURCE CANADA, NOVEMBER 20, 2001: Asking military chaplains to forego their Christian beliefs during public services represents a new low in political correctness, says Canadian alliance member of parliament Art Hanger. “How on earth can a Christian chaplain represent a Muslim cleric?” asked the former defense critic. “Unless they’re going to pray to a generic god, how can…