Source: news.bbc.co.uk INDIA, August 14, 2009: The US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) decision to put India on a list of states which failed to protect religious minorities is “regrettable”, India’s foreign ministry says. The US Commission on International Religious Freedom says India was added to the list because of a “disturbing increase” in religious violence. Other countries on…
Source: newsweek.washingtonpost.com WASHINGTON, DC, USA, August 14, 2009 (By Aseem Shukla): [HPI note: this summary, edited for brevity, tries to bring you the most important points of this issue. We encourage you to read the original at source above.] This week, the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) placed India on its “watch list.” By this designation, India,…
Source: www.telegraphnepal.com NEPAL, August 11, 2009: Reports coming from Taulihawa have it that the signature campaign initiated by the Rastriya Prajatantra Party-Nepal have so far failed to garner support in favor of re-declaration of the country as a Hindu State and referendum on Monarchy and Federalism. The local coordinator of the campaign, Mr. Bed Prasad Burma, told the Rajdhani Daily,…
Source: www.cnet.ngo.net.au HELENSBURGH, AUSTRALIA, August 10, 2009: Over thirty cultural, spiritual and religious organizations are coming together for Celebration of Ganesha Visarjana, the biggest festival of Hindus in Australia. It is also one of the biggest celebrations of Visarjana outside of India. The program starts at 9am on August 30 at the Sri Venkateshwara Temple, Temple Rd, Helensburgh. It includes…
Source: www.geocities.com SAN JUAN, TRINIDAD&TOBAGO, August 8, 2009: Though many immigrants lose their accents and their cultural roots, it seems the last thing they are willing to give up is their food. Kumar Mahabir, author of “Caribbean East Indian Recipes,” provides a comprehensive background to the ingredients, mores, folkways and history of East Indian foods in the Caribbean. The directions…
Source: www.cnn.com INDIA, August 12, 2009: Over 350 new species including the world’s smallest deer, a “flying frog” and a 100 million-year old gecko have been discovered in the Eastern Himalayas, a biological treasure trove now threatened by climate change. (See a slideshow at “Source” above). A decade of research carried out by scientists for the WWF in remote mountain…
Source: www.hinduismtoday.com Every new child brings the message that God is not yet discouraged by man. Rabindranath Tagore,(1861-1941) celebrated Bengali writer who won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1913.
Source: www.tamilnet.com WASHINGTON D.C., USA, August 9, 2009: Several hundred Saiva devotees from different parts of the U.S. attended the Washington Murugan Temple chariot festival on Saturday, held annually to coincide with the festival at the Nalloor Kandaswamy Temple in Jaffna. A new chariot funded by Sri Lanka’s Tamil expatriates in New York, built in Colombo by Jaffna craftsmen, shipped…
Source: www.reuters.com NEW DELHI, INDIA, August 10, 2009: An ancient Indian epic about princes, demigods and a cataclysmic war is getting a makeover on Twitter — 140 characters at a time. Chindu Sreedharan, a U.K.-based lecturer, is retelling the Mahabharata using the micro-blogging service, hoping to lure readers with creative snippets posted in chronological order. “This is not quite about…
Source: online.wsj.com UNITED STATES, July 28, 2009: Hindus, Jains, Sikhs and Buddhists have made remarkable strides in establishing houses of worship in America. Many are now turning to mobilize talent and resources to serve their community and the nation, institutionalizing the component of selfless service, or seva. Seva is an integral part of Dharmic culture and religious practice, from volunteering…