Source ALLAHABAD, INDIA, February 9, 2013 (Express India): Allahabad Sadhvis at Kumbh 2013 are gradually and surely going up the hierarchy in a predominantly male-dominated system. Sai Maa Laxmi Devi, who was born in Mauritius and is a French citizen, was the first woman from outside India to be given the title “Jagat Guru” of the Vaishnavite Nirmohi akhara in…
Source There is no true path that leads away from religion.— Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami (1927-2001), founder of Hinduism Today
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…
Source ALLAHABAD, India, February 12, 2013 (Times of India): HPI note: There are dozens of stories on the tragic events at the Kumbha Mela yesterday. This Times of India story is as complete as any. Hinduism Today reporter Rajiv Malik tells us by phone that the disaster has cast a gloom over all the pilgrims still at the Mela. The…
Source No fault befalls a king who, in guarding and caring for his subjects, punishes wrongdoers–for that is his duty.— Tirukkural
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…