Source MOMBASA, KENYA, May 16, 2014 (Coastweek): The pioneering Indian Dukawalla or shopkeeper introduced the use of money to buy goods in Eastern Africa. Thus he launched the monetary economy in this part of the world, writes Kul Bhushan. The Duka, derived from the Hindustani word Dukan, was set up in the remote locations after the British built the Uganda…
Source You shine, all living things emerge. You disappear, they go to rest. Recognizing our innocence, O golden-haired Sun, arise; let each day be better than the last. Rig Veda (X, 37, 9)
Source NEW YORK, U.S., May 1, 2014 (Odisha Sun times): Ever wondered why most Britishers could not pronounce the Sanskrit word “sri” – a common Indian honorific for males – and instead settled for “shri,” a combination of sounds found in English words like shriek and shred? This is because the brain does not work like a computer when it…
Source WYEBANK, SOUTH AFRICA, February 5, 2014 (Highway Mail): After months of construction, the Wyebank Hindu Temple is finally at a stage where devotees can worship again, starting February 5th. According to Venessa Pillay, a committee member at the temple, the Wyebank Hindu Temple was small, and as the congregation grew the committee decided to renovate it to leave a…
Source BANGALORE, INDIA, May 17, 2014 (New Indian Express): The Banashankari temple on Kanakapura Road is the richest among all temples administered by the government in Bangalore. The Anjaneya (Hanuman) temple in Mahalakshmi Layout and the Dodda Ganapathi temple on Bull Temple Road are the other two big revenue earners in Bangalore.Together, the three temples earn an annual income of…
Source KERALA, INDIA, May 15, 2014 (Times Of India): [HPI Note: The logic behind the advisor’s recommendation is not explained in this widely circulated article and remains something of a mystery.] The best graduates from IITs and IIMs dream of the salary amicus curiae Gopal Subramaniam has recommended for head priests of Sree Padmanabhaswamy temple in Thiruvananthapuram. In his report…
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 BOTHELL, WASHINGTON, May 14, 2014 (The Republic): When yellow-robed priests pulled back the burgundy curtain of a shrine inside the Hindu Temple and Cultural Center in Bothell, more than a thousand people who had squeezed into the smoke-filled building let out tears and gasps of joy. It was the crowd’s first glimpse of not just the temple’s first formally…
Source BALIKPAPAN, INDONESIA, May 5, 2014 (Kaltim Post): It’s not only Indonesia’s Muslims who have the halal bi-halal ceremony. Indonesian Hindus also have a tradition of a day dedicated to seeking forgiveness and harmony with friends and relatives. It’s called Dharma Santi and is observed after the Nyepi New Year’s day. Dharma Santi means cleaning the mental, moral, and spiritual…
Source When I think of myself as a body, I am your servant, my Lord; when I think of myself as an individual soul, I am part of you; but when I realize I am atman, you and I become one.— Lord Hanuman in the epic Ramayana