GO TO SOURCE ALLAHABAD, INDIA, January 11, 2001: Over 2,500,000 devotees and reports of a possible militant strike kept the police and mela authorities on their toes on the first day of the Maha Kumbh. The paush purnima snan (bath at full moon) at the Sangam attracted a record gathering of devotees, giving the police cause to worry over the…
GO TO SOURCE ALLAHABAD, INDIA, January 7, 2001: Pilgrims have begun arriving in the northern Indian town of Allahabad for Hinduism’s most important spiritual gathering, which is expected to attract at least 70 million people over the next 42 days. The Kumbh Mela takes place every 12 years and sees millions of devotees bathe in the Ganga to purify their…
Source: Free Press Journal, Mumbai ALLAHABAD, INDIA, December 15, 2000: Saints of various religious orders are upset with the mela administrators, alleging discrimination in allotment of land. They say fake saint committees have been given land, and object to the construction of 5-star facilities for foreigners and VIPS, which they said was against the religious sentiments linked with the Mela.…
Source: Religious New Service VANCOUVER, CANADA, December 30, 2000: With a multitude of multicultural flavors, Asian immigrants, 50% of whom attend regular religious services, have rescued three of Canada’s largest cities. Previous to the wave of immigration, Vancouver, Montreal and Toronto were considered places where there was an indifference to, or even of, rejection of religion. Now Buddhist, Sikh, Hindu,…
GO TO SOURCE DEHRADUN, INDIA, January 5, 2001: ISI agent Ankur Sharma was apprehended by security guards on January 4 after attempting to steal a cherished statue from the sacred shrine of Badrinath. After some resistance, the culprit was handed over to the local authorities.
Source: India Abroad News Service ALLAHABAD, INDIA, January 2, 2001: Taking precautionary measures for the estimated 70 million devotees who are expected to pilgrimage to the holy “Sangam” at Allahabad, the Uttar Pradesh government is providing insurance coverage. Allahabad commissioner Sada Kant, who has orchestrated the huge event, is reported as saying, “Each of the visitors in the 20- to…
Source: Amnesty International Press Release January 5, 2001: The Bangladesh High Court made a landmark ruling that fatwas — religious edicts issued by the Muslim clergy –are illegal. The court also ruled that such edicts, mainly issued against women, must be made punishable by an act of parliament. Usually imposed against women who assert themselves in village family life, dozens…
GO TO SOURCE CALCUTTA, INDIA, January 2, 2001: The 61st annual congress of Indian historians has begun in the city of Calcutta. At the opening ceremony the Nobel Laureate and economist, Amartya Sen, said that current “fundamentalist trends” in India threatened its secular traditions. He said that Hindu epics such as Ramayana should not be treated as part of Indian…
GO TO SOURCE MUMBAI, INDIA, January 4, 2001: “All-round progress can be achieved only through adoption of a plan based on Hindu philosophy,” said Shri K. S. Sudarshan, Sarasanghchalak (head) of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). The occasion was the valedictory function of a 5-day long Vishwa Sangh Shibir attended by total of 571 delegates coming from 39 countries. Issues…
GO TO SOURCE PATHANAMTHITTA, KERALA, INDIA, December 25, 2000: A woman pilgrim was killed and 150 others were injured when the iron barricade along the Marakkoottom-Saramkuthi section of the Sabrimala trekking path gave way under crowd pressure. The deceased has been identified as Samrajamma, age 55 of Andhra Pradesh. Sabarimala has been witnessing a high volume of devotees since Sunday…