NEW YORK, January 28, 2011: Scientists say that meditators may be benefiting from changes in their brains. The researchers report that those who meditated for about 30 minutes a day for eight weeks had measurable changes in gray-matter density in parts of the brain associated with memory, sense of self, empathy and stress. The findings will appear in the January…
NEW DELHI, INDIA, January 31, 2011: James Madaio, a PhD candidate at Deccan College, Pune, considered Sanskrit a dead language until last year. His opinion changed shortly after he saw his college teachers converse with their students in Sanskrit. Later, he landed up in Delhi and joined Samvadshala, where a 14-day Sanskrit speaking course draws students from all parts of…
DHAKA, BANGLADESH, February 8th, 2011: Hindus all over the world are celebrating Saraswati Puja today to pay obeisance to the Goddess of wisdom and learning, and the deity for fine and performing arts — Saraswati. Saraswati Puja is performed on the Vasant Panchami day every year mostly in educational institutions, where the Hindu students seek the blessings of Ma Saraswati.…
To speak or not to speak–when that is the question, silence should take the place of speech. Mahatma Gandhi (1869-1948) Source
INDIA, January 2011: (by M.V. Kamath) The Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowment Act of 1951 allows State Governments and politicians to take over thousands of Hindu Temples and maintain complete control over them and their properties. It is claimed that they can sell the temple assets and properties and use the money in any way they choose. A charge has…
CHENNAI, INDIA, January 2011: A total of 150 stalls had been put up by various organizations at the Hindu Spiritual and Service Fair 2011, held at the Sri Ramachandra University ground, Thiruvanmiyur. The fair was sponsored by Global Foundation for Civilizational Harmony, Chennai chapter. Nearly 250,000 people were expected to visit the fair before its closing date of January 30.…
PARIS, FRANCE, February 6, 2011: Claims that there could currently be up to two million Christians in Nepal are considered exaggerated by several observers of the local religious scene. But the growth of Christianity is real, reports the news agency Eglises d’Asie. The figure of two million was quoted in the recently released 2010-11 edition of the Nepal Catholic Directory:…
NEW DELHI, INDIA, January 14, 2011: Can ancient mantras induce rains? Do Vedic chants impact the surrounding environment? A team of scientists will attempt to find out the answers when they descend on the ancient village of Panjal in Kerala to study the 3,100-year-old Vedic ritual called Athirathram to be held from April 4 to 14. The ritual to invoke…
Never do anything which you would not wish to do during the last hour of your life. Dada J.P. Vaswani Source
NEW YORK, February 1, 2011: (by Mark Bittman) For decades, Americans believed that we had the world’s healthiest and safest diet. We worried little about this diet’s effect on the environment or on the lives of the animals (or even the workers) it relies upon. Nor did we worry about its sustainability. We’ve come to recognize that our diet is…