Source INDIA, June 24, 2016 (Swarajya): The Andhra Pradesh government has asked state officials to evict non-Hindu farmers from agricultural land belonging to Hindu temples or mutts. No such land can now be cultivated by a non-Hindu, it said. The state government had issued the official order in November last year but is now following up on it, as the…
Source It is always good to endure injuries done to you, but to forget them is even better.— Tirukkural
Source INDIA, June 24, 2016 (Eastern Panorama, by Nanda Kirati Dewan):Many people have a misconception about the Gorkhas in India — that they are foreigners and have migrated from Nepal. There could not be a greater mistake than this. The Gorkhas are in fact the aborigines of India and they can trace their history back to ancient times. The Gorkha…
Source SANTA BARBARA, CALIFORNIA, June 23, 2016 (The Independent): For 75 years the Santa Barbara Museum of Art has pursued a mission that includes collecting, displaying, and educating the public about the arts of Asia. Puja and Piety: Hindu, Jain, and Buddhist Art from the Indian Subcontinent demonstrates the impact that an innovative curatorial concept can have on the educational…
Source O Mother! Let all my speech be your prayer; let all my crafts and technology be your worship and be the mystic gestures of my hand, adorning you. May all my movements become your devotional circumambulations. May everything I eat or drink be oblations to you. Let my lying down in rest and sleep be prostrations to you. Mother!…
Source UNITED STATES, June 21, 2016 (Christian Science Monitor): On Dec. 11, 2014 a wildly popular resolution was introduced to the United Nations General Assembly. A record number of countries – 177 – were willing to co-sponsor, making it so popular, it was adopted without a vote. But the resolution was not so much a political posture, as a physical…
Source INDIA, June 23, 2016 (The Diplomat): On June 21, 2016, the world welcomed the second celebration of the International Day of Yoga – constituted last year by the United Nations through a resolution that won the support of 177 member states. In his message on Yoga Day, the United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon declared the importance of promoting…
Source Whatever defect I have in my sight, in my heart or mind, may God amend! May he, the Protector of the world, bless us!— Yajur Veda 36.2
Source GREAT BRITAIN, May 27, 2016 (The Guardian, editorial): Is the end of western Christianity in sight? The most recent British Social Attitudes data shows that “No religion” is now by far the largest single identification in England and Wales. It is very nearly half the adult population, and more that twice the proportion who self-identify as Anglican; it is…
Source KABUL, AFGHANISTAN, June 24, 2016 (by Hamid Shallizi, Reuters): On a bright day in downtown Kabul, Jagtar Singh Laghmani was in his traditional herb shop when a man turned up, drew a knife and told him to convert to Islam or he would cut his throat. Only bystanders and other shopkeepers saved his life. The incident earlier this month…