Source SINGAPORE, June 6, 2014 (NDTV): A 179-year-old Hindu temple in Singapore, which is among the 75 heritage buildings proposed for conservation, will reopen this month after a US$5.6 million makeover. The Sri Veeramakaliamman Temple was built as a small shrine in 1835 by early Tamil immigrants. A dozen craftsmen from Tamil Nadu have been doing restoration work to the…
Source KARNATAKA, INDIA, June 15, 2014 (New Indian Express): Come summer, the banks of Cauvery teem with known Carnatic musicians, connoisseurs, budding artists and ordinary village folk converging on the remote village of Rudrapatna in Hassan, Karnataka. However, for most visitors, it is also an occasion to visit Rudrapatna’s unique temple dedicated to music and the great Carnatic composers. The…
Source He is the Supreme Brahman, the Self of all, the chief foundation of this world, subtler than the subtle, eternal. That thou art; thou art That.— Atharva Veda, Kaivalya Upanishad
Source WASHINGTON, June 19, 2014 (Indian Express): India-born plant scientist Sanjaya Rajaram has been named the winner of the US$250,000 World Food Prize for his breakthrough achievement in increasing global wheat production by more than 200 million tonnes following the Green Revolution. Rajaram’s contributions in successfully cross-breeding winter and spring wheat varieties, which were distinct gene pools and had been…
Source KATHMANDU, NEPAL, June 18, 2014 (My Repbulica): Pashupati Area Development Trust (PADT) has issued permits to only 330 priests to carry out rituals on the premises of the famous Hindu shrine. The PADT selected the 330 priests on the basis of their academic qualification. From now onward, priests other than the ones approved by the PADT won’t be allowed…
Source WASHINGTON, DC, June 21, 2014 (indiablooms.com): Rajan Zed, first Hindu to offer the opening prayer in the US Senate, delivered the third opening Hindu prayer in the House of Representatives on June 19. Starting and concluding with “Om,” Zed read the Gayatri Mantra followed by excerpts from the Upanishads and the Bhagavad Gita–all in English. He sprinkled a few…
Source You may develop a thousand virtues and be reckoned as the greatest in the land. But the lotus of your heart will not blossom until you receive the grace of the Guru, the grace of God!— Dada Sadhu Vaswani
Source BALI, INDONESIA, June 16, 2014 (Bali Daily): The Bali chapter of the Indonesian Broadcasting Commission (KPI) has called on all broadcast media to play an active role in preserving Balinese culture by airing cultural activities regularly. The commission head Anak Agung Gede Rai Sahadewa said on Saturday that the richness and uniqueness of Balinese culture needed to be introduced…
Source DAYTONA BEACH, FLORIDA, June 14, 2014 (Daytona Beach News-Journal): Wearing saris and carrying offerings of flowers and coconuts, women and girls processed from North Beach Street to the Hindu Cultural Association building on Madison Avenue east of Mulberry Street in Daytona Beach. The procession on June 7 marked the beginning of a weeklong series of observances and rituals that…
Source FIJI, June 14, 2014 (The Jet): The Government of India via its Indian Council for Cultural Relations continues to assist people of Fiji with donations of musical instruments and educational scholarships. Director Indian Cultural Centre in Fiji, Kishan Lal Kanojia said,“The musical Instruments sent from Indian Council for Cultural Relations were gifted by His Excellency the High Commissioner Shri…