Source NEW YORK, U.S., August 18, 2016 (RNS by Charles Camosy): It has already been successful in other animals: Physicians have severed the spinal cords of one white mouse and one black mouse, switched their heads and produced living mice. Similar surgeries have been successful with dogs and monkeys. And now there is serious talk of doing a head transplant…
Source KOLKATA, INDIA, August 18, 2016 (The Hindu): Looking remarkably unlined for his claimed 120 years, an Indian monk who says he is the oldest man to have ever lived puts his longevity down to no sex or spices, and daily yoga. Hindu monk Swami Sivananda was born on August 8, 1896, according to his passport. If true, his life…
Source WASHINGTON, D.C., August 19, 2016 (Tribune India): The US has accepted more than 53,000 Hindu refugees since 2005, almost all from Bhutan, the State Department has said. Between 2005 and August this year, as many as 53,662 Hindu refugees — 53,015 from Bhutan — have been accepted into the US. Of the remaining 647, Sri Lanka topped the list…
Source SRINAGAR, INDIA, August 19, 2016 (The Hindu): The 48-day annual pilgrimage to the Amarnath shrine in south Kashmir Himalayas ended on Thursday, coinciding with the festival of Raksha Bandhan, with over 220,000 pilgrims offering prayers to the naturally formed ice-Shivalingam despite the ongoing unrest. This year’s figure is the lowest in the past decade. The holy mace of Lord…
Source LONDON, UK, August 16, 2016 (NDTV): UK Prime Minister Theresa May today expressed her condolences to the British Hindu community over the death of Swaminarayan sect’s spiritual head Pramukh Swami Maharaj. “I would like to pay my condolences to British Hindus, especially the BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha, on the passing away of Pramukh Swami Maharaj,” May said. “Pramukh Swami Maharaj…
Source The learned have prescribed penance for the murderer of a pious man, a drunkard, a thief or for one who has violated a solemn vow. But there is no pardon for the ungrateful.— The Panchatantra
Source TIRUPATI, INDIA, August 17, 2016 (The Hindu): The clay from the Gangetic plain has made its way from Bengal to the temple city of Tirupati where it is used for an eco-friendly initiative. The clay from Ganga is not only revered as auspicious, but also known for firm grip and smooth finish. Hence it is widely used in the…
Source SARANGPUR, INDIA, August 17, 2016 (press release): HPI note: Complete video coverage of the ceremony is available at “source” above. Since Saturday, 13th August, after HH Pramukh Swami Maharaj abandoned his mortal body, almost 2.1 million devotees paid tributes to HH Pramukh Swami Maharaj in four days. Thousands of dignitaries from various walks of life also arrived at Sarangpur…
Source “To listen to some devout people, one would imagine God never laughs.”— Sri Aurobindo
Source NEW DELHI, INDIA August 15, 2016 (En.Prothom.Alo): There’s a new minority to contend with and, at a little over 33,000, they are fewer in number than the Parsis. But the unbelieving atheists-counted separately for the first time in Census 2011 — just cannot agree with the figure. To be precise, only 33,304 of India’s 1.2 billion citizens have declared…