Source KAUAI, HAWAII, January 14, 2011: Makara Sankranti is four days of giving thanks to four great forces of influence and protection: Indra, the giver of rain; Surya, the Sun; gracious cattle and beloved ancestors. This happy occasion is known as Pongal by Tamils, Pedha Panduga among the Telugus and Lohri by Punjabis. It begins on the day the Sun…
Source I was gratified to be able to answer promptly, and I did. I said I didn’t know.— Mark Twain (1835-1910), American writer, humorist and humanist
Source BHOPAL, INDIA, January 11, 2012 (Hindustan Times): As the Madhya Pradesh government prepares to create a Guinness world record with thousands of school students performing the yogic exercise, Surya Namaskar, on January 12, Muslim leaders have termed bowing before the sun un-Islamic and idolatrous. Top clerics in the state issued a fatwa against Surya Namaskar on Tuesday. Alleging that…
Source QUEENSLAND, AUSTRALIA, January 13, 2012 (gov.au): Queensland Health has issues a handbook, the Health Care Providers’ Handbook on Hindu Patients, as a quick-reference tool for health workers when caring for Hindu patients. This handbook aims to inform health care providers about of the religious beliefs and practices of Hindu patients that can affect health care. Each section provides practical…
Source KUALA LUMPUR, January 13, 2012 (Bernama.com): Indians in Malaysia are gearing up for Pongal celebrations on Sunday, January 15. It is celebrated during the 10th month of the Tamil calendar to mark the harvest of crops from the fields and to offer thanks to mother earth, the sun and God for a bountiful harvest. Malaysia Hindu Sangam president R.S.…
Source At a national and international level, we will enjoy more peace as we become more tolerant. Religious leaders can help by teaching their congregations how to live in a world of differences without feeling threatened, without forcing their ways or will on others. World bodies can make laws which deplore and work to prevent crimes of violence. It is…
Source USA, January 3, 2012 (WSJ): Say “placebo effect” and most people think of the boost they may get from a sugar pill simply because they believe it will work. But more and more research suggests there is more than a fleeting boost to be gained from placebos. A particular mind-set or belief about one’s body or health may lead…
Source INDIA, January 8, 2012 (Indian Express): Displaced Kashmiri Pandits came together in the city to recall the hardships of a migrant life after spread of militancy in the Valley. The first international Kashmiri Pandit Youth Conference, organized by ‘Youth 4 Panun Kashmir’ under the aegis of Panun Kashmir, was inaugurated on Saturday. Spiritual guru Sri Sri Ravi Shankar addressed…
Source [HPI note: This is a rebuttal for an article summarized on HPI on January 7, 2012, linked here .] WASHINGTON, DC, USA, January 7, 2012 (By Sheetal Shah): I’d like to thank the The New York Times for continuing to fuel the relevancy of the Hindu American Foundation’s Take Back Yoga campaign. The latest piece in the Times Magazine,…
Source WASHINGTON, DC, USA, January 11, 2012 (NYTImes): In what may be its most significant religious liberty decision in two decades, the Supreme Court on Wednesday for the first time recognized a “ministerial exception” to employment discrimination laws, saying that churches and other religious groups must be free to choose and dismiss their leaders without government interference. “The interest of…