KERALA, INDIA, January 3, 2022 (Press Release from Chinmaya International Foundation): Two courses in Hindu Spiritual Care have been developed by Chinmaya International Foundation (CIF) to train Spiritual Care Providers, or Chaplains, to address the spiritual and emotional needs of individuals of Hindu faith, in various settings, such as hospitals and hospices, schools and universities, communities, the military, corporations or…
DEHRADUN, INDIA, November 30, 2021 (The Wire): The Uttarakhand government on Tuesday said it would scrap the Devasthanam Board which has drawn flak from the priests of Char Dham shrines. Chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said that after studying all the aspects pointed out by the high-power committee headed by senior BJP leader Manohar Kant Dhyani, his government has decided…
INDIA, December 30, 2021 (Republic World): Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Wednesday revealed that his government was considering a bill to free Hindu temples and religious institutions from state control. [Other religions already have full control of their own institutions, without any state control.] Addressing a state meeting in Hubli, the CM stated that the primary goal to bring…
UJJAIN, INDIA, November 19, 2021 (The Free Press Journal): The expansion and beautification work in Mahakaleshwar Temple premises costing US$80 million seems to reach its final stage with the completion of more than 70 per cent of the construction work. The temple will be completely revamped to its full glory by March 2023 in order to ensure the convenience and…
INDIA, December 28, 2021 (MSN, by Savio Rodrigues): At the onset let me state this fact as clearly and as bluntly as possible: I am an Indian Christian. India is my motherland. And I am not a persecuted Christian in India. I read with intrigue the recent New York Times article, “Arrests, Beatings and Secret Prayers: Inside the persecution of…
INDIA, December 17, 2021 (Indian Express): Unesco’s Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage on Wednesday put “Durga Puja in Kolkata” on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. The Committee is meeting virtually in its 16th Session from December 13 to 18. Eric Falt, director of UNESCO New Delhi, said he was “confident…
JAFFNA, SRI LANKA, December 17, 2021 (Indian Express): Taking off their shirts and wearing traditional white veshtis, the bare-chested men, carrying trays laden with fruit and puja offerings, entered the temple. Nothing unusual because that’s the practice at the Nallur Kandaswamy Kovil, a temple near Jaffna in Sri Lanka. But the man who dressed as a devotee and led the…
TAMIL NADU, INDIA, December 15, 2021 (The Hindu): Beginning Monday (December 13), entry for devotees and tourists into the world-famous Sri Meenakshi Sundareswarar Temple in Madurai shall be permitted only if they had taken the vaccine dose for Covid-19, said Joint Commissioner (HR&CE) Chelladurai on Sunday. The Tamil Nadu government had made it mandatory for people to get inoculated, especially,…
UNITED STATES, December 13, 2021 (Religion News, by Deepti Hajela): When Sushma Dwivedi started seriously thinking about performing wedding rites and other Hindu religious blessings in New York City and elsewhere, she knew who she needed to talk to — her grandmother. Together, they went through the mantras that are recited by pandits, the priests who perform Hindu religious rituals,…
UNITED STATES, December 15, 2021 (Press Release): Bhumi Global, an international, Hindu-based nonprofit committed to climate action that works in collaboration with the United Nations, is looking for interns to work alongside staff and volunteers to implement key facets of the organization’s programs and initiatives. Interns would get hands-on experience in Bhumi’s workstreams, including communications, operations, finance, development, strategic partnerships/outreach…