source: BBC LEICESTER, UNITED KINGDOM, August 2010: Women are becoming more and more prominent as worship leaders in all faiths in England. And now a woman from Leicester is taking on the largely male strong hold of Hindu priesthood. In her fifties Chanda Vyas achieved her childhood dream, when she became the first female Hindu priest to conduct weddings in…
Source: www.hindustantimes.com NEW DELHI, INDIA, October 14, 2010: Fancy pandals, the beat of dhaks (traditional drums) and lighting have heralded the beginning of Durga Puja in the city, where the festive spirit is unabated despite Games-related restrictions and low sponsorship. In Chittaranjan Park, where every year puja pandals compete each other in opulence, the organizers have gone all out in…
Source: www.hindustantimes.com NEW DELHI, INDIA, October 14, 2010: Fancy pandals, the beat of dhaks (traditional drums) and lighting have heralded the beginning of Durga Puja in the city, where the festive spirit is unabated despite Games-related restrictions and low sponsorship. In Chittaranjan Park, where every year puja pandals compete each other in opulence, the organizers have gone all out in…
Source: www.hindustantimes.com NEW DELHI, INDIA, October 14, 2010: Fancy pandals, the beat of dhaks (traditional drums) and lighting have heralded the beginning of Durga Puja in the city, where the festive spirit is unabated despite Games-related restrictions and low sponsorship. In Chittaranjan Park, where every year puja pandals compete each other in opulence, the organizers have gone all out in…
Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, KERALA, INDIA, October 17, 2010: Celebrating their first learning, thousands of children in Kerala entered the world of written language by scribbling their first letters on Vijayadasami day today, marking the conclusion of the Navaratri festival. The day is also celebrated as Ayudhya Puja, when all tools are blessed. Early in the morning, children, mostly aged two…
Source: www.southasiamail.com WASHINGTON, DC, October 14, 2010 (By Anju Bhargava): This October, Hindu American Seva Charities (HASC) launched UtsavSeva (festival service), an initiative to highlight the spiritual value of the major festival of that month. Since Navaratri, the nine nights to honor the Goddess, occurs in October, this month’s theme is ShaktiSeva: women-oriented service. October is also National Domestic Violence…
Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com PATNA, INDIA, October 14, 2010: Isn’t it a heartening news that Durga Puja committees have been sensitized against animal sacrifice? Ranjit Bhattacharya, a purohit (priest) of a Barowari Puja Committee said, “Sacrifice is an essential aspect of the Puja, for `bali’ is the symbol of power. Bali invokes power. And since we are worshipping Durga, who is the…
Source: www.fijitimes.com FIJI, October 18, 2010: Ten days of the 105th Ram Leela festival celebrated in Bulileka, Labasa came to an end yesterday after the burning of Ravana, the ten-headed king of demons in the Hindu Ramayana. The daily theatrical enactment of the Ramayan attracted a crowd of about 500 to the Bulileka temple every day. Pundit Shiv Maharaj said…
Source: www.dnaindia.com BHOPAL, INDIA, October 16, 2010: The Archaeological Survey of India has found the remains of 1300-year-old temples at Ashapuri village, 36km from Bhopal. The remains of the temples are massive. Of the 21 temples, the one dedicated to Bhoothnath was the biggest. The archaeologists have named the excavation project Bhootnath Temple series. “We have found ruins of temples…
Source: www.harrowobserver.co.uk WEMBLEY, UK, October 15, 2010: The Sri Sanatan Hindu Mandir in Wembley has been given a taster of what’s to come at the UK’s biggest Diwali celebrations this month. Pupils from Alperton Community School dressed up in magnificent costumes and paraded around the iconic temple, in Ealing Road, to launch the start of Diwali celebrations. The costumes were…