GO TO SOURCE NEW DELHI, INDIA, Aug 22, 2001: Controversy has erupted in India over what opponents are calling the federal government’s bid to change the secular nature of the education system by introducing new syllabi glorifying Hindu culture and leaders and emphasizing Sanskrit, Vedic studies and astrology. The move has upset intellectuals and liberal political parties, including some allies…
GO TO SOURCE NEW DELHI, INDIA, August 19, 2001: A National Commission for Children (NCC) will soon become reality as the Center is said to be giving final touches to the Commission, which will look into all the problems faced by the children. A Supreme Court or High Court judge is likely to head the Commission, which will be set…
GO TO SOURCE LOTHAL, INDIA, August 19, 2001: The Harappan site of Lothal in Gujarat whose name means “mound of the dead” has conservationists worried. The ancient site is suffering the vagaries of weather and neglect by the institution that’s meant to preserve it: the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI). The Harappan site was discovered by the ASI in 1954,…
GO TO SOURCE CHENNAI, INDIA, August 20, 2001: Various Christian organizations in Tamil Nadu on Monday took out a procession here to condemn the DMK’s action in putting up posters in several parts of the city, portraying the political party’s leader, former Tamil Nadu chief minister, Karunanidhi, as Jesus Christ. Recently, Karunanidhi had told newsmen that he had ordered the…
GO TO SOURCE NEW DELHI, INDIA, August 20, 2001: The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), is making efforts to forge close ties with native American-Indian groups, saying the two have “many things in common.” RSS chief K.S. Sudarshan met with leaders of such groups during his recent visit to US and Canada at the invitation of the Center for World Indigenous…
GO TO SOURCE RAJASTHAN, INDIA, August 13, 2001: Tarun Bharat Sangh, a group of college activists, is committed to reclaiming regions the government had written off as “black zones” due to the severe water shortage. Lead by Rajendra Singh, the young activists got the villagers involved in making their own decisions about water, forests and other local resources. Previously, locals…
GO TO SOURCE UNITED KINGDOM, August 15, 2001: A study recently conducted by Belgian scientists on Monsanto Roundup Ready Soya has Greenpeace up in arms. Apparently, the study revealed a fragment of DNA in the genetically modified soya that cannot be identified. Greenpeace has appealed to the UK government to stop the sale of this soya. “No-one knows what this…
GO TO SOURCE JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA, Aug. 17, 2001: It is because of the efforts of the Siva Gnana Sabay that Saivism thrives in the mainly Indian residential area of Lenasia, the township south of Johannesburg that was created under apartheid to forcibly resettle the Indians of the Greater Johannesburg area. Today the organization that started out in a small…
GO TO SOURCE SIEM REAP, CAMBODIA, August 19, 2001: This descriptive article details the challenges facing restorers at the massive temples of Angkor, one of the world’s great cities between the 9th and 15th centuries, and one of history’s architectural glories. Consecrated in 1191 by Jayavarman VII, Preah Khan served as a monastery and teaching complex, its walls carved with…
GO TO SOURCE WASHINGTON, USA, August 18, 2001: In a new survey of Americans’ attitudes about Hindus, 666 people — two-thirds of those surveyed — said they have no familiarity with Hindu beliefs and practices. When asked if they wanted to learn more about the religion, 59 percent said no. Members of the Hindu Leaders Forum, a global network that…