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Source Of all blessings we know of none greater than the begetting of children endowed with intelligence.— Tirukkural

KAUAI, HAWAII, September 25, 2014 (HPI): As readers may know, the California State Board of Education’s Instructional Quality Commission set in motion a 60-day review period for the revised Framework for History-Social Studies. In this revised Framework, which sets the classroom curriculum for each grade, the section on India and Hinduism has been extensively changed, in our opinion, often for…

Source MUMBAI, INDIA, September 30, 2014 (dna India by Garga Chatterjee): In a few days, I’ll go from my city home in Kolkata to my clan-abode in Patuligram village of West Bengal’s Hooghly district. Ma Durga, the mother Goddess, will come alive in Patuligram as Moter Ma — the name by which She is known there. Every year on Bijoya…

Source The mind alone is man’s cause of bondage or release: it leads to bondage when attached to the sense objects, and to release when freed from them.— Krishna Yajur Veda, Maitri Upanishad

Source INDIA, September 30, 2014 (Vivekananda Kendra): The booklet titled “The Global Vision and Mission of Swami Vivekananda, and how it inspired the Indian Spiritual Thrust World-wide” (downloadable online at http://tinyurl.com/nta7ocy) highlights the need for a Directory of Indian Spiritual Organisations Functioning Abroad, and presents the details of the Project. It contains an appeal from the President of Vivekananda Kendra,…

Source INDIA, September 27, 2014 (Indian Express): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday asked the world leaders to adopt an International Yoga Day, saying that by changing lifestyle and creating consciousness, it can help us deal with climate change. “Let us work towards adopting an International Yoga Day,” Modi said in his maiden address to the 193-member UN General Assembly…

Source DHAKA, BANGLADESH, September 30, 2014 (The Daily Star): The five-day Durga Puja, the largest religious festival of Hindus, begins today with Mahashashthi. This year Mohanabami, alongside Bijoya Dashami, the day the Deities are immersed, will be celebrated on October 3. However, Puja organizers in Dhaka have decided to immerse the Deities on October 4. Around 28,600 altars have been…

Source WASHINGTON D.C., September 4, 2014 (HAF): ) The Hindu American Foundation (HAF) announces its sixth annual NextGen Essay Contest, open to writers ages 14 through 27. As HAF continues its efforts to build a credible Hindu American voice, it is also working to ensure the voices of future Hindu American leaders are heard. The NextGen Essay Contest was established…

Source WASHINGTON D.C., September 26, 2014 (Washington Post): Epic narrative. Exquisite music. Spirited humor. And puppets. The performing-art form wayang golek has it all, says Kathy Foley, a scholar and master puppeteer who is deeply versed in this brand of theater, traditional to the Sundanese culture of West Java, Indonesia. Wayang golek could be likened to “a combination of what…

Source INDIA, September 26, 2014 (Indian Express): Less than a month after the Himachal Pradesh High Court banned animal sacrifice at religious places during fairs and festivals, the caretakers of the Deities, at their rare congregation, decided to continue with the age-old tradition. The development has created a piquant situation for law enforcing agencies, which had earlier told the caretakers’…