Can Big Data From Epic Indian Pilgrimage Help Save Lives?

Source ALLAHABAD, INDIA, February 8, 2013 (NY Times): The South Asia Institute at Harvard has sent a team of public health specialists to one of the largest gatherings in the world, the Kumbh Mela in India, with a goal of assembling the largest public health data set ever among a transient population. The pilgrims are there to bathe. The epidemiologists…

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One Hundred Low Caste Scavengers Honored at Kumbha Mela

Source PRAYAG, INDIA, February 8, 2013 (Deccan Chronicle): On the banks of Ganga and Yamuna, history was written silently and unobtrusively on Thursday when around 100 scavengers performed puja and took a holy dip at Sangam. Scavengers, termed untouchables, were brought from Alwar and Tonk districts of Rajasthan by social reformer Dr Bindeshwar Pathak, who heads the Sulabh International. For…

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St. Lucia’s East Indian Community Hosts Forum

Source ST. LUCIA, CARIBBEAN, February 2, 2013 (The Voice): The local East Indian community is preparing to host a forum to discuss a number of issues affecting them. The event will be held on Sunday, February 10 from 1:00 pm at the Augier Combined School. Among the topics to be discussed are: *The positive contributions the East Indian population has…

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Temple Issues Certificate For Holiness

Source INDIA, February 5, 2013 (BBC by Narayan Bareth): There is a remote and unique temple – a virtually undiscovered spiritual centre in the striking border wilderness between the states of Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan – where you can get a written certificate for holiness. Gautameshwar is a pilgrim centre where you can submerge yourself in holy waters, wash away…

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Hindu Advisor Joins Chaplain’s Office

Source UNITED STATES, January 31,2013 (Yale Daily News): In an effort to help strengthen Hindu programming on campus, Asha Shipman joined the Chaplain’s Office staff on Jan. 16 as the Yale’s first Hindu life advisor. The new 20-hour-per-week part-time position was created to support the increasing popularity of Hindu programs on campus, University Chaplain Sharon Kugler said. Shipman’s primary responsibility…

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How The Kumbh Mela Crowds Are Counted

Source ALLAHABAD, INDIA, February 2, 2013 (India Real Time): The Kumbh Mela is frequently billed as the world’s largest religious gathering. It is almost certainly true. But how can we know for sure? The two men with the challenge of counting up to an estimated 80 million people are divided on how to do it. They also come up with…

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Daily Inspiration

Source It cannot be seen by the eye, and yet it is the eye within the eye. It cannot be heard by the ear, and yet it is the ear within the ear. It cannot be smelt by the nose, and yet it is that which makes the nose to smell. It cannot be uttered by the mouth, and yet…

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