Making the South Indian Nagaswaram Instrument Sweeter

Source CHENNAI, INDIA, January 2, 2019 (The Hindu): Not many know that Narasingampettai, a small town in the Thanjavur district, has an important role to play in the world of Carnatic music, especially in enriching the music of the nagaswaram. It was N.G.N. Ranagantha Asari, an ace carpenter from this village, who completely transformed the instrument, which is now known…

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Indic Academy Announces Ram Swarup-Sitaram Goel Memorial Fund to Promote Research In Indic History, Culture and Religion

Source INDIA, December 26, 2018 (Swarajyamag): Commemorating the 20th death anniversary of Hindu thinker and scholar Shri Ram Swarup, Indic Academy today (26 December) announced that it has instituted a Ram Swarup-Sitaram Goel Memorial Fund for promoting Indic research and publication. Shri Ram Swarup and Shri Sitaram Goel are both towering intellectuals and widely regarded as the pioneers in Indic…

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Daily Inspiration

Source It is only through sadhana that you will be able to prudently delineate between true intuition and the feelings of need and greed from the externalities of your instinctive nerve system. — Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami (1927-2001)

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Nalanda University Plans

Source RAJGIR, INDIA, February 13, 2017 (YouTube): Nalanda was a Mahavihara, a large Buddhist monastery in the ancient kingdom of Magadha in India. The site was a center of learning in the 5th century CE to c. 1200 CE. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site today. The site of the new Nalanda University is 12 miles from the ruins.…

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The Vegetarians at the Gate

Source UNITED STATES, December 18, 2018 (Bloomberg): During a busy lunch service in the cafeteria of one of Silicon Valley’s largest cloud-computing companies, the vegan chef Chad Sarno turned up a gas burner and slowly poured a bottle of white wine into a steel saucepan filled with chopped onion, capers, vegetable stock, and al dente linguine. He tossed the mixture…

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Ganesha the Playful Protector

Source DENVER, COLORADO, December 31, 2018 (Denver Art Museum): Ganesha The Playful Protector is developed in collaboration with the National Museum of Cambodia in Phnom Penh, which is loaning a statue of Ganesha created in the 600s to 700s that is the centerpiece of the exhibition. The 29-inch tall cross-legged figure, featuring human arms and an elephant head, is known…

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Coming Kumbh Mela too Big for Jumbos

Source ALLAHABAD, INDIA, December 25, 2016 (Telegraph India): The Mela administration in Allahabad has banned the centuries-old elephant-and-horse processions during the Shahi Snan (royal bath) this Ardh Kumbh, scheduled from January 14 to March 4. The move has angered the sadhus who are determined to get the ban lifted. Riding elephants and horses, the monks — including naga (naked) sadhus…

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Daily Inspiration

Source Hinduism is ultimately about experiencing things yourself. Understanding another person’s wisdom does not make one wise. — Satguru Bodhinatha Veylanswami, publisher of Hinduism Today

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As the Old Faiths Collapse, the Greens, Social Justice Warriors, and Techno-Futurists Aim to Fill the Void

Source UNITED STATES, December 23, 2018 (The Daily Beast by J. Kotkin and A. Kurimska): The pews are emptying virtually everywhere in the higher-income world. The Catholic Church is divided and enmeshed in scandal, unable to prevent even historically cleric-dominated Ireland from liberalizing abortion. The once vibrant evangelical movement is losing momentum in the developed world while the more established…

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