GO TO SOURCE PRETORIA, SOUTH AFRICA, April 13, 2001: The South African Indian community is shocked by the theft of brass murthis, or temple deities, that were stolen from the Mariamman Temple. The Pretoria Tamil League has offered a reward of US$300 for the safe return of the idols, which were imported from India. Police suspect that the five idols…
GO TO SOURCE LONDON, ENGLAND, April 17, 2001: A report commissioned last year by the Roman Catholic Church and headed by Lord Nolan, a former appeals judge, said clergy, staff and volunteers at Catholic institutions should be subject to police checks to stamp out sexual abuse of children, and that the church must also not hush up allegations of abuse.…
GO TO SOURCE TRINIDAD, April 13, 2001: Indian Arrival Day in Trinidad marks the arrival of indentured immigrants from India to Trinidad. The May 30, 2001, celebration will be commemorated with a special magazine by the Indo-Caribbean Cultural Council. The theme of the magazine is “Navigating Space in the Ports of Power.” For Hindus and Indians in Trinidad, this theme…
GO TO SOURCE SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA, April 18, 2001: An HPI reader in response to our April 5 piece on the opening of a new center in Sydney write, “This news item gives a misleading impression that the mentioned Centre is the only Centre spreading the message of Sri Ramakrishna in Australia. Your readers may be pleased to note that there…
GO TO SOURCE SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA, April 6,2001: Shocking the sizable Sikh community of New South Wales, the Daily Telegraph newspaper mistakenly published a fish curry recipe and pasted it over the dome-shaped structure of a local gurdwara, known as God’s place. Giani Balbir Singh, the priest of the gurdwara in Turramurra, was disconcerted when the caption accompanying the picture featuring…
GO TO SOURCE SUVA, FIJI, April 6, 2001: Hosting the World Millennium Hindi Convention for three days in June of 2001 on the island nation of Fiji, the Fiji Hindi Sahitya Samiti, which is organizing the grand event, hopes to bring harmony between indigenous Fijians and ethnic Indians. In the past, racial and political tensions between the two groups has…
GO TO SOURCE MOSCOW, RUSSIA, Apr 14, 2001: A solemn gathering of Jains in the D.P. Dhar Hall here, on the 2,600 birth anniversary of Lord Mahavir, celebrated the life and teachings of the great Indian saint. Mahavir’s principle of “ahimsa,” non-violence, has retained its relevance in the contemporary world. Prayers were offered and schoolchildren described the teachings of Mahavir…
GO TO SOURCE JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA, April 14, 2001: The South African Tamil community is celebrating its New Year’s Day with great expectations. The Tamil community makes up the majority of the 1.2 million South African Indians descended from the first settlers who arrived in 1860 to work on the sugar cane plantations. South African Tamil Federation president, Mickey Chetty,…
GO TO SOURCE NEW DELHI, INDIA, April 10, 2001: Home Minister L K Advani told the Liberhan Inquiry Commission on Ayodhya today that the temple dispute could only be resolved through negotiations or legislation as a court verdict would not provide a solution to the problem. “The BJP has always been of the view that the issue could be resolved…
GO TO SOURCE STANFORD UNIVERSITY, CALIFORNIA, April 8, 2001: Stanford University’s Hindu Students Council (HSC) celebrated their first Holifest on April 8. About 50 students gathered on Wilbur Field and played Holi with colored powder, colored water and water balloons. Holi is a festival celebrating the triumph of good over evil. Sumir Meghani, HSC coordinator said, “HSC began activities at…