GO TO SOURCE LONDON, ENGLAND, December 19, 2000: The story of the Sidis, the Indian community of African descent which has lost contact with its African origins, has attracted enormous interest from around the world. A recent report on BBC News Online by Andrew Whitehead about the Sidis’ quest for their history has prompted hundreds of e-mails. “The song of…
GO TO SOURCE BERGEN COUNTY, NEW JERSEY, December 15, 2000: Bergen County in North Jersey has become the home to the third-highest number of Indian Asians in the U.S.A. In order to keep their religion and culture thriving, the Hindu Samaj has purchased 5 wooded acres where the congregation of about 200 families plans to build a 26,000-square foot temple…
GO TO SOURCE MONTREAL, QUEBEC, CANADA, December 19, 2000: Concordia University announced it would hold an international conference on the Mahabharata June 7, 8 and 9, 2001. The themes are: methodological problems of teaching the mahabharata; character analysis based on ethical issues; and challenges and responses in the context of philosophical, social and other issues. Postal Address: Dr. Shrinivas Tilak,…
Source: Deccan Chronicle, Bangalore MYSORE, SOUTH INDIA, December 6, 2000: Akhila Bharatha Veerashaiva Mahasabha (ABVM) President Bheemana Khandre has called upon heads of all Veerashaiva monasteries to unite and mobilize Veerashaivas as a separate religion to strengthen the community. Speaking as the chief guest on the “Census Enumeration – 2001 and Awareness Tour,” organized by the prominent Veerashaiva Mahasabha based…
GO TO SOURCE LEUVEN, BELGIUM, December 15, 2000: Those interested in the revival of pre-Christian, Pagan religions now underway in many parts of Europe and North America may enjoy reading the above paper by Dr. Koenraad Elst. Groups such as Lithuania-based, World Congress of Ethnic Religions work to rediscover and reconstitute the religion of their ancestors. With so little recorded…
Source: The Hindu, Chennai THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, INDIA, December 14, 2000: An inquisition by the crime branch of the Sabarimala Temple in Kerala, South India, has been ordered by the administrative board after a bloated lizard and a shrew tail was discovered in a prasadam (food blessed in the temple ritual) can by a devotee. Ruling out the possibility that the creatures…
GO TO SOURCE LONDON, ENGLAND: Over a 10-year period Anglican and Roman Catholic church-attendance figures are down in England and Wales. Baptisms and church marriages are also in decline. The Anglican Church in Hereford is a case in point. Even with some 1,000 parishioners, weekly attendance averages only about 60. At the same time, other religions (not including Judaism) have…
GO TO SOURCE HONESDALE, PENNSYLVANIA, December 15, 2000: Beginning on January 9, 2001, and continuing through the month, the staff of Himalayan Institute will post “the Kumbha Mela Times,” a daily online newspaper covering the upcoming Kumbha Mela in Allahabad, India. Thirty million devotees are expected on the main bathing day in late January.
GO TO SOURCE WILBRAHAM, MASSACHUSETTS, December 15, 2000: The family of Dr. Abhaychandra L. Mehta has requested HPI to inform Hindus that Dr. Mehta passed away on February 28, 2000, two days after his 83rd birthday, of pulmonary fibrosis. An ayurvedic physician, teacher and practitioner of pancha karma, Dr. Mehta was the former principal of Gujarat Ayurveda University Hospital in…
GO TO SOURCE CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, December 15, 2000: Illinois has become the first state in the nation to ban the sale of bidi cigarettes, tiny, hand-rolled, flavored cigarettes, which are popular among young teens. “Bidi cigarettes resemble marijuana joints, which may influence their popularity,” said the Governor’s statement. “The United Stages government’s Centers for Disease Control found that bidis produce…