Source: The Hindustan Times, November 12, 2000 AMRITSAR, INDIA: A poster brought out by Punjab unit of RSS has raised yet another controversy, as radical Sikh organizations have reacted sharply on it. The poster, both in Hindi and Punjabi, has been seen in various parts of Amritsar. The poster in Punjabi carries the insignia of “Omkar” at its bottom, which…
GO TO SOURCE CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS: Dr. Arvind Sharma has been appointed the Infinity Foundation Visiting Professor in Indic Studies at Harvard University.
GO TO SOURCE OXFORD, ENGLAND: The University of Oxford in central England is launching a new professorship in Indian history and culture. It has been funded by US$3 million from the Indian Government. The new professor will be expected to specialize in the medieval and early modern period – an area the head of Oriental Studies at Oxford, Dr Jeremy…
Source: Interfaith Center, November 12, 2000 NEW YORK, NEW YORK: The Interfaith Center of New York will hold “Hindus of New York” on November 30, 2000 in New York City. The one-day event is part of series on living faith traditions in New York and designed to inform religious leaders, students, and the interested public about important religious communities in…
Source: Hinduism Today KAPAA, HAWAII: According to the Hindu astrological system of jyotish, Al Gore and Gorge W. Bush both have Cancer “lagna,” or ascendant. This means the planets transiting their charts are in identical houses. For example, Saturn and Jupiter are right now in the sign of Taurus, which puts them in the 11th house of both candidates, indicating…
Source: Inter Press Service, October 30, 2000 NEW DELHI, INDIA: Whether you ordered in New York, London, Rome, Tokyo or Mexico City, it was “Big Mac with fries” at McDonalds. No more, as the fast food chain adapted to local palettes with teriyaki burgers in Japan and kosher meat in Israel. Now they’ve introduced the vegetarian McAloo Tikki Burger to…
Source: The Record, Northern New Jersey, October 30, 2000 CRANBURY, NEW JERSEY: Local farmers oppose construction of a Chinmaya Mission center in this rural community. The Mission wants to build on a seven-acre tract in an area of permanently preserved farmland. The temple would be in a barn-like structure designed to fit in the area, and attract 100 people on…
Source: Pioneer, November 8, 2000 NEW DELHI, INDIA: The audacious request by the RSS nationalist Hindu organization that Christians in India form their own “Swadeshi Churches,” i.e., churches based in India and run by Indians, has received support from an unexpected quarter. The President of the Poor Christian Liberation Movement, R.L. Francis, complained that Christian leaders discriminated against backward Christians…
Source: Hindustan Times, November 8, 2000 MUMBAI, INDIA: Rights for the popular 208-episode TV series on the stories of Lord Siva has been bought for US$2.2 million for one time telecast by Hindustan Lever company, India’s largest supplier of consumer goods. According to a spokesperson, the series cuts across urban and rural markets and is of perennial interest to target…
GO TO SOURCE NEW DELHI, INDIA: K. Suresh Kurup, a Marxist Member of the Indian Parliament, has urged Prime Minister A. B.. Vajpayee to instruct the Indian representative in the UN to object to the entry of Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) into the UN Economic and Social Council. He also appealed to UN Secretary General Kofi Annan that VHP should…