Source: www.thehindu.com CHENNAI, INDIA, June 28, 2010: Vacationers from across the globe can now explore and visit several tourist spots and UNESCO monuments in Tamil Nadu through a virtual tour. Initiated by the Tamil Nadu Tourism Development Corporation (TTDC) recently, a click on the mouse gets one all tourist spots live on screen. “The aim of launching a virtual tour…
Source: www.hindustantimes.com NEW DELHI, INDIA, June 13, 2010: Lord Hanuman seems to have a new lot of devotees nowadays, some hopeful Indians with wanderlust. And, if these new devotees are to be believed, Hanuman, who helped Lord Ram rescue his wife from Ravan, is helping them acquire timely visas. The phenomen began in Delhi, but is spreading to other Hanuman…
Source: www.nytimes.com SRINAGAR, KASHMIR, June 5, 2010: The ceremony is simple and common. A Hindu priest lights a fire, places some herbs, clarified butter and other offerings atop it and through its peculiar alchemy the smoke purifies everything it touches. But nothing about this Maha Yaghya ritual performed in the once-abandoned Vichar Nag shrine here on a recent Saturday night…
Source: www.washingtonpost.com UNITED STATES, June 6, 2010: In some ways, more interfaith marriage is good for civic life. Such unions bring extended families from diverse backgrounds into close contact. There is nothing like marriage between different groups to make society more integrated and more tolerant. As recent research by Harvard Professor Robert Putnam has shown, the more Americans get to…
Source: Religion News Service UNITED STATES, July 10, 2010: The decision of the U.S. Supreme Court prohibiting “material support” for accused terrorist groups continues to reverberate. The law prohibits providing cash and weapons to terrorist groups, but also training in how to hold elections and peacefully resolve conflict. Civil rights groups, including the American Civil Liberties Union, argued the law…
Source: www.hinduismtoday.com God is subtle. Albert Einstein
Source: www.expressindia.com ALLAHABAD, INDIA, June 24, 2010: Six years ago, Badami Devi thought performing the last rites of the dead was unthinkable. It was considered a taboo for women. But her husband — who pursued this ancestral profession of Mahapatra brahmins in Maniaya village — was seriously ill. Today, there are eight women, some of them unmarried girls, performing this…
Source: www.chron.com WASHINGTON, DC, June 23, 2010: WASHINGTON: The Supreme Court of the United States has ruled that a federal law barring individuals or groups from giving advice to known terrorist organizations does not violate the constitutional right to freedom of speech. In a 6-3 ruling, the high court also said a ban on providing three other types of “material…
Source: www.theaucklander.co.nz NEW ZEALAND, June 17, 2010: Hindus and Maori find much to share at Matariki. Bowls of rice, plates of naan bread and dishes of vegetarian cuisine fill the table. Taking turns to help themselves are a group of Hindu elders, who are discussing plans to celebrate Matariki, the “Maori New Year”. Also joining them at their table are…
Source: Religion News Service BERLIN, GERMANY, 2010: In the months since news of child sexual abuse scandals roiled German society, barely a week goes by without news of yet another Catholic parish reporting declining membership. While it may be premature to estimate the long-term impact of the scandal — especially since many of the cases were decades old — the…