Source PUURS, BELGIUM, October 3, 2013 (Wall Street Journal): HPI Note: From what we see of these events on YouTube (e.g. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9JlZx2oFFlU), they are a mix of rave and Holi traditions and have little to nothing to do with religion. Holi fell in March in 2013. Teens and 20-somethings congregated in this Belgian hamlet on Aug. 31 to celebrate Holi,…
Source Go beyond science, into the region of metaphysics. Real religion is beyond argument. It can only be lived, both inwardly and outwardly.— Swami Sivananda (1887-1963), founder of Divine Life Society
Source BANGALORE, INDIA, October 7, 2013 (BBC): Two widows have been ordained as priests in a centuries-old Hindu temple in the southern Indian city of Mangalore in Karnataka state. Lakshmi and Indira formally began performing rituals at the Kudroli Shree Gokarnanatheshwara Temple on Sunday. Hundreds watched the ceremony and musicians played as the widows entered the temple in a grand…
Source Find the One everywhere and in everything and there will be an end to all pain and suffering.— Sri Anandamayi Ma (1896-1982), Bengali mystic and saint
Source ARA, JHARKHAND, INDIA, October 1, 2013 (New York Times): Jharkhand has been the center of a religious tug-of-war since the 18th century, when a predominantly tribal state saw a flurry of Christian missionaries set up base there. The first Christian missionaries to arrive in the Chotanagpur plateau, which is most of Jharkhand today, were not the Catholics but German…
Source KOLKATA, INDIA, October 6, 2013 (Times Of India): Two years ago, Goddess Durga got a major makeover at two puja pandals (temporary temples, some very large, set up street-side during festivals) in Kolkata: darker skin, softer features and, somehow, a more Indian look. Behind this makeover was filmmaker Goutam Ghose, who wanted Durga to look like she did before…
Source There are two great forces in the universe, silence and speech. Silence prepares, speech creates. The strength of noise and activity is great. But infinite is the strength of stillness and silence, in which great forces prepare for action. To be capable of silence, stillness and illuminated passivity is to be fit for immortality.— Sri Aurobido (1879-1950)
Source ORISSA, INDIA, October 3, 2013 (Daily Mail UK): An Orissa court on Thursday sentenced eight persons, including a Maoist leader, to life imprisonment and imposed a fine of Rs 10,000 on each of them for the murder of Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) leader Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati. The VHP leader and his four associates were killed at their ashram at…
Source DELHI, INDIA, October 3, 2013 (PIB): The Union Culture Minister Smt. Chandresh Kumari Katoch here today launched a unique project to take India’s Heritage online. Under the project, the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has agreed with Google to create 360-degree online imagery of 100 of India’s most important heritage sites, including Khajuraho and the Ajanta and Ellora caves.…
Source CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, October 2, 2013 (Press Release): Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHPA) Chicago chapter organized the “World Without Borders” program on Sept 27-28, 2013 to commemorate the 150th birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda. It was a two-day event with over 2000 people participating. The event was cosponsored by more than 35 local organizations. It was the mammoth effort of 50…