Source [HPI note: With the Hindu diaspora, this is becoming more common: temples and ashrams receiving donations from many places around the world.] PANCHKULA, INDIA, April 10, 2011: The faith of devotees coming to pay obeisance at Mata Mansa Devi temple in Panchkula can not only be witnessed in numbers but also in the form of foreign currency donations. Like…
Source INDIA, April 10, 2011: Temples in Himachal Pradesh will now be able to sell half their gold reserves in the form of gold biscuits and coins at the current market rate. The state assembly has amended the HP Hindu Public Religious & Chairitable Endowments Act 1984 to accomodate the suggestions by temple committees. The yellow metal lying in temple…
Source THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, KERALA, INDIA, April 4, 2011: The Travancore Devaswom Board, which manages the hill shrine of Sabarimala, has begun the process of distributing solatium of US$5,668 each to the families of the 102 devotees who died in the stampede at Pullumedu on January 14. Most of the devotees who died in the tragedy, mainly from Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and…
Source In the whole world there is no study so beneficial and so elevating as that of the Upanishads. It has been the solace of my life–it will be the solace of my death. Arthur Schopenhauer (1788-1860), German philosopher and writer and first Western philosopher to have access to translations of philosophical material from India.
Source UNITED STATES, April 2011: The President’s Interfaith and Community Service Campus Challenge will help magnify, value and encourage America’s religious and cultural diversity. The initiative will engage the rich, pluralistic diverse communities in partnerships for the common good. It will empower them to be innovative in providing services (seva) to communities in need. The Campus Challenge can build social…
Source UNITED STATES, April 4, 2011: Celebrating the 100th anniversary of International Women’s Day, over 5000 women attended the BAPS Women’s Conference 2011 at 20 locations across North America in the month of March. This conference focused on the theme “Women: Honoring the Past, Envisioning the Future.” Conference organizer in New York, Parul Patel said, “BAPS is committed to the…
Source TRINIDAD/TOBAGO, March 15, 2011: Plants of Religious Significance: The Hindu Perspective, by Rabindranath Lackhan from Trinidad and Tobago, aims to provide information about the plants and flowers used in Hindu rituals and pujas. Sri Lackhan wrote the first edition of the book while he was an undergraduate student at the University of the West Indies (UWI)-St. Augustine. Now, after…
Source THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, INDIA, April 4, 2011: The Travancore Devaswom Board, which manages the hill shrine of Sabarimala, has begun the process of distributing solatium of US$5,668 each to the families of the 102 devotees who died in the stampede at Pullumedu on January 14. Most of the devotees who died in the tragedy, mainly from Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Andhra…
HPI KAUAI, HI, USA, April 13, 2011: If you celebrate the New Year often enough, does time move faster? Maybe not, though Hindus can say it certainly makes it more enjoyable. Particularly in North India, many celebrate New Year on the day after Diwali, which signifies hope and new beginnings. There are other dates still. But nearly everyone joins the…
www.HinduStudentsAssociation.org [HPI note: a late but noteworthy report about Holi in American campuses.] USA, April 7, 2011 (Press Release): Over the past weekend, the Hindu Students Association (HSA) celebrated Holi at several of its branches. Though some branches of the organization are quite new, they all drew very impressive turnouts. The University of Texas at Dallas (UTD) and University of…