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Source Can you weep for Him with intense longing of heart? Men shed a jugful of tears for the sake of their children, for their wives, or for money. But who weeps for God?— Sri Ramakrishna Paramahansa (1836-1886)

Source NEW DELHI, INDIA, November 2, 2012 (Deccan Herald): Decked up in colorful traditional attire and jewelry and wearing henna designs on their hands, women across north India Friday celebrated Karva Chauth with a day-long fast for the long life of their husbands. Married women offer prayers to the goddess Gauri Mata before ending the fast in the evening. Many…

Source When culture is flooding out of the temple, our actions are productive and our minds are creative, our speech is pure, our hearts rejoice and we become good citizens. Religion makes us good citizens, because we are peaceful inside and want peace in our land. Peace comes first from the individual. It is unrealistic to expect peace from our…

TRIVANDRUM, KERALA, November 3, 2012: John Xavier of the BaronIndian Group has announced the creation of a huge Siva Nataraj measuring 9 feet across and 14 feet high. Made entirely of rosewood, it required sculptor Palakal and 8 carvers four years to complete. Photos of the carving can be seen here. Xavier may be contacted at “source” above for more…

Source BANGKOK, THAILAND, November 2012 (Bangkok Post): Watch this well-edited recent video as worshippers pack the Sri Maha Mariamman temple, known as Wat Khaek Silom, for the annual parade of devotion to Goddess Sri Maha Uma Devi along Silom and Sathon Roads in Bangkok. (HPI note: Parts of this video may be a little unnerving for some.)

Source LEICESTER, U.K., November 4, 2012 (ITV Central): The world famous Diwali light switch-on celebrations in Leicester’s Golden Mile will take place tonight. This year’s Hindu event takes place from 6pm in Leicester’s Belgrave Road and organizers are promising a lively programme of entertainment including classical Indian and Bollywood music, ahead of the lights being switched on at 7.30pm. Once…

Source LUDHIANA, PUNJAB, INDIA, October 17, 2012 (India Times): Navaratra is here and has the whole city caught in the festive mood, with temples decorated and women set to play garba to welcome Goddess Durga. The city temples too have left no stone unturned to add extra glitz and color to celebrations for the residents who are coming in large…

Source I adopted the theory of reincarnation when I was 26. Religion offered nothing to the point. When I discovered reincarnation … time was no longer limited. I was no longer a slave to the hands of the clock.— American auto industrialist Henry Ford

Source FREMONT, CALIFORNIA, November 3, 1012 (San Jose Mercury News): The best things in life are supposed to be free, but a Hindu temple here angered worshippers Friday with the announcement that it would ask for money to take part in an annual ceremony. “They’re making the temple a place for moneymaking, and that’s wrong,” said Fremont resident Rita Ratra.…

Source KATHMANDU, NEPAL, November 2, 2012 (Hornsby Advocate): Kathmandu was a ghost town last Wednesday. “The streets would be all empty; everyone’s gone back to their villages,” said Mitra Pariyar, who marked Dashain, Nepal’s holiest Hindu festival, with his family in Hornsby. More than 100 local Nepalese families did likewise. The 15-day festival celebrates the mythological victory of good over…