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Posted on
2012/1/3 17:03:25 ( 1022 reads )
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I wish there was a knob on the TV to turn up the intelligence. There's a
knob called brightness, but it doesn't work.
-- Swami Anubhavananda, humorous author, lecturer
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Posted on
2012/1/2 16:56:35 ( 1192 reads )
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UNITED KINGDOM, December 29, 2011 (wandsworthguardian): A new center which
specializes in care for the borough's aging Hindu community opened last
week. The Bhakti Shyama Care Center, in Balham New Road, caters to Asian
elders and is located behind the Radha Krishna Hindu Temple. An event was
held earlier this month to celebrate its opening, which was attended by MP
Jane Ellison and council leader Councillor Ravi Govindia.
It can cater for up to 25 people, and provides services for users in their
own homes or at the center. All of the staff can speak Gujarati or Hindi
and specialized vegetarian meals will be provided to meet dietary
requirements.
Jane Ellison MP said: "For an ever-increasing number of people, their
choice of quality long-term care is a vital one. I welcome the way that the
Bhakti Shyama Care Centre team have brought fresh thinking to delivering
services that meet the needs of our diverse society."
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Posted on
2012/1/2 16:56:29 ( 1191 reads )
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INDIA, December 29, 2011 (The Hindu): The vibrant energy of the "Mad
and Divine" fills the air. Words, songs, and dances of India's beloved
female saint-poets transformed Bharatiya Vidhya Bhavan on December 23, 24,
and 25, at an event inspired by Dr. Anita Ratnam. "My purpose in 'Mad
and Divine' was to bring these women from the past and juxtapose these
iconic figures as inspirations to engage with their passion," said Dr.
Ratnam.
The agenda included morning sessions by cultural thinkers and scholars from
across India and abroad interspersed with poetry and dance, and resonant
evenings with performances exploring the theme of madness and divinity.
The keynote speaker, Shanta Serbjeet Singh, senior arts columnist and
critic, described mystic saint-poets as "avadhuras," i.e.
"eccentric mystics," and their "avadhurism" as
"crazy wisdom." Singh reminded the audience that the freedom we
enjoy today was not available to saint-poets of the past who despite all
odds produced remarkable creative work.
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Posted on
2012/1/2 16:56:23 ( 1347 reads )
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UNITED STATES, December 2011: Yoga in America is now a six billion dollar
industry. It is a highly influential practice that has captured the
attention of millions, and continues to do so at an insurmountable rate. It
is estimated that 15 to 20 million Americans practice yoga on a regular
basis as it has become a celebrated form of exercise, stress relief and an
effective method to enhance overall wellbeing. It is not uncommon to find a
yoga studio on almost every street corner in the city.
While most people view modern yoga as a non-denominational practice for the
mind and body, Father Gabriele Amorth, the former chief exorcist for the
Vatican, does not. Esteemed as someone who exhumed evil spirits for the
Vatican, Amorth believes that by practicing yoga, one will be led to
practice Hinduism, and that "brings evil" because it supports the
non-Christian notion of reincarnation.
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Posted on
2012/1/2 16:56:17 ( 1150 reads )
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NEW YORK, USA, December 29, 2011 (By Mark Bittman, food critic for the NY
Times): Among your other resolutions -- do more good? make more money? --
you've probably made the annual pledge to eat better, although this concept
may be more often reduced simply to "lose some weight." The
weight-loss obsession is both a national need and a neurotic urge (those
last five pounds really don't matter, either cosmetically or medically).
But most of us do need to eat "better."
If defining this betterness has become increasingly more difficult, the
core of the answer is known to everyone: eat more plants. And if the diet
that most starkly represents this -- veganism -- is no longer considered
bizarre or unreasonably spartan, neither is it exactly mainstream.
Many vegan dishes, however, are already beloved: we eat fruit salad, peanut
butter and jelly, beans and rice, eggplant in garlic sauce. My point here
is to make semi-veganism work for you.These recipes serve about four, and
in all, the addition of salt and pepper is taken for granted. This is not a
gimmick or even a diet. It's a path, and the smart resolution might be to
get on it. Read them here.
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Posted on
2012/1/2 16:56:11 ( 1105 reads )
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When you have completed 95 percent of your journey, you are halfway there.
-- Japanese Proverb
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Posted on
2011/12/30 16:34:09 ( 1371 reads )
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Press Release:
jaydeep@gita-society.com
FREMONT, CALIFORNIA, December 28, 2011 (Press Release): The International
Gita Society (IGS) opened a school for poor Hindu Children named "
Vishwa Niketan" on December 21, 2011 in Subidhat Village of Dinajpur
District. The function was started with reciting the Bhagavad Gita slokas.
The occasion was graced by the IGS, Bangladesh President Mr. Bishwanath Roy
and other local elites. President Shri Roy announced " The Bhagavad
Gita and a syllabus of Balgokulam prepared by the Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh,
USA are the integrated part of the school curriculum,".
Jaydeep Chaudhari, Vice President of the IGS USA (a parent organization),
looks for a large scale expansion of the IGS activities in India, Pakistan,
Afghanistan, and Sri Lanka in upcoming years based on the Bhagavad Gita.
More schools for poor Hindu children are expected to be launched in
Pakistan soon with the help of IGS Pakistan and Pakistan Hindu Seva.
The IGS was founded by Dr. Ramanananda Prasad, Retired U.S.Navy Official
and Professor of San Jose State University in 1984. It is a registered,
non-profit, tax-exempt, spiritual institution in the US.
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Posted on
2011/12/30 16:34:02 ( 1458 reads )
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WEST LOMBOK, INDONESIA, December 26, 2011: At Pura Lingsar, a historic
temple in Lingsar village, West Lombok, hundreds of people of all ages, one
in the yard of Pura Gaduh, a Hindu prayer house, and the other in the yard
of Kemaliq, a sacred place for the ethnic Sasak Muslim community. As soon
as they heard a command to begin, both groups immediately charged headlong
at each other. But perang topat, or the war of topat (boiled rice cakes in
coconut leaves), in which rice lumps are hurled, is a centuries-old
tradition in Lingsar village that is meant to promote harmony between local
Muslims and Hindus. Laughter reigns.
The ritual is believed to bring blessings through the topat thrown at each
other. When the fight is over, the remaining rice cakes already used are
always taken home to be strewn over paddy fields for soil fertility or
placed in shops for profit. "Through generations, we've been
practicing this tradition after bumper harvests, by which we express our
deep gratitude to God and anticipate soil fertility in the current planting
season. It's also a means of strengthening relations with fellow Hindu
villagers," said Sahyan, 36-years-old, a Lingsar resident managing the
Kemaliq house.
The annual event in Lingsar village takes place in Pura Lingsar, which was
built in 1759 during the reign of King Anak Agung Gede Ngurah, a descendant
of the King of Karangasem, Bali, who ruled part of Lombok in the 17th
century. This temple, about 5.5 miles east of Mataram, is the most unique
building of its kind in the country because it comprises Pura Gaduh, a
place for Hindu worshippers, and Kemaliq, a Sasak Muslim house of
ceremonies.
More at source.
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Posted on
2011/12/30 16:33:56 ( 1292 reads )
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Religion News
Service
UNITED STATES, December 2011 (RNS by Kimberly Winston): A new study finds
that atheists are among society's most distrusted group. Psychologists at
the University of British Columbia and the University of Oregon say that
their study demonstrates that anti-atheist prejudice stems from moral
distrust, not dislike, of nonbelievers.
"It's pretty remarkable," said Azim Shariff, an assistant
professor of psychology at the University of Oregon and a co-author of the
study, which appears in the current issue of Journal of Personality and
Social Psychology.
The study is part of an attempt to understand what needs religion fulfills
in people. Among the conclusions is a sense of trust in others.
"People find atheists very suspect," Shariff said. "They
don't fear God so we should distrust them; they do not have the same moral
obligations of others. This is a common refrain against atheists. People
fear them as a group."
Shariff, who studies atheism and religion, said the findings provide a clue
to combating anti-atheism prejudice. "If you manage to offer credible
counteroffers of these stereotypes, this can do a lot to undermine people's
existing prejudice," he said.
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Posted on
2011/12/30 16:33:50 ( 1225 reads )
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Let your mind cognize itself by turning itself back on itself. Become
consciously conscious. All you have to do is to watch your mind think.
-- Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami (1927-2001), founder of Hinduism
Today
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Posted on
2011/12/28 19:53:59 ( 1371 reads )
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US, November 20, 2011 (First Post): Balasaraswati and her famous
contemporary Rukmini Devi Arundale, both extraordinary dancers, disagreed
on many things. Eventually, those differences played out on a national
stage in a legendary 1945 concert that is one of the subject of a new book
about Balasaraswati.
Bala's outspoken criticism of carnality in Sringara rasa as presented by
some traditional dancers had been a matter of public record by the 1930s.
In 1945, a dance festival with both artists opened with a recital of
bharata natyam by Rukmini Devi, who was the predominant performer
throughout. "Srimati Rukmini Devi," the festival booklet
explained, "has regenerated this art and rescued it from degradation
and virtual extinction and restored it to its pristine beauty, by
permeating it with religious and devotional spirit. She has succeeded in
dramatizing it with appropriate music and costumes, and has rescued it from
all monopolies, especially as regards teaching and conducting." In the
inaugural performance on January 18, Rukmini Devi performed a traditionally
formatted concert, and she included compositions whose poetry made
reference to human love, Sringara rasa pieces from the traditional
repertoire.
The night of Balasaraswati's concert on January 21, saw a different
approach. Her piece was a reconstruction of a kuravanji, an opera-like form
that had evolved in the Thanjavur court. In a contrast to Rukmini Devi's
ornate stage decorations, Bala danced on an empty stage. The concert was
one of great vigor and triumph. Bala danced wonderfully, abhinaya,
tirmanams, with enormous energy. It was as if she decided to say, 'I want
to show art is not just stage trappings.' And she proved her point. The
audience was thrilled.
While their artistic rivalry unfolded, India's respect and love for dance
was about to take a blow. On January 26, 1947, India celebrated its first
Republic Day. Four months later, the Devadasi Act was passed in the Madras
Legislative Council. The act declared unlawful "the performing of any
dance by any woman in the precincts of any temple or religious institution
or in any procession of a Hindu Deity." Bala later commented proudly
and with respect that even after the passage of the legislation, Mylapore
Gauri Ammal continued to dance in the sanctum sanctorum of Kapaaliswara
Temple in Madras. Nevertheless, the hereditary art Bala had attempted to
raise up in the eyes of the nation and of which she was so intensely proud
had been overwhelmed. By the end of 1947, the defamation of the devadasi
had been legislated, and it appeared that both the art and the artist had
been banished and replaced.
For more on this subject and the new book on Balasaraswati, click on
"source" above.
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Posted on
2011/12/28 19:53:53 ( 1098 reads )
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US, December 24, 2011 (caring.com): "A few hours before she died, my
mother said, 'Are you the gentleman who's come to meet me?' She was not
addressing anyone in the room." -- Michele, a North Carolina mother of
four
These "deathbed visions," as British neuropsychiatrist Peter
Fenwick, a specialist in near-death experiences, calls them, almost always
take place when the person is clearly conscious -- even though witnesses
sometimes mistake the visions and speech for signs of delirium. Some dying
people switch easily between conversations with those at the bedside and
with someone unseen. The people and places are usually connected with
feelings of peace and security. In the U.S. and the U.K., nearly
three-fourths of visions are of friends and relatives who aren't living,
says Fenwick, author of The Art of Dying. About 13 percent of people seen
are religious figures, compared to 50 percent of people in India who see
Hindu figures. Seeing strangers is relatively rare.
"On the day she died, my mom kept talking about traveling, like,
'Let's go, what are we waiting for . . . oh, there's a plane ahead of us .
. . no, that's not the right plane.' She also told my dad that he should
take a later flight. She was definitely going someplace," says
Patricia Anderson, 45-year-old Ohio insurance account executive.
The person may also allude to "making ready" (packing, making
checklists, issuing directions). Some observers think that this talk of
journey-making is a subconscious way dying people let family members know
they know they're passing away.
"The hospice people had told me that sometimes people won't die when
their loved ones are in the room, especially if the person has played a
protective role in their lives," shared to Lise Funderburg, a
Philadelphia writer.
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Posted on
2011/12/28 19:53:47 ( 1097 reads )
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NEW DELHI, INDIA, December 28, 2011 (Hindustan Times): Ahead of the Punjab
Assembly polls, the Centre has decided to accede to the long-standing
demand of the Sikh community for enacting a separate Anand Marriage Act,
giving legal sanctity to the marriages under Sikh religion, official
sources said.
Prior to Independence, marriages among Sikhs were held under the Anand
Marriage Act in the presence of Guru Granth Sahib and the practice
continued till 1955 when the Sikh Marriage Act was replaced and included in
the Hindu Marriage Act, clubbing four communities together-- Hindu, Sikh,
Buddhist and Jain.
Several political, religious groups and individuals, including former
Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh and Congress leader R.S. Jaura, have
appealed to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and home minister P. Chidambaram
for enactment of a separate law for solemnizing Sikh marriages.
However, the Centre has been refraining from acting on it it apparently
apprehending that it could lead to similar demands from other communities
covered under the Hindu Marriage Act.
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Posted on
2012/1/7 16:59:52 ( 1903 reads )
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INDIA, January 7, 2012 (gulfnews): A 400-year-old Hindu temple in Himachal
Pradesh that had been partly damaged more than a century ago in a
devastating earthquake has been reconstructed in its original style and
will be open to the public this month.
The foundation of the Bharari Devi temple, located in Sarah village near
Dharamsala town in Kangra district, was damaged when the Kangra Valley
witnessed a devastating earthquake in 1905, killing more than 20,000
people. The quake tilted the temple, located some 250km from state capital
Shimla.
"The temple was reconstructed at its original site after demolishing
the original one. The new one is exactly a replica of the original
one," said Himachal chapter convener Malvika Pathania, who works for
Intach (Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage).
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Posted on
2012/1/7 16:59:46 ( 1549 reads )
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USA, January 7, 2012 (CNN): Republican presidential hopeful Jon Huntsman
called it stupid. His rival Ron Paul denounced it. But perhaps most
appalled by a "China Jon" ad on YouTube were Hindus in America.
The ad also shows images of Huntsman with his two adopted daughters -- one
from China and the other, India. The Huntsmans adopted Indian daughter Asha
Bharati from the western state of Gujarat in 2006. The ad asks: "Share
our values? A man of faith?" as a photograph flashes of Huntsman with
an infant Asha Bharati. Both are a wearing a red tikka, a mark associated
with the sacred and often seen on foreheads at Hindu ceremonies and
temples.
The Hindu American Foundation objected to the insinuations made in the
video.
"This deplorable ad is blatantly racist and religiously intolerant,
and crosses all lines of acceptable political discourse," said Suhag
Shukla, the foundation's managing director and legal counsel. "Instead
of vilifying Governor Huntsman, he should be applauded for being
open-minded enough to raise his adopted daughter as a Hindu," she
said.
Huntsman, a Mormon, is raising Asha "to learn about and appreciate her
native culture and the faiths associated with it," his spokesman told
CNN last summer.
"To attack a candidate's family, particularly his young daughters, is
completely unacceptable and should be denounced by all Americans,"
said Samir Kalra, director of the Hindu American Foundation.
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Posted on
2012/1/7 16:59:40 ( 1278 reads )
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INDIA, December 26, 2011 (BBC): The song has been as feted as it has been
vilified. Jana Gana Mana, India's national anthem, has seen millions on
their feet, standing to reverential attention, every time it is played.
Among its critics are those that consider the song to be deferential to the
British monarchy; others find it fails to fully reflect races and regions.
Political controversies, clamor for changes in lyrics by regional
politicians, and even claims of co-ownership of the composition have kept
Jana Gana Mana in the news.
But 100 years after Tagore - the first Asian winner of the Nobel Prize for
Literature in 1913 - wrote and performed the song on 27 December 1911 at
the Calcutta session of the Indian National Congress, Jana Gana Mana has
maintained its grip on the Indian public and political imagination.
Leaders like Mahatma Gandhi considered the song to have "found a place
in our national life" while India's first Prime Minister Jawaharlal
Nehru noted that Jana Gana Mana was "a great national song... also
because it is a constant reminder to all of our people of Rabindranath
Tagore".
Tagore scholar Prabodhchandra Sen pointed out the broader vision of Jana
Gana Mana as a song that glorifies the motherland and is a "hymn in
praise of the lord of the universe, the dispenser of human destiny" -
a status not mortally possible for any human being to achieve, including
the British king.
Much more at source.
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Posted on
2012/1/7 16:59:34 ( 1351 reads )
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Religion News
Service
USA, January 7, 2012: Last year saw two widely publicized, widely
embarassing failed predictions for "the end of the world" by
evenagelical pastor Harold Camping. But more may be coming: on December 21,
2012, the Mayan calendar reaches the end of its 5,126 epoch. That's a cause
of consternation among some end-times adherents, and amusement among some
descendants of the Maya.
Should you be inclined, you can use your smart phone to check how many days
are remaining before a date that was carved into rock by a pre-Columbian
civilization -- there are many apps for that. You cannot really blame -- or
credit -- the Maya for the commotion. More likely, blame their New Age
adherents.
The ancient Mayan calendar does technically end at Dec. 21, 2012. But Mayan
experts say it's simply a case of one long Mayan epoch -- of 5,126 years --
coming to an end, in much the same way the 1900s came to an end.
Here's a prediction: 2013 will be the year when everyone finally stops
talking about the Mayan calendar.
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Posted on
2012/1/7 16:59:28 ( 1953 reads )
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Can you weep for Him with intense longing of heart? Men shed a jugful of
tears for the sake of their children, for their wives, or for money. But
who weeps for God?
-- Sri Ramakrishna Paramahansa (1836-1886)
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Posted on
2012/1/6 16:27:41 ( 1327 reads )
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INDIA, December 16, 2011 (Press Release): The Archaeological Survey of
India (ASI) was founded in the December 1861 as a result of a series of
antiquarian, artistic and architectural investigations since 1784, when the
Asiatic Society was established under Sir William Jones. The necessity of
an institution to survey and document, interpret and publish the data
pertaining to India's ancient past was thus felt as early as the 19th
century. Sir Alexander Cunningham was the first Archaeological Surveyor of
ASI, who carried out a monumental survey in the entire northern India. The
ASI gradually grew as a pan-India organisation under Sir John Marshall,
whose endeavors culminated in the promulgation of a separate act to protect
and preserve our ancient past. His period also saw the discovery of Indus
Valley Civilization, which pushed back our history to third millennium BC.
The excavations at Harappa, Mohenjodaro, Taxila, Sarnath, Sanchi, etc., by
Sir John Marshall are hallmarks of discovery and presentation of India's
past before the people.
The ASI expanded enormously post-independence. A novel approach of
surveying the entire country was devised under the "Village-to-Village
Survey of Antiquarian Remains" which enabled an extensive survey of
remote corners of India. This resulted in the discovery of a large number
of sites of different periods, starting from the prehistoric to medieval
times. A monumental task of salvaging the archaeological remains in the
Nagarjunakonda Valley was carried out successfully under the patronage of
our first Prime Minister, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru.
The ASI also expanded its activities in the protection, conservation,
preservation and environmental upgrade of nationally protected monuments
numbering 3,677 in a major way.
The major activities of the Archaeological Survey of India today are:
1. Survey of archaeological remains and excavations;
2. Maintenance and conservations of centrally protected monuments,
sites and remains
3. Chemical preservation of monuments and antiquarian remains;
4. Architectural survey of monuments;
5. Development of epigraphical research and numismatic studies;
6. Setting up and re-organization of site museums;
7. Expeditions abroad;
8. Training in Archaeology;
9. Publication of technical study reports and research works.
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Posted on
2012/1/6 16:27:35 ( 1568 reads )
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The Vegetarian Society, off Dunham Road, Altrincham, Trafford attracts
visitors from all over the country
UK, January 4, 2011 (messengernewspapers): A Victorian mansion just off
leafy Dunham Road in Altrincham is home to an organisation whose appeal is
so far and wide, it gets more hits on its website from overseas than it
does at home. It is the Vegetarian Society - a 165-year-old charity which
has always had its roots in Manchester since forming in 1847, but has been
in its current home for the past 43 years.
"There are vegetarian societies all over the continent, but we're the
oldest and the biggest," said CEO Dr Jon Green. "We're an
educational charity and make information available so people constantly
contact us asking for advice. We don't preach to people, that would be
counter-productive. I personally believe the world would be a better place
if we didn't eat meat - but our role is to show what it means to be
vegetarian, how to eat vegetarian food and how great it is to eat as a
vegetarian."
The society's patrons include the doyen of vegetarian cookery Rose Elliot
and Paul, Stella and Mary McCartney.
It employs 30 staff - none of whom eat meat - and has an annual turnover of
1.3 million pounds sterling (US$ 2 million). As well as receiving funding
from all the usual sources such as membership and legacies, it also
receives a fee for underwriting vegetarian cuisine in supermarkets - you
will find the logo on 8,000 products.
Today there are two million vegetarians in the UK, with the society having
12,000 members. Seventy-five per cent of those members are women and most -
according to a recent survey - cite animal welfare as the main reason for
abstaining from eating meat.
"Vegetarianism was a bit different back in the 1800s as people's
religious views played a part as well as concern for animal welfare, health
and the environment," said Jon. "However, the basic principles
are the same today - eating as a vegetarian is good for us and the
environment and causes minimal damage to the animals we share the planet
with." Giving advice on what to eat and how to eat it is a huge part
of the society and its Cordon Vert cookery school, headed-up by principal
tutor Alex Connell.
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Posted on
2012/1/6 16:27:29 ( 1925 reads )
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NEW YORK, January 5, 2011 (NY Times): Glenn Black is, in many ways, a
classic yogi: he studied in Pune, India, at the institute founded by the
legendary B. K. S. Iyengar, and spent years in solitude and meditation. He
now lives in Rhinebeck, N.Y. And Black, I'd been told, was the person to
speak with if you wanted to know not about the virtues of yoga but rather
about the damage it could do. Many of his regular clients came to him for
bodywork or rehabilitation following yoga injuries.
Not just students but celebrated teachers too, Black said, injure
themselves in droves because most have underlying physical weaknesses or
problems that make serious injury all but inevitable. Instead of doing
yoga, "they need to be doing a specific range of motions for
articulation, for organ condition," he said, to strengthen weak parts
of the body. "Yoga is for people in good physical condition. Or it can
be used therapeutically. It's controversial to say, but it really shouldn't
be used for a general class." "To come to New York and do a class
with people who have many problems and say, 'O.K., we're going to do this
sequence of poses today' -- it just doesn't work."
According to Black, a number of factors have converged to heighten the risk
of practicing yoga. The biggest is the demographic shift in those who study
it. Indian practitioners of yoga typically squatted and sat cross-legged in
daily life, and yoga poses, or asanas, were an outgrowth of these postures.
Now urbanites who sit in chairs all day walk into a studio a couple of
times a week and strain to twist themselves into ever-more-difficult
postures despite their lack of flexibility and other physical problems.
Many come to yoga as a gentle alternative to vigorous sports or for
rehabilitation for injuries. But yoga's exploding popularity -- the number
of Americans doing yoga has risen from about 4 million in 2001 to what some
estimate to be as many as 20 million in 2011 -- means that there is now an
abundance of studios where many teachers lack the deeper training necessary
to recognize when students are headed toward injury.
Among devotees, from teachers to acolytes forever carrying their rolled-up
mats, yoga is described as a nearly miraculous agent of renewal and
healing. They celebrate its abilities to calm, cure, energize and
strengthen. And much of this appears to be true: yoga can lower your blood
pressure, make chemicals that act as antidepressants, even improve your sex
life.
But a growing body of medical evidence supports Black's contention that,
for many people, a number of commonly taught yoga poses are inherently
risky. The first reports of yoga injuries appeared decades ago, published
in some of the world's most respected journals -- among them, Neurology,
The British Medical Journal and The Journal of the American Medical
Association. The problems ranged from relatively mild injuries to permanent
disabilities
In recent years, reformers in the yoga community have begun to address the
issue of yoga-induced damage. The editor of Yoga Journal, Kaitlin
Quistgaard, described re-injuring a torn rotator cuff in a yoga class.
"I've experienced how yoga can heal," she wrote. "But I've
also experienced how yoga can hurt -- and I've heard the same from plenty
of other yogis."
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Posted on
2012/1/6 16:27:23 ( 1220 reads )
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O Mother! Let all my speech be your prayer; let all my crafts and
technology be your worship and be the mystic gestures of my hand, adorning
you. May all my movements become your devotional circumambulations. May
everything I eat or drink be oblations to you. Let my lying down in rest
and sleep be prostrations to you. Mother! Whatever I do, may all that
become a sacramental service and worship for you.
-- Adi Sankaracharya's 'Hymn to the Divine Mother'
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Posted on
2012/1/4 16:38:32 ( 1410 reads )
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TRINIDAD/TOBAGO, January 1, 2012 (guardian.com.tt): UN Women in the
Caribbean recently funded a three-phase program aimed at promoting the role
of faith-based organisations in "increasing awareness to change
attitudes and influence behavior among people from all walks of life, as
essential to preventing and ending violence against women." The
collaboration established a partnership between UN Women and the Hindu
Women's Organisation of T&T. One of the outcomes was the publication of
a booklet entitled Hinduism--An Overview & Rejecting Violence Against
Women. Pundit Bramdeo Maharaj, a former president of the Inter-Religious
Organisation, presented the Hindu overview, and Brenda Gopeesingh presented
the position of the Hindu Women's Organisation in addressing violence
within the Hindu community.
The booklet was launched at the newly refurbished Divali Nagar Auditorium
during the "16 Days of Activism" which represented the period
between November 25 and December 10--the days which the UN has reserved to
vigorously address the Elimination of Violence Against Women since 2008.
The audience included members of the Maha Sabha, Swaha, Saathi, the Raj
Yoga Centre, the Satya Sai Organisation the Rape Crisis Centre, the
Institute of Gender Studies, CAFRA and the Network of NGOs.
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Posted on
2012/1/4 16:38:25 ( 1308 reads )
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KHADODA, INDIA, December 29, 2011: Every five days or so, in a marriage of
low and high tech, field hands with long-handled dust mops wipe down each
of the 36,000 solar panels at a 63-acre installation operated by Azure
Power. The site is one of the biggest examples of India's ambitious plan to
use solar energy to help modernize its notoriously underpowered national
electricity grid, and reduce its dependence on coal-fired power plants.
Azure Power has a contract to provide solar-generated electricity to a
state-government electric utility. Inderpreet Wadhwa, Azure's chief
executive, predicted that within a few years solar power would be
competitive in price with India's conventionally generated electricity.
Two years ago, Indian policy makers said that by the year 2020 they would
drastically increase the nation's use of solar power from virtually nothing
to 20,000 megawatts -- enough electricity to power the equivalent of up to
3.3 million modern American homes during daylight hours when the panels are
at their most productive. Many analysts said it could not be done. But, now
the doubters are taking back their words.
Dozens of developers like Azure, because of aggressive government subsidies
and a large drop in the global price of solar panels, are covering India's
northwestern plains -- including this village of 2,000 people -- with
gleaming solar panels. So far, India uses only about 140 megawatts,
including 10 megawatts used by the Azure installation, which can provide
enough power to serve a town of 50,000 people, according to the company.
But analysts say that the national 20,000 megawatt goal is achievable and
that India could reach those numbers even a few years before 2020.
India still significantly lags behind European countries in the use of
solar. Germany, for example, had 17,000 megawatts of solar power capacity
at the end of 2010. But India, which gets more than 300 days of sunlight a
year, is a more suitable place to generate solar power. And being behind is
now benefiting India, as panel prices plummet, enabling it to spend far
less to set up solar farms than countries that pioneered the technology.
More at source.
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Posted on
2012/1/4 16:38:18 ( 1179 reads )
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www.hafsite.org
WASHINGTON, DC, USA, November 12, 2011 (HAF): The Hindu American Foundation
is now accepting applications for its Hindu American Congressional
Internship, a unique opportunity for selected applicants to spend eight
weeks interning on Capitol Hill between late May and mid-July 2012.
Applicants must be US citizens or permanent residents, at least 18 years
old, and enrolled in good standing at an accredited U.S. university or
college, and must have a minimum GPA of 3.0. Additional information and the
application form can be found online here.
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Posted on
2012/1/4 16:38:11 ( 1324 reads )
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Amma was making dosai pancakes for breakfast for her two sons, Vignesh, age
seven, and Chandran, age five. The boys got into a terrific argument over
who was going to get the first dosai. They grew loud and rowdy. Amma saw
this as a teaching opportunity, so she quieted the boys and said. "Now
boys, do you know what Ganesha would do? He would say, 'Give the first
dosai to others.' " The boys listened carefully as she spoke. Vignesh
turned to Chandran and said: "Chandran, you be Ganesha."
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Posted on
2012/1/3 17:03:43 ( 2178 reads )
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NEW DELHI, INDIA, December, 2011: The 15th World Sanskrit Conference,
organized by Rashtriya Sanskrit Sansthan, New Delhi in association with the
International Association of Sanskrit Studies, will be inaugurated by
Honorable Prime Minister of India Dr. Manmohan Singh at Vigyan Bhavan, New
Delhi on January 5, 2012 at 10 a.m.
Rashtriya Sanskrit Sansthan will release the catalogue of approximately
57,000 manuscripts belonging to its Ganganatha Jha Campus. The catalogue in
ten volumes in hard copies will be released in the inaugural session of the
Conference and it will also be uploaded on the website of the Sansthan.
A Sanskrit Book Fair is being arranged in the premises of the Indira Gandhi
National Centre for Arts. The exhibitions and around 105 book-stalls in the
Book Fair will remain open during conference days for scholars, students,
delegates and Sanskrit lovers. The fair will feature revitalization of
knowledge systems through manuscript wealth with focus on scientific
traditions of India, Sanskrit and Sanskritic inscriptions in South East
Asia, Historical traditions of India through manuscripts, Exhibition on
Information Technology and computer tools related to Sanskrit.
The Conference will operate in twenty sections. About eight sessions will
be running concurrently in four cakras (slots) on most of the days.
Sections include: Veda; Linguistics; Epics and Puranas; Tantra and Agamas;
Poetry, Drama and Aesthetics; Sanskrit and Asian Languages and Literatures;
Sanskrit and Science; Buddhist Studies; Jain Studies; Philosophies;
Religious Studies; Ritual Studies; Epigraphy; Sanskrit in Technological
World; Modern Sanskrit Literature; Pandit-parishad; Law and Society; and
Manuscriptology.
The 15th World Sanskrit Conference is going to be an important meet of
Sanskrit scholars of various Universities and Institutions of the world who
are working in different disciplines of Sanskrit Studies. Likely two
hundred foreign delegates and one thousand Indian delegates will
participate in the conference. They will interact and deliberate upon
important issues of Sanskrit learning and research in the global scenario
and present the essence of wisdom as well as the treasures from the
Sanskrit-based knowledge systems. Visit sanskrit.nic.in for more details
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Posted on
2012/1/3 17:03:37 ( 1118 reads )
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KATHMANDU, NEPAL, January 2, 2012 (The Himalayan Times): Bells and
valuables were stolen from several temples in Bhotebahal of Kathmandu on
Sunday night. Police said four bells were stolen from the Ganesh temple;
three from Bhagawati temple and one from Mahadev temple along with four
Diyos and Jalahari. The unidentified thieves also stole one bell from
Maheshwor temple and two bells from Dungedhara-based Ganesh temple.
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Posted on
2012/1/14 17:52:15 ( 1063 reads )
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BHABHUA, KAIMURDISTRICT, BIHAR, INDIA, January 14, 2012 (Times of India):
One of the oldest surviving Centrally-protected monuments in the country --
Mundeshwari temple -- in Maoist-hit Kaimur district is not safe. A major
theft was averted in the over 1600-year-old Siva temple last month when
thieves tried to break open the main entrance gate of the main sanctum
sanctorum. Barely five Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) monument
attendants are posted on the temple premises to look after the safety of
the monument. The entire premises is virtually left to the mercy of God
without any armed forces and power supply. The temple situated atop a 608
feet hill is the 'oldest functional temple' in the country where regular
prayers have been performed for the past several hundred years. One of the
ASI monument attendants, Bhola Ram, in a recent letter to the ASI
superintending archaeologist, Patna Circle, said that on December 20 last
some of the thieves managed to enter the temple premises from its western
flank by cutting the fenced wall past midnight. Taking advantage of
darkness, they started breaking the grill of the main entrance gate of the
sanctorum, the letter said. Experts said that the temple has been subject
of archaeological study for quite some time now. While the sanctum
sanctorum has a 'devi' idol situated in a corner, a 'Chaturmukh Shivalinga'
adorns the centre. The main deities in the sanctum sanctorum of the temple
are Devi Mundeshwari and Chaturmukh (four faced) Shivalinga. A substantial
part of the stone structure has been damaged, and many stone fragments are
seen strewn around the temple. The temple is visited by a large number of
pilgrims each year, particularly during the Ramnavami and Shivratri
festivals.
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Posted on
2012/1/14 17:52:09 ( 1115 reads )
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DELHI, INDIA, January 6, 2012 (Indian Ministry of External Affairs): The
Honorable Ms. Kamla Persad-Bissessar, Prime Minister of the Republic of
Trinidad and Tobago paid a State Visit to India from January 5-14, 2012 at
the invitation of the Prime Minister of India Dr. Manmohan Singh. The Prime
Minister of Trinidad and Tobago is the first woman of Indian origin to
become a Head of Government in the wider Diaspora which is a source of
inspiration to the Diaspora. Prime Minister Ms. Kamla Persad-Bissessar will
visit the Kolkata Memorial Monument from where her ancestors had set sail
for Trinidad and Tobago in the middle of the 19th Century. She will also
visit her ancestral village of Bhelupur in Buxar district of the State of
Bihar. During the visit, the following Agreements were concluded: a
Bilateral Air Services Agreement; an MoU on Cooperation in Traditional
Indian Medicine; an MoU on setting up of a Chair on Ayurveda in the
University of West Indies; Programme of Cultural Exchanges and; Technical
Cooperation Agreement in the field of Education.
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Posted on
2012/1/14 17:52:03 ( 1104 reads )
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PATHANAMTHITTA, KERALA, INDIA, January 12, 2012 (The Hindu): District
Collector, P. Venugopal, has said the services of various Government
departments for the smooth conduct of the annual religious conventions at
Cherukolpuzha would be ready well before the beginning of the respective
event. The Ayroor-Cherukolpuzha Hindumatha Maha Mandalam (HMM) will be
celebrating the centenary of the annual Hindu religious meet on the sandbed
of river Pampa at Cherukolpuzha near Kozhencherry from February 5 to 12.
Mata Amritanandamayi Devi, Renowned spiritual leader, will inaugurate the
centenary meet at a ceremonial function to be held at the sprawling sandbed
of Pampa at 3 pm on February 5. Ashok Singhal, Viswa Hindu Parishad
national president, will preside over the inaugural function. Satguru
Bodhinatha Veylanswami, Publisher of Hinduism Today, will address the event
in person on the evening of February 11.
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Posted on
2012/1/14 17:51:57 ( 919 reads )
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Speaking cruel words is like sharpening a boomerang.
-- Anonymous
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Posted on
2012/1/13 16:11:38 ( 1452 reads )
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KUALA LUMPUR, January 13, 2012 (Bernama.com): Indians in Malaysia are
gearing up for Pongal celebrations on Sunday, January 15. It is celebrated
during the 10th month of the Tamil calendar to mark the harvest of crops
from the fields and to offer thanks to mother earth, the sun and God for a
bountiful harvest. Malaysia Hindu Sangam president R.S. Mohan Shan said
Pongal is celebrated worldwide by Indians who symbolise the festival by
boiling rice from freshly harvested paddy with milk and brown sugar in a
new clay pot until it 'boils over," which is the literal meaning of
the word Pongal in Tamil. Witnessing the boiling over is considered good
luck and would bring prosperity to the household, he added. He noted that
the festival has now become a celebration for everyone in the country as
Malays and Chinese also came together on the day. "For us in Malaysia,
it is a celebration for everyone, even ministers, politicians and
non-governmental organisations join us in celebrating the festival,"
he said.
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Posted on
2012/1/13 16:11:31 ( 1357 reads )
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QUEENSLAND, AUSTRALIA, January 13, 2012 (gov.au): Queensland Health has
issues a handbook, the Health Care Providers' Handbook on Hindu Patients, as
a quick-reference tool for health workers when caring for Hindu patients.
This handbook aims to inform health care providers about of the religious
beliefs and practices of Hindu patients that can affect health care. Each
section provides practical advice and information for health care providers
which is designed to answer some of the more common questions about Hindu
patients and the religious practices of Hinduism that affect health care.
Download the 24-page booklet at "source" above.
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Posted on
2012/1/13 16:11:24 ( 1388 reads )
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BHOPAL, INDIA, January 11, 2012 (Hindustan Times): As the Madhya Pradesh
government prepares to create a Guinness world record with thousands of
school students performing the yogic exercise, Surya Namaskar, on January
12, Muslim leaders have termed bowing before the sun un-Islamic and
idolatrous. Top clerics in the state issued a fatwa against Surya Namaskar
on Tuesday.
Alleging that Shivraj Singh Chouhan's government was gently and insidiously
saffronising education in MP, the Muslim leaders said if the government
went ahead with its mass Surya Namaskar, they would approach the court. But
state school education minister Archana Chitins said participation in the
mass Surya namaskar was voluntary.
"Surya Namaskar is a healthy yogic exercise. And we are not imposing
it. It is not mandatory for all. Those who don't want to participate, are
most welcome to drop out. Surya Namaskar is a healthy exercise which has
been ratified by scientists and health experts across the world. We want
children to adopt a healthy lifestyle. That is our only aim here."
However, the Muslim leadership said Islam did not give them permission to
bow before any picture or three-dimensional object. Muslims leaders from
various organisations, who jointly held a press meet in Bhopal on Tuesday
under the banner of Coordination Committee for Indian Muslims Unit, Madhya
Pradesh, urged Muslim students not to participate in the
"un-Islamic" event.
State government has issued guidelines to all joint directors of school
education and district education officers to ensure the success of the
Surya Namaskar event. The state government is aiming for a world record for
the largest aerobics demonstration (multi-location). Currently, Kazakhstan
holds the record for the largest aerobics demonstration (multi-location) in
which 4,845,098 people participated.
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Posted on
2012/1/13 16:11:17 ( 1187 reads )
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I was gratified to be able to answer promptly, and I did. I said I didn't
know.
-- Mark Twain (1835-1910), American writer, humorist and humanist
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Posted on
2012/1/12 17:12:27 ( 1116 reads )
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INDIA, January 8, 2012 (Indian Express): Displaced Kashmiri Pandits came
together in the city to recall the hardships of a migrant life after spread
of militancy in the Valley. The first international Kashmiri Pandit Youth
Conference, organized by 'Youth 4 Panun Kashmir' under the aegis of Panun
Kashmir, was inaugurated on Saturday.
Spiritual guru Sri Sri Ravi Shankar addressed the gathering from Germany
over video conferencing and urged the community to return to Kashmir.
"The members of the community should buy land and property to
establish educational institutions to preserve their cultural heritage and
save their identity." He also called upon Kashmiri Pandit youth to
volunteer during the Amarnath Yatra and help the pilgrims.
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Posted on
2012/1/12 17:12:21 ( 1012 reads )
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USA, January 3, 2012 (WSJ): Say "placebo effect" and most people
think of the boost they may get from a sugar pill simply because they
believe it will work. But more and more research suggests there is more
than a fleeting boost to be gained from placebos.
A particular mind-set or belief about one's body or health may lead to
improvements in disease symptoms as well as changes in appetite, brain
chemicals and even vision, several recent studies have found, highlighting
how fundamentally the mind and body are connected.
It doesn't seem to matter whether people know they are getting a placebo
and not a "real" treatment. Researchers want to know more about
how the placebo effect works, and how to increase and decrease it. A more
powerful, longer-lasting placebo effect might be helpful in treating health
conditions related to weight and metabolism.
Do placebos work on the actual condition, or on patients' perception of
their symptoms? In a study published last year in the New England Journal
of Medicine, Dr. Kaptchuk's team rotated 46 asthma patients through each of
four types of treatment: no treatment at all, an albuterol inhaler, a
placebo inhaler and sham acupuncture. As each participant got each
treatment, researchers induced an asthma attack and measured the
participant's lung function and perception of symptoms. The albuterol
improved measured lung function compared with placebo. But the patients
reported feeling just as good whether getting placebo or the active
treatment.
"Right now, I think evidence is that placebo changes not the
underlying biology of an illness, but the way a person experiences or
reacts to an illness," Dr. Kaptchuk says.
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Posted on
2012/1/12 17:12:15 ( 901 reads )
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At a national and international level, we will enjoy more peace as we
become more tolerant. Religious leaders can help by teaching their
congregations how to live in a world of differences without feeling
threatened, without forcing their ways or will on others. World bodies can
make laws which deplore and work to prevent crimes of violence. It is only
when the higher-nature people are in charge that peace will truly come.
There is no other way, because the problems of conflict reside within the
low-minded group who only know retaliation as a way of life.
-- Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami (1927-2001), founder of Hinduism
Today
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Posted on
2012/1/11 20:23:44 ( 1403 reads )
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WASHINGTON, DC, USA, January 11, 2012 (NYTImes): In what may be its most
significant religious liberty decision in two decades, the Supreme Court on
Wednesday for the first time recognized a "ministerial exception"
to employment discrimination laws, saying that churches and other religious
groups must be free to choose and dismiss their leaders without government
interference.
"The interest of society in the enforcement of employment
discrimination statutes is undoubtedly important," Chief Justice John
G. Roberts Jr. wrote in a decision that was surprising in both its sweep
and its unanimity. "But so, too, is the interest of religious groups
in choosing who will preach their beliefs, teach their faith and carry out
their mission."
The decision gave only limited guidance about how courts should decide who
counts as a minister, saying the court was "reluctant to adopt a rigid
formula."
Chief Justice Roberts devoted several pages of his opinion to a history of
religious freedom in Britain and the United States, concluding that an
animating principle behind the First Amendment's religious liberty clauses
was to prohibit government interference in the internal affairs of
religious groups generally and in their selection of their leaders in
particular.
"The Establishment Clause prevents the government from appointing
ministers," he wrote, "and the Free Exercise Clause prevents it
from interfering with the freedom of religious groups to select their
own."
The decision was a major victory for a broad range of national religious
denominations that had warned that the case was a threat to their First
Amendment rights and their autonomy to decide whom to hire and fire. Some
religious leaders had said they considered it the most important religious
freedom case to go to the Supreme Court in decades.
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Posted on
2012/1/11 20:23:38 ( 1193 reads )
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[HPI note: This is a rebuttal for an article summarized on HPI on January
7, 2012, linked here .]
WASHINGTON, DC, USA, January 7, 2012 (By Sheetal Shah): I'd like to thank
the The New York Times for continuing to fuel the relevancy of the Hindu
American Foundation's Take Back Yoga campaign. The latest piece in the
Times Magazine, "How Yoga Can Wreck Your Body" by William Broad,
just adds more fodder to the campaign. Broad's latest has naturally upset
many in the yoga community - it's a rather silly, one-sided piece that
highlights a handful of people who have suffered injuries due to their yoga
practice.
The male college student sitting on his heels in vajrasana "for hours
a day, chanting for world peace" is hardly the typical profile of an
everyday yoga practitioner. It's also rather curious that Broad had to go
back as far as 1973 to find a healthy, 28-year-old woman who suffered a
stroke due to backbending. Admittedly, Broad agrees these are seemingly
rare, but goes on to note that yoga-related injuries have been increasingly
since 2000. Isn't that obvious? As with any activity that requires physical
exertion, it is only logical that as it becomes more popular, the number
practitioners will increase, as will the number of injuries.
Broad draws his conclusions from studies that were individual case reports
which, according to the physicians at HAF, carry the stamp of least
academic legitimacy and are effectively, tantamount to anecdotes. And while
several systematic, randomized studies have demonstrated the health
benefits of yoga, no large, matched cohort or epidemiological study has
ever revealed the dangers, making me yet again wonder why his piece
received so much space in the magazine.
Putting aside the absurdity of Broad's very narrow base of examples, there
are two larger issues which his piece touches upon. The first is
essentially the premise of the Take Back Yoga campaign: Yoga is not a
purely physical exercise, and to view it as such is the crux of the
problem. But asana alone is not yoga, and as yoga teacher Glenn Black
comments in the piece, "Asana is not a cure-all."
The second problem, which Broad explicitly covers in his interview with
Black, is the surge of yoga teachers who are not qualified to teach and are
thus, prone to pushing their students too far, leading to injuries. To
compound the issue, in an effort to not exclude anyone (or perhaps make as
much money as possible, depending upon the studio), its appears that the
majority of yoga classes are "open to all levels" leaving the
decision of which asanas to attempt and how far to push the body up to the
students.
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Posted on
2012/1/11 20:23:32 ( 1125 reads )
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RUSSIA, January 3, 2012 (by Natalya Radulova): Only a few years ago,
Tina-Sad vegetarian preschool founder and director Tina Trusova worked at a
Moscow publishing house and was bringing up her three children on typical
meals like borsch and roast beef. Today she is a devout vegetarian.
Private preschools are becoming more and more common in modern Russia. They
usually begin like this: A woman rents a three-room apartment and recruits
students from among her neighbors either because there are no places
available at the local public preschool or because the private school
promotes particular values that parents find appealing. Many vegetarian
parents would rather take their kids on the metro to Tina-Sad rather than
allow their children attend a local preschool that serves meatballs for lunch.
"A vegetarian kindergarten is not such a lucrative enterprise,"
said Trusova. "It would be easier if I took a more relaxed attitude to
the menu. But, first, I cannot change my ways, because I hate cooking meat;
I detest it. And second, I feel that I am implementing a good project. I am
teaching kids good nutrition habits, they are never sick and, in general, a
cold is something unknown to us here."
Sharaf Maksumov is a lacto-vegetarian who eats milk and honey. His pregnant
wife shares his principles. But they are already wondering what
kindergarten to choose for their future child. "From the experience of
our vegetarian friends, we know that no teacher at a state-run preschool
would cook food specially for him," Maksumov said, adding that he
doesn't really expect such things. "Problems arise not because
somebody tries to force our children to eat meat. Simply no one at meal
times watches the kids to see that they are given the food that their
parents brought and the children are too young to remind the nurses."
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Posted on
2012/1/24 17:50:00 ( 761 reads )
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PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANI, USA, January 24, 2012: (Chakranews.com): The 1st
Hindu Mandir priests' Conference 2012 (HMPC 2012) will be hosted on April
27-28, 2012 and held in Pittsburgh, USA. The conference objective is
sustainability and the advancement of Sanatana Dharma by making the modes
of worship meaningful and relevant for the younger generation of Hindus
within the United States and Canada. The purohits (priests) play an
essential role in the spiritual and cultural welfare of North American
Hindu society. The conference will explore ways to make the priests' roles
more effective in meeting the ever changing needs of North American Hindus.
Some of the detailed discussions will be around the following: * Connecting
with Children and Young Adults * Personal Growth and Continuing Education *
Shared responsibilities * Samskaras & Festivals * Worship practices:
Beyond rituals * Internships, Sabbaticals, Exchange Programs * Challenges
of multiple languages, disparate customs * Managing devotees demands *
Environmental Considerations * Employment & Benefits * Hindu Chaplaincy
Program It is the hope of the organizers that priests may take several new
concepts from this conference and implement in advancing the growth of the
respective temples. If you would like to contribute in any of the above
roles please contact: Dr. Abhaya Asthana, Program Co-Chair, HMPC 2012, abhayaji@gmail.com.
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Posted on 2012/1/24
17:50:00 ( 816 reads )
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BHUBANESWAR, ORISSA, INDIA, January 24, 2012 (Times of India): A
35-year-old Russian tourist here on Tuesday created quite a flutter after
entering the 11th century Lingaraj temple that is off limits to non-Hindus.
The tourist, who claimed to have converted to Hinduism in the past,
identified himself as Sundar Gopal Das. Police are verifying the Russian's
passport to ascertain his identity. The name on his passport read as
Skukhzat, sources said. Rituals at the temple were disrupted for nearly
four hours following the foreigner's entry. Priests performed a
purification ritual and dumped the Lord's cooked prasad worth above
US$1,000, sources said. "We cleansed the temple as per tradition and
dumped the prasad in a well as it was defiled following the unprecedented
incident," said Abanikant Pattnaik, temple's executive officer.
Das, on the other hand, feigned ignorance about the shrine stricture.
"I was ignorant about the prohibition on the entry of non-Hindus into
the shrine. Nobody stopped me at the entrance," the Russian told TOI.
The Russian tourist was let off after routine verification. The Lingaraj
temple was witness to a similar chaotic situation following the entry of a
foreigner in September 2008. In another incident in March 2009, a Hindu NRI
boy from Poland, Ryszard Ankur Ahuja was stopped from entering Lingaraj
temple as he looked like a foreigner.
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Posted on
2012/1/24 17:50:00 ( 608 reads )
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VIETNAM: A flood of Vietnamese are flooding a Hindu temple in Ho Chi Minh
City during the 7-day Tet festival that began last Friday, according to
Indian residents of the city and local Vietnamese. More than 50,000 people,
almost all Buddhists, prayed at the Mariammam Temple through the day and
the entire night during the Vietnamese New Year on Sunday. The flow
continued through Tuesday with several thousand local people visiting each
day. "The local Vietnamese believe that worshiping at this temple
during the New Year festival will bring good luck," Atul Kumar, a
businessmen who has been in HCMC since the 1980s told TNN. A visitor from
India reported that people were observing both Hindu and Buddhist rituals
to please the gods at the temple.
This is among the three Hindu temples in Vietnam's biggest city, which has
less than 1,000 resident Indians. The Mariammam temple draws the maximum
number of local worshippers besides serving as an officially approved
tourist's destination. All the temples were built nearly 150 years back,
when the city had a thriving community of Indian businessmen dealing in
silk and spices.
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Posted on
2012/1/24 17:10:00 ( 732 reads )
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Keep me away from the wisdom which does not cry, the philosophy which does
not laugh, and the greatness which does not bow before children.
-- Kahlil Gibran (1883-1931), mystic, poet and artist
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Posted on
2012/1/21 12:20:00 ( 1072 reads )
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MATLI, SINDH PROVINCE, PAKISTAN, January 21, 2012 (Express Tribune): Money,
jobs and a debt-free life: It sounds like a sweet deal for many of the
Hindu laborers in Matli, but it comes with strings attached -- convert to
Islam.
Hundreds of Hindus in the area have converted to Islam in the past few
years, courtesy seminaries, mosques and self-styled preachers. Switching
religions comes with an upgrade in social status and material benefits -
Hindu converts said they could easily get Watan Cards and National
Identification Cards, aid, and were given land and assistance by the
organisation helpfully walking them over to the other side.
With new Muslim names and a vow to adopt religious rites, they are only
hoping that someone will be impressed enough to offer them land and social
security.
These desires have been fulfilled at the Madrassa Baitul Islam, a Deobandi
seminary in Matli which meticulously maintains a log of the conversions.
The first entry is dated November 1, 2009. The most recent is December 22,
2011, when they converted the 428th Hindu to Islam. The seminary - which
has received kudos from religious-political parties including the banned
Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan and is affiliated with the Darul Uloom in Karachi -
also pays off the debts of Hindus converting to Islam. Based on the entries
in its records, this can range from a few thousand rupees to over Rs50,000.
A newly converted family is given Rs5,000 as well as a copy of the Holy
Quran, and housing for three to four months. During this time, they are
given a religious education and taught how to live their life according to
the Islamic code. There is an on-call doctor and a hospital on the premises
and an ambulance is available to move serious patients. Another seminary in
the city educates female converts.
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Posted on
2012/1/21 12:00:00 ( 857 reads )
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LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, January 18, 2012 (LA Times): In a sign of the
times, the Bodhi Tree Bookstore on Melrose Avenue, a mecca for
spiritualists and philosophers since 1970, has been sold. For 40 years, the
Bodhi Tree Bookstore on Melrose Avenue has served as the metaphysical mecca
of Los Angeles. Actress Shirley MacLaine brought international fame to the
Bodhi Tree in 1983 by chronicling how her metaphysical journey started
there. Seekers of varied spiritual persuasions gathered for exploration,
contemplation and personal transformation amid soothing music, the aroma of
pungent incense and the tinkling of wind chimes under the benevolent gaze
of dozens of sages whose pictures hang on the wall as blessings. The
store's 35,000 books traversed a dizzying array of disciplines, from
esoteric Christianity, Hinduism and Buddhism to energy healing and
nutrition.
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Posted on 2012/1/21
12:00:00 ( 1231 reads )
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SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA, January 2012 (KGO): There is outrage in the Bay Area
Hindu community after an Indian couple living in Norway had their children
taken away over what appears to be a cultural misunderstanding. The parents
say it's because they were feeding their kids with their hands. The
Bhattacharya family moved from Calcutta to Norway several years ago after
the children's father took a position there as geologist for Halliburton.
Anurup and Sugareeka Bhattacharya are making a global plea for help. They
spoke of their ordeal on India-based NDTV. The two are living in Norway and
eight months ago, the country's child protective services put their two
small children in foster care. "We have lots of emotional attachment
with our kids. And it's really, very, very difficult for us... for us to
survive and still stand on our own feet," said the parents.
"The reasons given by the Norwegian Child Protective Services have
been that one, the couple was feeding their children with their hands and
number two is that the children were sleeping with the parents in the bed.
Both of which are common practices not only in Indian culture, but I think
are found in Western societies as well," said Samir Kalra of the Hindu
American Foundation.
The Bhattacharya's pain is felt here in the Bay Area. Now, the Hindu
American Foundation is taking action. The group launched an online petition
to put pressure on the Norwegian government to return the children to their
parents. "We've had 444 signatures," said Kalra.
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Posted on
2012/1/20 17:30:00 ( 774 reads )
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www.hinduismtoday.com/hpi/2012/1/19.shtml">Source
Everything changes, everything passes; things appearing, things
disappearing. But when all is over--being and extinction both
transcended--still, the basic emptiness and silence abide, and that is
blissful peace. -- Mystical song from a Hindu story
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Posted on
2012/1/20 17:30:00 ( 762 reads )
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SOUTH AMERICA, January 16, 2012 (New York Times): This long article covers
the combined history of Guyana and French Guiana. It does so without
managing to mention anything about the Hindus of Guyana who are 28% of the
population. Nevertheless, it is a fascinating account of the political
machinations of the last few centuries leading to the present situation.
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Posted on
2012/1/20 17:30:00 ( 477 reads )
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All differences in this world are of degree, and not of kind, because
oneness is the secret of everything. All is God. But you cannot believe in
God until you believe in yourself.
-- Swami Vivekananda (1863-1902), disciple of Sri Ramakrishna
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Posted on
2012/1/20 17:30:00 ( 713 reads )
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HYDERABAD, INDIA, January 11, 2012 (La Repubblica): A competition of one
the most visual forms of traditional worship, the rangoli, colors the
streets of Hyderabad. [HPI note: This news comes through the Italian
newspaper La Repubblica. Though the text is in Italian, click on the
"source" above to see a 6-photo slideshow. Click on
"avanti," meaning forward, to go the next photo!]
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Posted on
2012/1/20 17:10:00 ( 623 reads )
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NEW DELHI, INDIA, January 16, 2012 (Hindustan Times): Hindu and Muslim
priests are joining the campaign effort to sensitize people against
pre-natal sex determination. A promise to never indulge in this illegal
practice will soon be part of marriage vows -- right at the wedding venue
-- and will be stated as an undertaking in marriage certificates as well.
"In Hindu marriages, couples are supposed to exchange seven vows
pledging their support to each other. We want to add another vow saying
that they themselves will not go in for such practice and will not succumb
to family pressure in the matter," said G.S. Meena, deputy
commissioner of the west district.
"A total of 308 pandits and maulvis have pledged their support to the
campaign. At the time of registering marriages too, the certificates we are
issuing now asks the couple to give an undertaking that they will do their
bit in saving the girl child and not pressure each other for sex selection
or sex determination tests," he added.
The campaign, which will soon be started in the south district, will
hopefully lead to a better sex ratio in Delhi. The current ratio is 866
women per 1,000 men.
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Posted on
2012/1/14 18:00:00 ( 1959 reads )
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KAUAI, HAWAII, January 14, 2011: Makara Sankranti is four days of giving
thanks to four great forces of influence and protection: Indra, the giver
of rain; Surya, the Sun; gracious cattle and beloved ancestors. This happy
occasion is known as Pongal by Tamils, Pedha Panduga among the Telugus and
Lohri by Punjabis. It begins on the day the Sun enters Makara (Capricorn),
between January 13 and 15. This is a special time of giving blankets,
pumpkins, sug- arcane and other items to the poor. Married women are
honored, and gifts are given to newborn children.
An excellent slideshow on Makar Sankranit is available here.
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Posted on
2012/1/14 17:52:21 ( 1145 reads )
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ISLAMABAD, PAKISTAN, January 14, 2012 (Express Tribune): Bhayya Ram is not
happy. A representative of the scheduled caste Hindu community in Rahim Yar
Khan, he has taken strong offense to the newly drafted bill of marriage
registration for scheduled caste Hindus. While most, including Ram, would
think that legal recognition of Hindu marriages is a good thing, he is
disappointed by the inclusion of the proverbial exit clause -- divorce.
"Once married, a couple is wedded for life. There is no concept of
divorce in Hinduism as we have practiced for centuries," said Ram, a
representative of the scheduled caste Hindu community in Rahim Yar Khan.
According to Ram, a majority of scheduled caste Hindus are perturbed by
inclusion of the divorce option, saying that the very concept of divorce is
against their religious beliefs. However, religious beliefs have become
tightly intertwined with economic realities. "The new legislation
would open new controversies in case of divorce, because poor Hindus cannot
afford to give inheritance rights to girls," Ram told The Express
Tribune.
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Posted on
2012/1/28 12:40:00 ( 723 reads )
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MUMBAI, INDIA, January 28, 2012 (Times of India): The color yellow fills
the air as the city prepares to celebrate the festival of Basant Panchami
on Saturday. The festival welcomes the onset of spring on the fifth day of
the Hindu month of Magh. Spilling over from Makar Sankranti, kite-flying is
a routine practice this day, particularly in north India. Women dress in
yellow, which is the color of spring, and prepare a variety of sweets
flavored with saffron. The day is dedicated to the worship of Goddess
Saraswati , the deity of learning and music. Santoor artiste Rahul Sharma
has imbibed the tradition from his father, Pt Shivkumar Sharma. He says,
"This is a little-known festival although all musicians revere this
day, of course. For my part, I chant the Saraswati mantra every day.
Saturday is doubly special so I will spend more time in prayer and hope
that the goddess of music continues to bless me."
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Posted on
2012/1/28 12:40:00 ( 638 reads )
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VARANASI, INDIA, January 28, 2012 (Times of India): Two big religious
ceremonies of the city, but both vary in many ways for artisans. Yes, the
festival of Saraswati Puja fetches more profits for the artisans who are
engaged in preparing idols of the deity worshipped on the occasion of
Basant Panchami as compared to grand celebration of Durga Puja. According
to Chandan Mukherjee, an artisan in Luxa area, no doubt Durga Puja of
Sharadiya Navratra is held on a large scale in different parts of the city,
there are only 200-250 puja pandals prepared for the same. However,
Saraswati Puja is now being organized in almost all the educational
institutions, organisations and clubs due to which the orders placed for
idols are more, leading to greater production and profits. According to
Mukherjee, who will be catering to customers for around 70 Deities, unlike
Durga Puja, there are no spectacular preparations of Deities using
different materials like terra cota, jute, mirror, beads. However, the
Deities are simple and vary from US$6.00 to $200.
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Posted on
2012/1/28 12:40:00 ( 696 reads )
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There is not a fellow under the sun who is my disciple. On the contrary, I
am everybody's disciple. All are the children of God. All are His servants.
As for me, I consider myself as a speck of the dust of the devotee's feet.
-- Sri Ramakrishna Paramahansa (1836-1886)
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Posted on
2012/1/28 12:30:00 ( 659 reads )
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Posted on
2012/1/28 12:30:00 ( 471 reads )
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Staff Reporter GUWAHATI, ASSAM, INDIA, January 28, 2012 (Assam Tribune):
Saraswati Puja, the occasion of paying obeisance to the Goddess of
Learning, was celebrated with festive fervor and gaiety all over the State.
Educational institutions and other learning institutes observed the puja
with religious rituals on their campuses. Students turned up in large
numbers in the venues to seek the blessings of the goddess. This was
followed by the partaking of prasad and khichiri. The festive spirit was
evident in the city since morning with young girl students dressed in their
dazzling best hitting the streets and thronging the puja venues in their
hordes. The major educational institutions such as Cotton College, Handique
Girls' College, B Borooah College, Pragjyotish College, Guwahati College,
Gauhati University, Gauhati Commerce College, TC Girls' High School,
Sonaram High School, Kaliram Baruah Girls' High School, Maligaon Railway
High School, Axom Jatiya Bidyalay, Gopal Bodo High School, Betkuchi High
School, Kamrup Academy, among others, drew huge crowds. The festivities
started early in the morning with aarti followed by chanting of various
mantras.
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Posted on
2012/1/27 17:00:00 ( 676 reads )
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BENGALURU, INDIA, January 23, 2012 (samvada.org): [HPI note: the author is
a Christian freelance journalist]. A retired judge of Karnataka High Court,
M.F. Saldanha has recently said that Christians in Karnataka State are
under an unprecedented wave of persecution. He has also termed Karnataka as
"the Rogue State No.1." Unfortunately for Saldanha, he himself
admits that the State has not recorded any killing in this season of
"persecution."
Despite the horror stories trotted out by Saldanha and his friends about
the unprecedented "persecution of Christians in Karnataka" it is
interesting to not that there has not been a single instance of Christians
fleeing the State and migrating to neighboring states!
The same retired judge had alleged last year that there were 1,000 attacks
against Christians in Karnataka at that time. Asked for the details of the
attacks, Saldanha failed to provide me with the list of names of churches
and even dates of attacks. Thus, his baseless charges against the State
government now also reflect his shocking ignorance of the real religious
situation in Karnataka.
I am at present a member of the Karnataka State Minorities Commission,
representing the Christian community in the State. I have the first hand
information about several of the alleged attacks against Christians in
Karnataka. I can thus confidently say that the incidents of violence
against Christians in Karnataka have been few and far between. However, all
of them have been blown out of proportion and internationalized by a
handful of leaders from the Christian community and by unscrupulous
politicians. They are using ordinary Christians as pawns in their hands for
their narrow selfish ends.
The reasons for the attacks against certain Christian groups are not
difficult to ascertain. Simply put, they are a reaction to the
"aggressive faith marketing," propaganda, and mindless evangelism
and conversions through foul and unethical means indulged in by Christian
missionaries who denigrate and make fun of Hindu gods and abuse Hindu
rituals as barbaric.
Click "source" above for the balance of this long article.
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Posted on
2012/1/27 17:00:00 ( 597 reads )
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CHENNAI, INDIA, January 27, 2012 (The New Indian Express): The Hindu
Spiritual and Service Fair 2012, being held at the Dwaraka Doss Goverdhan
Doss Vaishnav College Ground in Arumbakkam, is drawing huge crowds.
According to the organisers of this sought-after annual spiritual fair of
the metro, a total of 160 stalls have been put up by various spiritual and
service organisations based in the south, as well as from north India.
Large concentration of visitors were seen at the stalls put up by the Tirumala
Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD), Prajapita Brahmakumaris Ishwariya Vishwa
Vidhyalaya, Sri Sathya Sai Organizations, Melmaruvathur Adiparasakthi
Peedam, Sri Narayani Peetam, Vellore, Seva Bharathi and Ayya Vaikundar
Narpani Sangam, Kanyakumari. Pictorial presentation of TTD's growth through
a topic 'Then and now' drew good response from youth, as they were able to
see some rare photographs of the temple and its development over the years.
Stalls of the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Departments of Tamil
Nadu and Andhra Pradesh and the Archeological Survey of India recorded a
steady stream of visitors on Thursday evening.
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Posted on
2012/1/27 17:00:00 ( 738 reads )
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(AFP) - 4 hours ago
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, January 27, 2012 (AFP): The Art Institute of Chicago has
won a major grant from the government of India in honor of a landmark 1893
speech there by a monk, Swami Vivekananda, who introduced Hinduism to the
United States. The $500,000 grant will be signed over Saturday at the
opening of a major exhibit of the paintings and drawings of Rabindranath
Tagore, an Indian poet, playwright, musician, and philosopher who was the
first non-European recipient of a Nobel Prize for literature in 1913.
"It is a supreme honor to be recognized by the Government of India as
a partner in the preservation, exhibition, and promotion of India's
cultural heritage," said Art Institute director Douglas Druick. The
Vivekananda Memorial Program for Museum Excellence is designed to foster
professional exchange between the Art Institute and various museums in
India over the next four year. It is the first time a US museum has
received a grant from the Indian government. The young Hindu monk
electrified the World's Parliament of Religions, which was held on the site
of what is now the Art Institute in conjunction with the World's Fair.
Opening with the words "Sisters and brothers of America,"
Vivekananda offered an impassioned plea for religious tolerance and
understanding and lamenting the role religion played in war and bloodshed.
The block of Michigan Avenue that the Art Institute occupies was named the
Honorary Swami Vivekananda Way in 1995 by the city of Chicago and the
museum has also marked the site of his address with a plaque that will be
rededicated Saturday. "It means a lot to Indians who view Vivekananda
as the first great ambassador of Indo-American cultural friendship,"
Culture Secretary Shri Jawhar Sircar said in a statement. "I am sure
that the Vivekananda Memorial Program for Museum Excellence will also bring
us closer, for our mutual benefit."
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Posted on
2012/1/27 17:00:00 ( 657 reads )
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In India I found a race of mortals living upon the Earth, but not adhering
to it. Inhabiting cities, but not being fixed to them, possessing
everything but possessed by nothing.
-- Appolonius of Tiana (2-97 ce), Greek philosopher and occultist.
His work deeply influenced Western mysticism.
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Posted on
2012/1/26 16:10:00 ( 721 reads )
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CHENNAI, INDIA, January 27, 2012 (Deccan Chronicle): The Agastiyar temple
at T. Nagar (central Chennai) that has been managed more as an ashram and a
defunct Naadi Jothida Nilayam for about six decades was taken over by the
Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowment (HR & CE) department on
Wednesday evening citing "gross mismanagement" and
"violations." The temple had its origin as an ashram dating back
to 1940 and was registered as a society in April 1943 by 12 persons for
running a Naadi Jothida Nilayam. Over time, it became a full-fledged temple
and now contains several sannadhis, according to sources in the HR & CE
department.
In October 1947, the then commissioner of HR & CE Board brought the
temple under the board's control as per the HR & CE Act 1926. But the
decision was challenged in the high court, which set aside the
commissioner's order. The court had then observed that the "board's premature
interference has really arrested the slow and gradual evolution of shrine
into a public temple." Subsequently, the 'ashram's' appeal was
quashed.
In June last year. The department's assistant commissioner held an enquiry
at the temple following a spate of complaints from public alleging
misappropriation. The official found that the place no longer served as an
ashram and that a full-fledged temple functioned. It was also found that
Kumbhabhishekam was performed to the temple on three occasions with
generous contributions from philanthropists and devotees.
Though the 'ashram' management raised funds on various occasion, the
accounts were never audited, a senior official said and added that
investigations would be made on the amount collected from the public.
"The temple has six priests and there was no opposition to the
department's decision to exercise administrative control of the temple from
any quarters," the senior official said.
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