Source NAGAPATTINAM, TAMIL NADU, INDIA, May 20, 2011: The famed Navaneetheshwara Swamy Temple housing the celebrated Sikkal Singaravelavar shrine in Sikkal is getting more infrastructural facilities, thus providing stimulus to religious tourism in the district. The facilities will house 3,000 pilgrims. Work to the tune of US$220,000 has been taken up at Sikkal as part of a project funded by…
Source VARANASI, INDIA, May 14, 2011: As an initiative to inculcate cultural values and allied Indian ethos among youngsters, a special summer camp has been organized for school children in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh. This summer camp has been introduced by Ishita School where the children are taught the essence of Hindu culture, relevance of rituals, and recitation of passages from…
Source Like treasure hidden in the ground, like flavor in the fruit, like gold in the rock, and oil in the seed, the Absolute is hidden in the heart.— Akka Mahadevi, twelfth-century Vira Saiva saint
Source STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN, May 18, 2011 (National Geographic): The idea, a bold one that excelled in publicity potential, was to put the human species on trial, literally. Several Nobel laureates gathered to be the jury for a trial where Earth, represented by Her counsel, decries the environmental excesses of humans and their results. In the opening press conference, Johan Rockstroem,…
Source SOUTH JORDAN, UTAH, May 6, 2011 (India West): Utah’s Indian population may be relatively small in comparison to others across the U.S., but their combined efforts over the past decade were rewarded April 1, when Governor Gary Herbert inaugurated the new Indian Cultural Center. In hopes of unifying the Indian American community and promoting their culture, hundreds worked to…
TNN PUNE, INDIA, May 7, 2011 (TNN): The price of betel leaves is going through the roof. A box of 3,000 leaves, which would usually be sold for US$8.90, is now being sold at $22.22. Besides being the most important ingredient of the humble paan, betel leaves are an inseparable part of most Hindu rituals and poojas. The betel leaf…
Source ANDHRA PRADESH, INDIA, May 10, 2011 (The Hindu): The Tirumala Tirupati Devesthanam (TTD) on Tuesday told the Supreme Court that it has shelved the controversial decision on gold plating the sanctum sanctorum of the shrine of Lord Venkateswara at Tirumala, the world’s richest temple. The decision to reconsider the move was taken in deference to the sentiments expressed by…
Source No fruit is too heavy for the tender creeper. Similarly, a mother will always find some means to support her child.— Tamil Proverb
Source [HPI will, in rare occasions, bring you non-religious articles of interest. This is one of them.] UK, May 21, 2011 (BBC): The material graphene was touted as “the next big thing” even before its pioneers were handed the Nobel Prize last year. Many believe it could spell the end for silicon and change the future of computers and other…
Source INDIA, May 5, 2011: While the United States struggles to right itself from the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression, the Indian economy steams ahead with an annual growth rate of more than 9 percent. How did India sidestep the financial meltdown as supposedly more sophisticated operators in the U.S. stumbled? Indian leaders have a different business model…