Source KOLKATA, INDIA, May 28, 2011 (by Nicholas Kristof, The New York Times): India has been a bit of an embarrassment for those of us who believe in democracy, especially when compared with China. The Communist Party in China did a much better job fighting poverty than democratically elected Indian governments. India tolerated dissent, but it also tolerated inefficiency, disease…
Source THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, INDIA, May 23, 2011 (Deccan Chronicle): The priest of a Hindu temple (Santhikkaran in Malayalam) may be an intermediary of the Divine inside the sanctum sanctorum, but is not even considered a worthy groom outside it. Hundreds of young priests in temples of South Kerala are in distress because no family is willing to give them a bride.…
Source MALAYSIA, May 26, 2011 (The Star): Thieves desecrated three Kuala Selangor temples and stole gold platelets and navarathinam (precious stones) placed in the sanctum ground before a Hindu Deity is installed, Tamil Nesan reported. The three estate temple managements Tuan Mee, Coalfield and Kg Kuantan were shocked when the theft was discovered early Tuesday. Religious dictates require gold platelets…
Source CHENNAI, INDIA, May 24, 2011 (Times of India): Encroachments on 2.4 acres of land belonging to Sri Arulmigu Somanatheeswarar temple at Kolathur were removed on Monday. Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) officials evicted two contractors of Chennai Corporation who used the land to store materials. In addition, a car mechanic shop and another temporary shed were demolished. HR&CE…
Source NEW DELHI, INDIA, May 19, 2011 (Voa News): For the first time in 80 years, India is planning a detailed survey of religious and caste affiliation. Castes in India are part of a traditional Hindu system of social categorization and are believed to have an impact on the economic fortunes of the population. Leaders say having detailed caste data…
Source As “A” is the first and source of all the letters. Even so is God Primordial the first and source of all the world.
Source It is so refreshing to visit a spiritual site that doesn’t condemn me to hell every second sentence.— Samantha McGarry after visiting www.hinduismtoday.com
Source UK, May 26, 2011 (The Economist): In 2000 Paul Crutzen, an eminent atmospheric chemist, realized he no longer believed he was living in the Holocene. He was living in some other age, one shaped primarily by people. From their trawlers scraping the floors of the seas to their dams impounding sediment by the gigaton, from their stripping of forests…
Source PUTTAPARTHI, INDIA, May 27, 2011 (The New York Times): Sri Sathya Sai Baba, who spent decades assembling a spiritual empire, permeates every corner of this small Indian city. He transformed it from a village of mud huts into a faith center with a private airport, a university, two major hospitals, rising condominium towers and a stadium — a legacy…
Source KARNATAKA, INDIA, May 6, 2011: Raghuram Ashok and his cousin Sreenivasa S.L., both Bangalore-based photographers, were intrigued by the thought of a 16th century transcription of the Sampoorna Ramayana resting just 81 miles from their city. They first visited the Academy of Sanskrit Research in Melkote–a temple town in Karnataka and a historical centre of Sanskrit learning three months…