Source PATHANAMTHITTA, KERALA, INDIA, January 12, 2012 (The Hindu): District Collector, P. Venugopal, has said the services of various Government departments for the smooth conduct of the annual religious conventions at Cherukolpuzha would be ready well before the beginning of the respective event. The Ayroor-Cherukolpuzha Hindumatha Maha Mandalam (HMM) will be celebrating the centenary of the annual Hindu religious meet…
Source DELHI, INDIA, January 6, 2012 (Indian Ministry of External Affairs): The Honorable Ms. Kamla Persad-Bissessar, Prime Minister of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago paid a State Visit to India from January 5-14, 2012 at the invitation of the Prime Minister of India Dr. Manmohan Singh. The Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago is the first woman of Indian…
Source BHABHUA, KAIMURDISTRICT, BIHAR, INDIA, January 14, 2012 (Times of India): One of the oldest surviving Centrally-protected monuments in the country — Mundeshwari temple — in Maoist-hit Kaimur district is not safe. A major theft was averted in the over 1600-year-old Siva temple last month when thieves tried to break open the main entrance gate of the main sanctum sanctorum.…
Source ISLAMABAD, PAKISTAN, January 14, 2012 (Express Tribune): Bhayya Ram is not happy. A representative of the scheduled caste Hindu community in Rahim Yar Khan, he has taken strong offense to the newly drafted bill of marriage registration for scheduled caste Hindus. While most, including Ram, would think that legal recognition of Hindu marriages is a good thing, he is…
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…