Source: www.telegraphindia.com CHENNAI, INDIA, December 10, 2009: Authorities of the 400-year-old Madurai Meenakshi temple are considering banning coconuts as they fear the fruit can be used by terrorists to smuggle in explosives. Coconuts are a common offering to the gods across temples, more so in those of Tamil Nadu. The Madurai temple had taken the first step in keeping out…
Source: www.thehindubusinessline.com NEW DELHI, INDIA, December 2, 2009: The humble incense stick has been declared a handicraft product under the new duty drawback rates. With the manufacturers’ long standing demand being met, a surge in sales is expected. Agarbathi, as it is called, has been brought under the jurisdiction of the Export Promotion Council for Handicrafts (EPCH) from CHEMEXCIL. The…
Source: www.dnaindia.com BHUBANESWAR, INDIA, December 4, 2009: The Dalits of Kisinapur village in Cuttack district took a big step on Wednesday. They walked inside the 900-year-old Chhateswar temple in their village, which has been out of bounds for them, and offered prayers to Lord Shiva. They were received at the temple gate by the priests and served prasad. All these…
Source: news.bbc.co.uk INDIA, December 11, 2009: The Indian government is to allow a new state to be carved out of part of the southern state of Andhra Pradesh. Home Minister P. Chidambaram said the process of forming Telangana state would begin soon. Campaigners say the region has long been neglected. Supporters of the state are celebrating after days of violent…
Source: blogs.telegraph.co.uk NEASDEN, UNITED KINGDOM, November 21, 2009: Catholic Archbishop Nichols was greeted by the Neasden BAPS Mandir’s spiritual leader, Yogvivek Swami (Head Sadhu, BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha – UK & Europe) and the Trustees of the Mandir, during a celebration of Pramukh Swami Maharaj’s birthday. The Archbishop was welcomed in traditional Hindu style – with a red vermillion mark applied…
Source: www.nytimes.com NEW YORK, December 12, 2009: The Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life released a report on Wednesday that is bound to stir conversation about the increasingly complicated cacophony of spirituality in America — a mash-up of traditional faiths, fantasy and mythology. Entitled “Many Americans Mix Multiple Faiths,” the report points out that many Americans are now choosing…
Source: www.hinduismtoday.com After receiving grace of a God, the devotee can never be the same again, never look at life again in the old way. By grace we are directed deeper into spiritual life, pointed in the right direction, carefully guided on the San Marga, the straight path to our supreme God. After grace has been received, our thoughts are…
Source: blogs.abc.net.au MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA, December 8, 2009: An unprecedented assembly of Hindu Spiritual Leaders at the PWR has issued a Hindu Declaration on Climate Change. “It is a matter of survival,” says the Declaration; “we cannot continue to destroy nature without also destroying ourselves.” All morning the Hindu Convocation has been meeting, with one seer after another rising to deliver…
Source: www.asiaone.com BANGALORE, INDIA, December 4, 2009: Every first week of December in a rural district in the state of Karnataka, villagers drop babies from the top of a 30-foot Hindu temple onto a blanket held by a crowd below, amid dancing and singing. Thousands of people assembled on Wednesday at the temple near Indi in the district of Bijapur…
pSource: a href=”http://anujaprashar.sulekha.com/blog/post/2009/11/who-is-watching-whom-why.htm”anujaprashar.sulekha.com/a/pUNITED KINGDOM, November 30, 2009: This article is focused on analyzing, comparing and contrasting the stated purpose, activities and alliances of two organizations, which have set themselves up to protect and provide security for a particular constituency. These two organizations are MIGRATION WATCH UK and CASTE WATCH UK. The protectionism and rhetoric of these two organizations reveals a…