Source UNITED STATES, October 19, 2011 (by MaryAnn Busso): The total cost for a yoga enthusiast living in Manhattan, according to Bloomberg, is $10,779 a year. Prices are calculated for a 37-year-old New York woman who buys all accessories upfront and spares little expense to take up yoga for one year. [HPI note: See the slideshow (at source above) to…
HPI correspondent PORT-of-SPAIN, TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO, October 24, 2011 (HPI correspondent, Paras Ramoutar): “In spite of the differences or race and religions, we shall learn to tolerate and respect one another and consider all human beings as children of One God and, therefore, brothers and sisters of one another. May the celebration of religions and other festivals help bring the…
TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO, October 2011 (by Dr. Kumar Mahabir): The Divali holiday in Trinidad and Tobago coincides with the 25th anniversary of the Divali Nagar, the first Hindu theme park in the world. In the week leading to Divali, the Hindu Festival of Lights, over ten million deyas [clay lamps] are lit in homes, temples, offices, streets and parks. This…
Source USA, October 24, 2011 (HPI): Diwali (or Deepavali, “row of lights”) is celebrated by Hindus worldwide to commemorate the triumph of good over evil, knowledge over ignorance, hope over despair. Oil-wick lamps are lit in every household, along with colorful strings of electric lights, causing the home, village and community to sparkle with dancing flames. The festival falls on…
Source The whole path is a total surrendering. All four sects of Hinduism meet in surrender, prapatti, to the Divine.— Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami (1927-2001), founder of Hinduism Today
Source Hindu Dharma is like a boundless ocean teeming with priceless gems. The deeper you dive, the more treasures you find.— Mahatma Gandhi (1869-1948)
Source NEW DELHI, INDIA, October 15, 2011 (indiatimes.com): The Drug Technical Advisory Board (DTAB) has decided to regulate the sale and quality of sindoor (vermilion), the sacred symbol of married Hindu women which is also used in Hindu shrines. Sindoor is being brought under Schedule-S of the Drugs and Cosmetics rules, making it a “cosmetic” and therefore subject to safety…
Source DELHI, INDIA, October 15, 2011 (thehindu.com): Delhi University’s history department is outraged at the Academic Council’s decision to drop from the history syllabus a celebrated essay on the Ramayana by the late scholar and linguist A. K. Ramanujan. The essay, “Three Hundred Ramayanas: Five examples and three thoughts on translations,” had angered people who believe it sacrilegious to acknowledge…
Source For the Self, all that is seen is but mirage; it lasts but for a moment. Whatever is seen, we know it is not the real “I. ” Who could call real this personal self that changes every moment?— Adi Shankara, 9th century Indian philosopher and saint
Source NEW YORK, U.S., October 9, 2011: To “om” or not to “om”: For those who teach yoga in schools, that is a question that arises with regularity. The little syllable, often intoned by yoga students at the beginning and end of class, signifies different things to different people. But with its spiritual connotations, it is a potential tripwire for…