Source INDIA, January 25, 2015 (The Hindu): In a few months, numerous “sought-after” ayurvedic medicines will be taken off the shelves as Karnataka Biodiversity Board (KBB) is phasing out the use of critically endangered medicinal plant species. Of the 425 plant species obtained from pharmaceutical companies, the board has reviewed 40 species that were put on the red list —…
Source SINGAPORE, January 25, 2015 (by Melody Zaccheus, NewsAsia): Hunched over trays in the kitchen of a Hindu temple, a platoon of 12 volunteers and four cooks would spend two back-breaking hours on Fridays and Sundays peeling pungent onions. But they will no longer shed tears, as a new machine in the Sri Senpaga Vinayagar Temple’s kitchen has cut the…
Source MALAYSIA, January 29, 2015 (by Vincent Tan, The Star): In conjunction with the 125th year of celebrating Thaipusam at Batu Caves this year, the silver chariot underwent a US$41,300 upgrade. It will make its maiden journey, called the vellotam from the Sri Subramaniar Swamy Temple in Batu Caves to the Sri Maha Mariamman Temple in Kuala Lumpur on Jan…
Source INDIA, January 28, 2015 (India Facts by Dr. JK Bajaj): The long-awaited religion data for the Census of 2011 has not been published yet. But it seems that some journalists have been allowed to have a quick look at the figures. Consequently, many stories have appeared in the press; already several articles have been written to reassure the Hindus…
Source Discipline your speech. Speak the truth at all costs. Speak little. Speak sweetly. Always utter encouraging words. Never condemn, criticize or discourage. Do not raise your voice and shout at little children or subordinates.— Swami Sivananda of Rishikesh (1887-1963)
Source The son’s duty to his father is to make the world ask, “by what great austerities did he merit such a son?”— Tirukkural
Source KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA, January 28, 2015 (Free Malaysian Today): Hindraf Makkal Sakthi, an ad hoc apolitical human rights group working across the political divide, has called on Hindus this year to boycott Thaipusam at Batu Caves if the Committee insists on desecrating an ancient Hindu rite and practice, “milk abishekam”( showering ceremony), by employing motorized equipment to shower the…
Source NEW DELHI, INDIA, January 24, 2015 (Indian Express): The share of Hindus in India’s population has shown the sharpest dip in a decade since Independence and has dropped below 80 per cent. According to figures of the religion census of 2011, yet to be officially released, Hindus comprised 78.35 per cent of the total population of 1.2 billion, compared…
Source If you long to see God, take to spiritual practices. What is the good of merely crying, “O God! O God!”?— Sri Ramakrishna Paramahansa (1836-1886)
Source UNITED STATES, January 23, 2015 (by Robert Schneider with Benjamin Phelan): Srinivasa Ramanujan was a super genius born into extreme poverty in an obscure part of southern India, who taught himself mathematics from a standard textbook, and in total isolation became a mathematician of such power that one hundred years after his death, at the age of thirty-two, the…