GO TO SOURCE LONDON, U.K, March 8, 2001: William Dowsing arrived in Cambridge in December, 1643, filled with Puritan zeal, determined to smash the lingering reminders of the old Roman Catholic faith. A similar determination inspired the Taleban in Afghanistan to destroy ancient images of the Buddha, horrifying the world. “Images, symbols, whether religious or not, always attract violence when…
GO TO SOURCE AYODHYA, INDIA, March 6, 2001: In the northern Indian city of Ayodhya, a visiting Korean delegation has inaugurated a memorial to their royal ancestor, Queen Huh. More than a hundred historians and government representatives, including the North Korean ambassador to India, unveiled the memorial on the west bank of the River Saryu. Korean historians believe that Queen…
GO TO SOURCE KOZHISSERI, NEW DELHI, March 04, 2001: Holi, the Indian festival of colors, will see the use of natural colors made from the extracts of flowers and fruit this year, to the relief of those worried about hazardous chemical colors being smeared on them. “We can get yellow from the ‘tesu’ plant, black from husk and blue from…
Source: India Abroad LONDON, ENGLAND, March 5, 2001: Foot and mouth disease that affects all cloven hoofed animals has rampaged through the countryside of the U.K. Determined to eradicate the virus, government officials have slaughtered an estimated 46,000 animals to date, many thousands of which are cows. Protesting the killing, Hindus in Britain, have spoken out about the way animals…
Source: News-India times ALLAHABAD, INDIA, March 2, 2001: The grand Maha Kumbh Mela which started January 9th and ended February 21st on Maha Sivaratri nourished over 100 million pilgrims at the “Sangam.” Hindu pilgrims travelled long distances and suffered hardship to participate in the event. Certain auspicious days during the 42-day festival attracted millions of fervent devotees. Having left Allahabad…
Source: The Pioneer NEW DELHI, INDIA, March 5, 2001: Spearheading the celebrations in the capital, nearly 5,000 poor women will join the Delhi Council for Women (DCW). Plans including forming a human chain and pledging to make Delhi a safer city for women on the millennium’s first international Women’s Day, Thursday. According to DCW chairperson Anjali Rai, women from various…
GO TO SOURCE COLOMBO, SRI LANKA, March 6, 2001: The Centre for Buddhism International (CBI) in Kandy, the central province hill town where the Temple of the Buddha’s Tooth is the focal point, has accused Christian missionaries of invading rural villages and tea and rubber plantations, using “unethical, coercive and sometimes barbaric methods” to proselytize their faith. The organization said…
Source: Kaumudi Online NEW DELHI, INDIA, March, 2001: Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee will not celebrate Holi, the festival of colors, as a mark of respect for the victims of the devastating quake that hit Gujarat in January, official sources said. Spokesman for the Prime Minister’s Office on Sunday said there would be no celebrations on Holi, which falls on…
GO TO SOURCE RAJASTHAN, INDIA, March 5, 2001: In a path-breaking initiative, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot has ordered a change in the service rules so that action can be taken against male employees of the government who beat and harass their wives. Similarly, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu has also ordered an assessment of the extent of…
GO TO SOURCE JAMMU, INDIA, March 5, 2001: A record number of 432,000 pilgrims have visited the holy cave shrine of Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Ji since January 1, 2001. During the same time last year, 361,000 pilgrims had Darshan of the holy cave shrine. Of the 174,000 devotees who visited the shrine last month, over 136,000 were from outside…