News from Hindu Press International
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Posted
on 2001/2/5 22:47:02 ( 464 reads )
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Source: Press Trust of India
INDRAPRASTH, INDIA, February 6, 2001: The Union Cabinet on Tuesday approved
a US$32 million to enable 72,000 Indian Muslim pilgrims to undertake the
Haj pilgrimage to Mecca this year. Pilgrims are expected to pay for $260
out of the total air fare of $717. They can depart from Delhi Mumbai,
Kolkata, Chennai, Kochi, Bangalore, Hyderabad and Ahmedabad, with flights
to Saudi Arabia all departing and arriving from Shrinagar and Jammu. Devout
Muslims are expected to make the pilgrimage at least once in their lifetime.
Government funds covered much of the cost of the Hindus' Kumbha Mela, and
Christians in India have approached the government for subsidies for
pilgrimage to Jerusalem.
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on 2001/2/5 22:46:02 ( 420 reads )
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NEW DELHI, INDIA, Feb 4, 2001: Their deeds affected the lives of millions
throughout the world. They belonged to different streams of life with one
thing in common: True greatness. The Times of India Online's Indians of the
Century poll was the most comprehensive to be undertaken in this country
with 881,772 votes naming Mahatma Gandhi, Dhirubhai Ambani (founder of
Reliance company), Lata Mangeshkar (the great singer) and Swami Vivekananda
as the four Indians who made the greatest impact on India this century in
four categories respectively -- Leaders and Politicians, Creators of
Wealth, Artists and Entertainers and Great Minds and Spiritual Lights. All
of them are self-made individuals without the advantages of wealth,
aristocracy or caste; they fought adversity and believed in action -- karma
yogis in the true sense.
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Posted
on 2001/2/4 22:49:02 ( 517 reads )
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NEW YORK, NEW YORK, January 13, 2001: International peace leader Sri
Chinmoy presented the prestigious U Thant Peace Award to Prime Minister
Atal Behari Vajpayee in recognition of his lifetime service to Mother India
recently, according to a New India-Times report. The award is named after
for late Secretary General of the United Nations and has been presented to
Pope John Paul II, Mother Teresa, former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev,
former President of South Africa Nelson Mandela and Hinduism Today
publisher Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami. During their meeting, Sri
Chinmoy sang a song in the praise of the prime minister. The prime minister
was deeply moved and appreciated the song. Prime Minister Vajpayee was also
held the Sri Chinmoy Peace Torch by Sri Chinmoy. The torch is carried by
millions of people all over the world as part of history's longest and
largest relay run, the Sri Chinmoy Oneness-Home Peace Run. Sri Chinmoy was
in Bali recently on his annual two month peace goodwill visits to different
countries.
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Posted
on 2001/2/4 22:48:02 ( 512 reads )
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GUJARAT, INDIA, Feb 5, 2001 - The Saraswati river, the missing third link
in Allahabad's Sangam is making an appearance in quake-injured Gujarat.
Scientists say shifting of tectonic plates in the Allah Bund fault area has
led to a geographical osmosis in the Rann of Kutch area, pushing the
Saraswati over-ground in spurts. Hundreds of villages in the Rann, where
there was no water last week, now have streams flowing all over. Geological
experts say that the Saraswati, a distributary of Indus which had vanished
mysteriously around 1600 bce, has changed its course towards Kutch.
"There is evidence that Saraswati was a distributary of Indus. And we
also know that Saraswati had a connecting point from Indus that still flows
from the top of Rajasthan to Pakistan," a Central Ground Water Board
scientist said. Now the question the villagers are asking is whether the
springs will stay. Prof. R.S. Chaturvedi, a geo-scientist, says the answer
can come only after a thorough research. "It depends on the amount of
water available in the parent river," he said. The Saraswati River was
the lifeline of the Indus Civilization until tectonic shifts caused it to
change dry up on the surface. Its course, five miles wide at places, can be
seen in satellite photos of the area.
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Posted
on 2001/2/4 22:47:02 ( 607 reads )
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AHMEDABAD, INDIA, February 4, 2001: Over 12,000 people attended the mass
wedding of 51 couples even though the aftermath of the earthquake is
visible throughout Ahmedabad. In honor of the recent tragedy claiming so
many lives, the brides of the occasion chose not to wear any gold jewelry.
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Posted
on 2001/2/4 22:46:02 ( 454 reads )
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GURUN, MALAYSIA, February 3, 2001: Seventy Hindu devotees are walking
barefoot for 109 km for the Thai Pusam festival on Wednesday. Wearing
saffron-colored robes and sarees, the group began a five-day journey from
the Kedah state capital on Thursday and is expected to reach Penang on
Monday evening. The purpose of the journey is for the devotees to fulfil
their vows and to get blessings, according to Dr. Ramasamy K.M.S.
Chockalingam Chetiar, who is heading the group. He said the group will pay
homage to more than 25 temples along the way, including those at Sungai
Petani, Kepala Batas and Butterworth, before reaching their destination.
Everyone in the group is required to have been on a vegetarian diet for at
least two weeks prior to the journey.
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Posted
on 2001/2/4 22:45:02 ( 457 reads )
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KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA, February 3, 2001: Devotees and the public can view
the Thai Pusam celebrations at Batu Caves on Feb 7 live on the Net in what
is believed to be the first project of its kind in Malaysia and possibly
the world. The broadcast will be covering the once-a-year festival held at
Batu Caves for about 24 hours. It will then be transmitted live for the
benefit of Internet viewers at a special Thai Pusam website at http://thai pusam.tele.com.my from 6 pm on
Feb 6. More than a million devotees are expected to throng Batu Caves this
year to fulfil their vows. Dr. Thuraichelvan, Aastha Inter Network chief
executive officer, said that surfers would be charged on an hourly basis.
"All payments will have to be made by the appropriate payment modes
before viewing," he said. Dr. Thuraichelvan is coordinating the
US$131,579 project. He and project organizers are inviting companies and
organizations for sponsorship.
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Posted
on 2001/2/3 22:49:02 ( 465 reads )
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Source: Rediff on the Net
GUJARAT, INDIA, February 2, 2001: The aftermath of the earthquake in
Gujarat has left many survivors feeling helpless and depressed after losing
loved ones, property and other belongings. In an attempt to bring normalcy
back into their lives, the government is organizing religious ceremonies to
honor the death of loved ones. It is hoped that family survivors will find
comfort by interacting with others who have suffered great loss and begin
rebuilding their lives.
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Posted
on 2001/2/3 22:48:02 ( 433 reads )
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CLEVELAND HEIGHTS, OHIO, February 5, 2001: On January 1, 2150, the winner
of a trust fund, starting today with 300 dollars and estimated to then be
worth US$500 million, will be announced. Two scientists have set up a bet
on the highest obtainable life expectancy. Estimating the age to be 130, S.
Jay Olshansky of the University of Illinois has wagered against Steven
Austad of the University of Idaho who has bet the oldest person will be 150
years. Austad has more faith in the progressive medical techniques of
cloning and stem cell research where worn-out body parts will be replaced.
Both scientists have named a University as beneficiary of the trust fund.
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Posted
on 2001/2/3 22:47:02 ( 456 reads )
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DHARAMSALA, INDIA, February 3, 2001: Last year the 14th Karmapa fled Tibet
for India. He is the third-ranking Tibetan Buddhist leader, after the dalai
lama and the pancha lama. He has now been given refugee status in India.
The teenager's escape from a closely-guarded monastery in Tibet embarrassed
the Chinese government.
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Posted
on 2001/2/3 22:46:02 ( 472 reads )
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DHAKA, BANGLADESH, 3 February, 2001: Activists belonging to radical Muslim
groups have lynched a policeman during violence in the Bangladeshi capital,
Dhaka, marring their call for a strike against a ban on religious edicts,
or fatwas. Dhaka police have arrested at least 40 people who are thought to
be involved in the violence, and have recovered the constable's body. The
groups' strike call failed to prevent thousands of people from attending a
rally in support of last month's High Court ruling banning fatwas, which
had been organized by several nongovernmental organizations. It has been a
day of high emotion on the streets of Dhaka, not least because of fears
that the pro- and anti-fatwa camps might come into direct conflict. Hindus
stand to be caught in the middle of the battles.
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Posted
on 2001/2/3 22:45:02 ( 412 reads )
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Source: Ridiff on the Net
ATLANTA, GEORGIA, February 3, 2001: Vasudha Narayanan grew up in
conservative Chennai where religion, culture, tradition, history,
philosophy and temples formed the backdrop of her environment, nurturing
her curiosity about Hinduism. Narayanan, 47, a professor of religion at the
University of Florida at Gainesville and an author, was recently chosen as
the President-elect of the American Academy of Religion. She is the first
non-Jewish or non-Christian to hold the office in its 92-year history. With
9,000 members, the Atlanta-based organization is the world's largest
association of academics who research or teach topics related to religion.
Narayanan believes ''faith cuts across many social boundaries'' and
''people have an inborn need to connect to religion,'' because it forms the
base of their values.
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Posted
on 2001/2/2 22:49:02 ( 476 reads )
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KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA, January 31, 2001: Traditionally on Thai Pusam
Malaysian Hindus honor vows to Lord Muruga by breaking coconuts during this
religious festival. The Consumers Association of Penang has requested that
the coconut offerings be limited and excess cash that would have been used
to purchase coconuts be donated to the poor. The Hindu Malaysian Youth
Council countered by pointing out all the edible coconuts so broken are
consumed as sacred prasadam--the food offered to the Gods, and there is therefore
no waste.
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Posted
on 2001/2/2 22:48:02 ( 456 reads )
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NEW DELHI, INDIA, January 29, 2001: Acharya Giriraj Kishore of the Vishwa
Hindu Parishad (VHP) today reacted to the statements of some religious
leaders and challenged the Shankaracharyas, "Let them build the Ram
Temple if they have the money and material needed. However, they cannot
expect us to give our money and construction material to them." He
said that the VHP had been able to arrange for enough resources to build
just the first floor of the two-story temple. Acharya said, "We just
want the Ram Temple at the disputed site. It does not matter who constructs
it. However, some people are unnecessarily raking the issue for cheap
publicity." Meanwhile, some programs have been cancelled following the
devastating earthquake in Gujarat, and he noted, the VHP would contribute
US$108,700 towards rehabilitation of the victims.
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Posted
on 2001/2/2 22:47:02 ( 488 reads )
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Source: Intel IT Update
KOTDA MOUND, DHOLAVIRA, GUJARAT, INDIA, February 2, 2001: Beyond the
endless mounds of concrete and bricks that are now this part of Gujarat,
there is a patch of ancient history that withstood the devastating quake:
Dholavira, a Harappan landmark. The biggest Indian site of the 5,000
year-old Indus Valley civilization remains solid while the structures built
by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) to provide shelter to its staff
have crumbled. The site has suffered no damage at all. It was excavated
only in the early 1990's, nearly 20 years after it was discovered. Villages
only a couple of miles away have been devastated by the quake. One could,
of course, argue that the ancient site had already been through several
earthquakes of this magnitude, and what damage could be done has been.
Still, the contrast with the modern structures is stark. Of the six men
employed to guard the site, five fled the day of the quake. The sixth
remained only because he lives in Dholavira. The site is spread over 100
hectares and is believed to be the only town during that period to have an
elaborate underground drainage system, houses, streets and wells. Every
year, the ASI begins excavation in December and continues until April. This
year, no excavation activity has started, reportedly because a team with
technical expertise could not be drafted.
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Posted
on 2001/2/11 22:48:02 ( 447 reads )
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LEICESTER, ENGLAND, February 2, 2001: Government figures have just
projected that Leicester will become, in a decade, the first British city
with a nonwhite majority. Instead of experiencing the cultural antagonisms
and anti-immigrant politics that have occurred elsewhere in Britain and in
Europe, where once all- white populations have increasing numbers of
immigrants in their midst, the outcome here has been different.
"Leicester defines itself as the tolerant, multicultural city of
Europe," said Richard Bonney, priest and professor. "There is
greater diversity in two or three square blocks here than anywhere I can
think of in Europe," he added. Leicester was already a migrant's goal
a century ago, drawing people from Ireland, Scotland, Wales and elsewhere
in England. However, in the early 1970's when East African countries in the
Commonwealth moved to evict their large Asian populations, the Leicester
City Council placed an advertisement in the Ugandan Argus newspaper warning
that housing, education and social services were "already stretched to
the limit," and discouraged them from coming to Leicester. Many people
who came from Kenya and Uganda had already experienced being immigrants and
learning to adapt. In addition, they came in settled family groups. They
were skilled and educated with goals of economic independence and social
success. These new arrivals created employment and services and a retail,
wholesale and real estate economy of their own. This lengthy article
discusses further: Leicester history, Asian immigrant success and the lack
of success for many Afro-Caribbeans.
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Posted
on 2001/2/11 22:47:02 ( 414 reads )
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GUJARAT, INDIA, February 12, 2001: A body of fresh water discovered in the
western state of Gujarat may be an ancient branch of Pakistan's famous
Indus river. Recent satellite images taken above the epicenter of last
month's earthquake, in the Rann (literally, "salt desert") of
Kutch region, have uncovered the underground water channels in a barren
area of the state known for its high salinity. A leading Indian scientist,
Janardhan Negi, said the region had once been a delta for two famed,
ancient rivers and that if field tests prove that the water seen in the
satellite images is more than 200 years old, it could confirm that a branch
of the Indus still flows in India. He said the Indus used to flow through
the region until 1819, when a large earthquake -- equal in intensity to the
one last month -- led to the river changing its course.
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Posted
on 2001/2/10 22:49:02 ( 438 reads )
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NEW YORK, NEW YORK, February 6, 2001: America's business and commodities
bible, the Wall Street Journal, in a move to capture attention to it's new
software, has incorporated and trademarked the word "yogi" in the
name "PurpleYogi Discovery Systems." The word popularly
translates into one who has an evolved mystical knowledge. The Purple Yogi
software claims to understand information anywhere in the Internet by
classifying documents into a rich directory of concepts using proprietary
advances in artificial intelligence, machine learning, and information
theory. The WSJ promises that "no matter how you manage your
information today, PurpleYogi Discovery Systems will unlock the full value
of your business information, knowledge and intellectual assets." Such
a trademark only prevents someone else from calling a similar product by
the same name.
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Posted
on 2001/2/10 22:48:02 ( 420 reads )
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Source: The Associated Press
BHUJ, INDIA, February 7, 2001: In front of an altar fashioned from shipping
crates, Hindu priests prayed for the victims of India's quake Wednesday,
chanting Sanskrit verses and name after name into the dusty air,
remembering those killed by the worst earthquake to hit India in 50 years.
The prayer organizers, followers of the Gujarati saint, Lord Swaminarayan,
used newspaper ads to encourage residents to phone in the names of the dead
so that they could be read at the daylong service. Since many are not sure
when their relatives died -- or have even managed to recover a body for
cremation -- the priests decided to hold the service Wednesday for all the
dead, said Sadhu Brahmaviharidas. The prayers will end the traditional
mourning period observed by the survivors and help people move on with
recovery efforts, Brahmaviharidas said. "After the 12th day, the soul
goes on to the next life," he explained.
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Posted
on 2001/2/10 22:47:02 ( 420 reads )
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Source: Deccan Chronicle
DHORI, INDIA, February 4, 2001: Thousands of villagers in quake-stricken
Gujarat vowed to lead a more reverent life after local priests declared
that the Earth, revered as Mother Goddess, had roared and shuddered under
the weight of sin. After the January 26 earthquake, villagers believe they
have to be more religious to avoid future disasters. Local priests said the
quake was provoked by rampant corruption, rising immorality and neglect of
religion. "Bad deeds are blacker than mascara and sins are heavier
than the earth," said priest Gosai Haripur. "Why else would our
mother cause such destruction?" he asked. The quake devested Dhori, but
struck at a time when most of the villagers were in the fields. Only 10 of
its inhabitants died. Villagers said they never faced hunger and disease
because people had decided to be good to each other since the disaster.
People with cows are giving away milk free and those with fields are
distributing food.
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Posted
on 2001/2/10 22:46:02 ( 425 reads )
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LAKHOND, INDIA, February 8, 2001: Even though streets are strewn with
rubble and houses are useless heaps of stone, one structure that can't be
shaken in India, even by a killer earthquake is the caste system, according
to this report in the Indian Express. The town has six distinct tent camps
for the earthquake homeless - four different Hindu castes, the untouchables
and Muslims. All the camps are separate. Relief groups find themselves
wrestling with the country's ingrained social hierarchy to get help to
everybody. "The whole issue of making sure all the castes are included
has been a challenge,'' Graham Saunders of Catholic Relief Services said.
"Whatever the distribution of aid, it first goes to the upper
castes,'' claimed Mayuri Mistry, a Catholic Relief Services worker in
Gujarat. Other reports, however, indicate that villages are working in
excellent cooperation across both caste and religious lines.
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Posted
on 2001/2/10 22:45:02 ( 495 reads )
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Source: Deccan Chronicle
HYDERABAD, INDIA, February 4, 2001: Over 1,263 youth belonging to an
organization called the Andhra Pradesh Yuvajana Sanghala Samithi have
presented a proposal to the government requesting that Swami Vivekananda's
lessons be included in their school curriculum. Maintaining that the
lessons will promote leadership qualities, the members of the samithi have
submitted a signature list and a memorandum to Chief Minister N. Chandra
Naidu.
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Posted
on 2001/2/10 22:44:02 ( 547 reads )
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Source: Times of India
HYDERABAD, INDIA, February 6, 2001: Two Indian scientists, a husband and
wife team, discovered that the antiseptic triclosan used in toothpaste
kills the parasite responsible for causing malaria. Namita and Avadesha
Surolia's finding has been confirmed by both British and American
researchers. Malaria remains one of the leading causes of death by disease
in the world.
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Posted
on 2001/2/9 22:49:02 ( 425 reads )
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JAMNAGAR, INDIA, February 7, 2001: The 5,000-year-old temple at Dwarka in honor
of Lord Krishna suffered grave damage as a result of the January 26
earthquake in Gujarat. The Archaeological Survey of India is expected to
organize repairs to the temple so that it can be rendered safe for
pilgrims. Previous to this natural disaster Lord Krishna's home received
around 7,000 pilgrims daily. Stones have fallen and cracks have appeared
throughout the structure. Now only locals venture to the temple.
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Posted
on 2001/2/9 22:48:02 ( 448 reads )
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Source: The Hindu
MYSORE, INDIA, February 4, 2001: With the approaching Maha Sivaratri
celebrations, the Kumbha Mela at Allahabad where millions have taken a
purifying dip will soon end. Devout Hindus are now focused on a three-day
Mela from February 6-8 in Mysore District at Tirumakudala Narsipura. This
site, where three sacred rivers also join, has gained significance since
1989. When the Swamjis of Kailas Ashrama Mahasamsthana Math,
Adichunchanagiri Math, Suttur Math and Omkarashrama Mahasamsthana Mathi in
the region realized that sages Agastya, Gargamuni and Markandeya had
worshiped and done penance at the confluence, the Mela at T. Narsipura has
been well attended, especially by those who can't make it to the mela in
the north.
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Posted
on 2001/2/9 22:47:02 ( 472 reads )
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Source: Hinduism Today Press Release
KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA, February 10, 2001: On receiving complaints from the
public and religious organizations regarding the wrong practice of
"agni hotra," the Malaysia Hindu Sangam wrote to the
Sankaracharya of Kanchi Peetham in Tamil Nadu, South India for advice. His
Holiness, Sri Jayendra Saraswati, replied, "Agni hotra should not be
done by everybody. There are lots of achara anusthana, rules and
regulations. If everybody does it as they like, it will end up with ill
effects. Therefore, the Hindu Sangam should make an effort to stop
it". A copy of the letter from Sri Jayendra was published by Sangam
president A.Vaithilingam. The Sangam's Hindu Religious Advisory Council
advised the public that only those who are well versed with the knowledge
of the rules and regulations and who have their guru's initiation should do
the agni hotra. A simplified version of the agni hotra, or fire worship
ceremony, has been promoted in Malaysia and other parts of the world in
recent years as something which could be done by anyone, regardless of
training or initiation.
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Posted
on 2001/2/9 22:46:02 ( 452 reads )
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Source: Hindustan Times
New Delhi, February 2, 2001: Though it has been two months since corporal
punishment was banned by the Delhi Court, some teachers and parents still
hold to the adage, "spare the rod and spoil the child." According
to a study by psychiatrists Dr. Samir Parikh and Geeta Kapoor, 80 percent
of the 1,000 public school students surveyed reveal that the teachers still
resort to "physical or severe punishment." Only one out of ten
schools has a counselor on their rolls even though it is now compulsory.
Counselors not only help the child with academic related anxiety but also
personal problems. Dr. Parikh believes that corporal punishment may lead to
psychiatric illnesses like obsessive-compulsive disorder and attention
deficit hyperactivity disorder. It increases the tendency for
aggressiveness and violent behavior. In children approaching adolescence
the sexual instincts are more pronounced, which might lead to an increased
tendency toward aggressiveness and violence if aggravated through physical
punishment. One also needs to take a sympathetic look at teachers who are
put under great pressure to produce high grades. "Whether we like it
or not, the quality of teachers as well as parenting has gone down,"
adds Dr. Parikh.
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Posted
on 2001/2/9 22:45:02 ( 476 reads )
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NEW DELHI, INDIA, Feb. 6, 2001: A comprehensive legislation by the Union
Cabinet today decided to curb smoking in public places. It would also seek
to ban sale of tobacco products to minors under the age of 18 and to ban
sponsorship of sports and cultural events by tobacco-product companies. The
Union Minister and Cabinet spokesperson, Mr. Pramod Mahajan, said the
legislation would ensure that warnings on the package would be of the same
size as that of the largest panel of the package, with warnings in both
English and the local language of the territory where it was sold. Smoking
in public places and sale to minors would attract a fine up to US$2.17. For
other convictions, the punishment proposed was imprisonment up to three
years and fine up to $2,174. It was estimated that India accounts for
one-third of the three million deaths which occurred around the world every
year due to tobacco-related ailments.
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Posted
on 2001/2/5 22:49:02 ( 478 reads )
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MADURAI, INDIA, January 16, 2001: Dalit (untouchable) residents in a
village in Madurai district of Tamil Nadu plan to convert to Islam, blaming
it on social stigma and the state government's failure to meet their
economic demands. "All Dalits in the village intend converting to
Islam," said the local panchayat (village governing body) president,
Murthy. "The upper castes don't respect us and untouchability is a
curse when it comes to eking out a living," he explained. It is not
only the illiterate among the Dalits who feel ostracized. Even a
post-graduate from the village says that conversion is the only way out to
''buy social respect.'' Murthy said that over 25 Dalit families in the
village intend to convert to Islam on Friday.
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Posted
on 2001/2/5 22:48:02 ( 451 reads )
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GEORGETOWN, MALAYSIA, January 23, 2001: "We don't want an angry
confrontation with the Malays because we know that racial harmony is the
key to our country's peace and success," so expounds Khoo Huck Cheong,
a Chinese tourist guide. Until recently Malaysia's Chinese minority
population of 6.6 million have been content to cultivate their culture and
live peacefully on the northern island of Penang. For over 30 years the
Chinese have graciously tolerated a law that guarantees Malays, the Muslim
ethnic majority, cheaper loan rates, better jobs and preferred acceptance
into universities. Backing Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad in the recent
1999 election, the Chinese were hoping the Malay party leader would abolish
the affirmative action policies. Threatening a Muslim holy war, a Malay
student group and other Malays have forced the Prime Minister to back down
in helping the Chinese. Mahathir, Malaysia's Prime Minister of 19 years has
pressured the Chinese to accept racially integrated schools with Malay,
Chinese and Indians. In their own schools, the minority Chinese have been
able to preserve their language and history. Elsewhere in the region,
Singapore, with its predominantly Chinese culture, is watching the
situation. Hindus, the other racial minority in Malaysia, have also
accommodated the Malay Muslim majority rule. In 1998, a Hindu Temple was
relocated when Muslims protested that the temple bells disrupted Muslim
prayers.
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Posted
on 2001/2/17 22:49:02 ( 435 reads )
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Source: The Navhind Times, Panaji, Goa
GOA, INDIA, February 12, 2001: Some 8,000 Hindu refugees fleeing religious
fanaticism and the civil war in Afghanistan have found shelter in Germany,
but they have extreme difficulties in securing visas to India as red-tape
prevents their visiting holy places or from immersing the ashes of their
dead in the Ganges, as prescribed by the Hindu faith. Mr. Kewal Nagpal, who
works as an administrator of a Hindu temple in Cologne run by an Afghan
association called the Afghanische Hindu Gemeinde, lost his mother four and
a half months back. Her ashes which should have been immersed within 10
days of cremation are in a funeral home. "I get terrible dreams in
which she appears and seems to tell me her soul is not at peace," Mr.
Nagpal said. But the Indian government refused to grant him a visa because
of "security reasons," he was told by the Indian embassy in Bonn.
Afghan Hindus are denied visas, as India, driven by security concerns has
its security specialists screen applications which can take between six
weeks to a year. Many Afghan Hindu refugees hold stateless identity cards
issued by the German government which the Indian embassy does not
recognize. Approximately 50,000 Hindus lived in Afghanistan prior to the
civil war; hardly a handful is left.
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Posted
on 2001/2/17 22:48:02 ( 479 reads )
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Source: Religion News Service
KATHMANDU, NEPAL, February 15, 2001: Honored by both Hindus and Buddhists
alike, a new Goddess is being sought to serve in an ancient temple in
Kathmandu. Selected from the Buddhist Shakya family, the new young Kumari
would be assigned duties including several daily appearances to bless
devotees. Many parents are avoiding the process as they want to educate
their daughters for the work force, the life of the young Goddess is very
isolated, and many Kumaris remain unmarried when their service ends.
Tradition dictates retirement after puberty and until recently the money
received was meagre. Retired Kumaris now receive about $40 a month from the
government.
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Posted
on 2001/2/17 22:47:02 ( 422 reads )
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SAN LEANDRO, CALIFORNIA, February 17, 2001: A Mumbai-based drug giant Cipla
Limited has attracted worldwide headlines by offering accessibility of a
cocktail of generic life-saving AIDS drugs to voluntary organizations and
governments at a whopping 95 percent discount or more compared to American
retail prices. Company chairman Yusuf K. Hamied says he has a reason for
doing this. The AIDS epidemic, he said, "is a tragedy. By making this
humanitarian offer, we are telling the world, 'Please wake up.' Otherwise
we are in for another holocaust." Cipla, India's third-largest drug company
by sales, is offering the life-saving AIDS cocktail, which comprises three
drugs -- stavudine, lamivudine and nevirapine. Cipla offers three-tier
pricing: $1,200 to wholesalers for a year's supply for a single patient,
$600 for governments, and $350 to Medecins Sans Frontiere (Doctors Without
Borders). MSF is the Nobel Prize-winning voluntary organization of doctors
that gives medical care to the underserved. They get the drugs on the
condition that they distribute them free of charge. The offer to MSF is
below the cost of manufacture. Bought from drug companies licensed to
produce these drugs, a year's supply of these same drugs can cost anything
from $10,000 to $15,000 in the U.S.
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on 2001/2/16 22:49:02 ( 421 reads )
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NEW DELHI, INDIA, February 14, 2001: Journalists from around the world were
honored at the International Press Institute World Congress in January with
the Dalai Lama's presence. Charming the audience with his wit and humor,
the revered religious leader of the Tibetan people gave his input on the
Freedom of the Press. He alluded to the analogy of comparing journalists to
elephants whereby they should sniff all around and investigate everything
and everyone with sincere motivation. Encouraging the people of the press
to practice nonviolence and compassion and to find peace in the midst of
adversity, the 14th Tibetan Pontiff won the hearts of those in the
audience. Many members of the press at the conference asked for
clarification on the Dalai Lama's view of conversion. Reiterating his
original comments, the humble Tibetan leader expressed that it is better to
keep the religion you are born into because it influences your thinking. If
conversion is forced, the individual never becomes a sincere convert but,
if after deep self-reflection and philosophical study, the person commits
to the premises of their new faith, then conversion is true, he explained.
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Posted
on 2001/2/16 22:48:02 ( 401 reads )
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Source: Times of India and Hindustan Times Reports
NEW DELHI, INDIA, February 13, 2001: A 100-strong mob ransacked a shop
selling Valentine's Day cards in east Delhi, smashing glass windows and
burning the cards. The attack was one of many at various places in the
country following a call by the Shiv Sena supremo Bal Thackeray not to
celebrate "this shameless festival that is totally contrary to Indian
culture." In Lucknow, a handful of activists of the Hindu Jagaran
Manch forced gift shops selling Valentine's Day cards to shut down. In
Kanpur, several shops selling Valentine's day cards were destroyed. It was
in Mumbai that the Shiv Sena activists had a field day, destroying several
heart shaped arches and gateways built for the occasion by shops and hotels
across Mumbai. They also had a go at 'Madness,' a popular disco in suburban
Mumbai and the Hallmark's outlet at the Crossroads mall. Police seemed to
be looking the other way, though later made some token arrests. They don't
want any major law-and-order trouble on the eve of the Indian Navy's first
international fleet review beginning Thursday. In satellite townships of
Kalyan, Dombivli and Thane several card shops closed their shutters,
calling off their promotionals as a preventive measure.
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Posted
on 2001/2/16 22:47:02 ( 482 reads )
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HANOI, VIETNAM, February 16, 2001: Vietnamese authorities have sealed off
two phony temples built to bilk Buddhist pilgrims out of offerings at one
of the country's most popular religious sites, an official said Friday. The
first two of 42 fake shrines at the Perfume Pagoda were sealed off
Thursday, and local officials plan to close the others as well, said Nguyen
Xuan Sinh, deputy chair of the People's Committee of Huong Son village,
where the pagoda is located. The site has 31 temples and caves that are
recognized as historical relics. The others were built by enterprising
villagers in the mid-1990s to collect donations from unsuspecting pilgrims,
Sinh said. He said three villagers were sentenced to probation for
violating a historical site. "We faced fierce resistance from the
owners of the fake temples, but we are determined to close the rest of them
by the end of this month,'' Sinh said. Perfume Pagoda, 45 miles west of
Hanoi, is one of Vietnam's most popular pilgrimage sites, drawing an
average of 450,000 people during the three-month pilgrimage season that
starts after the Lunar New Year.
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Posted
on 2001/2/15 22:49:02 ( 482 reads )
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KANPUR, INDIA, February 12, 2001: Attacking and raiding shops selling
Valentine's Day gifts and cards, Hindu Jagaram Manch activists attempted to
curb the Western celebration that has become popular among the youth in the
last ten years.The District Magistrate in Kanpur has ordered Special Police
pickets to be posted at hotels, markets and gift shops to deter the
culprits. So far no arrests have been made.
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Posted
on 2001/2/15 22:48:02 ( 464 reads )
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KAITHAL, INDIA, February 12, 2001: Attempting to kindle a "reverence
of all forms of life," the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty of
Animals has started teaching 30 members in the local OSDAV school. On a
larger scale the society intends to set up Karuna Clubs in other schools in
the district where the philosophy of compassion for animals will be taught.
The recipients of the classes promoted by the Society will be educated,
"to raise their voice against killing animals," and to protect
both animal and human rights.
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Posted
on 2001/2/15 22:47:02 ( 471 reads )
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NEW DELHI, INDIA, February 12, 2001: The Vajpayee government proposes to
replace the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) with new legislation
which will contain strict penalties to prevent anti-India and
fundamentalist activities. Under the old FCRA, it is mandatory for all
organizations receiving foreign funds to register with the home ministry
and file returns on receipt and expenditure of foreign exchange. But there
are no stiff penal clauses if any organization is found diverting money to
build institutions that act as "fronts" for terrorist activities.
The existing law has only a provision to cancel the organization's
registration. The law scheduled to replace the 1976 Act will propose a
maximum punishment of imprisonment as well as fines for such organizations.
All organizations receiving foreign funds will have to register with
district magistrates and submit details of the amount received and names of
the donors. It has been suggested that associations operating in the border
regions and religious organizations be registered anew with the home
ministry. This is to keep better watch on religious organizations which
receive thousands of dollars as foreign contributions which are often
channelized for activities other than those the funds were actually meant
for. Reports have noted the increase in mosques and madarsas (Muslim
schools) in the border areas and pointed to the growing use of these by
terrorist outfits.
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Posted
on 2001/2/15 22:46:02 ( 490 reads )
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NEW DELHI, February 15, 2001: Christian church authorities in India have
launched a legal challenge to the country's massive population census,
alleging it infringes on the religious freedom of lower-caste Christians. A
statement of the All-India Christian Council said the census did not give
members of the Scheduled Caste category, popularly called Dalits
(oppressed, very low caste), the option of choosing from the Muslim,
Christian, animist, indigenous, agnostic or "no-faith"
categories. These Reuters report fails to explain the issue, which stems
from the fact "reservations" in jobs and school slots are made
for low caste and untouchable Hindus -- the Indian version of affirmative
action. However, when Indian's constitution was drafted in 1947, Christians
(and Muslims) were not allowed such reservations, on the basis that their
faith did not recognize caste, so therefore no convert suffered the same
disadvantages that they did when a Hindu. Of course, this is not the case,
and the Christian churches are divided along the same caste lines as the
Hindus. That is, a Dalit Hindu ends up a Dalit Christian, and a brahmin
Hindu ends up a brahmin Christian, with separate churches and all. The Christians
feel they will get more Dalit converts if they can get rid of this
provision ending reservations for converts, apparently a more feasible
solution to them than ridding their community of caste divisions.
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Posted
on 2001/2/15 22:45:02 ( 562 reads )
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NEW DELHI, INDIA: February 13, 2001: As part of its campaign to spread the
message about the Shri Rama Janmabhoomi movement, the VHP has prepared a
booklet entitled "Frequently Asked Questions on the Shri Rama
Janmabhoomi movement." It is available at the above "Source."
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Posted
on 2001/2/12 22:49:02 ( 456 reads )
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BOMBAY, INDIA, February 12, 2001: The Shiv Sena organization in India has
ordered its members to disrupt any Valentine's Day celebrations in the
capital of Bombay by targeting beach and garden parties. The leader of the
party, Mr. Bal Thackeray, condemns the festival. He called it shameless and
contrary to Indian culture. Shops in Uttar Pradesh selling Valentine's Day
cards have been attacked. This same state also recently banned beauty
pageants. Quoting their intentions Mr. Thackery speaks, "We should
focus on good work, good thoughts, love and harmony in our society and not
let such Western culture spoil us." Valentine's Day is celebrated on
February 14, the day according to Christian mythology that one priest named
Valentine was martyred in Rome in 270 ce. However, as with many Christian
festivals, it is actually drawn from the pagan Roman festival in honor of
Juno, Queen of the Roman Gods and Goddesses, which was celebrated on
February 14. On this day it was the custom of the Romans to write the names
of girls on paper and put them in a jar, then each young man would draw a
girl's name from the jar with whom he would celbrate the Feast of
Lupercalia on February 15. Sometimes the pairing of the children lasted an
entire year, and often, they would fall in love and would later marry.
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Posted
on 2001/2/12 22:48:02 ( 461 reads )
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AHMEDABAD, INDIA, February 13, 2001: Conservative Muslims of Ahmadabad and
Surat, 580 miles southwest of New Delhi, are destroying their television
sets because Muslim cleric Mufti Imtiaz said television was the cause of
the country's killer earthquake. "The mufti told us about the
poisoning of minds through television, making Allah angry and causing the
earthquake,'' said Abdulbhai Guliwala, a shopkeeper in Ahmedabad. "I
just carried out the order of the mufti,'' he said. The idea has since
raced through Muslim communities, spread in part by a recorded message from
the cleric that was distributed throughout the state. In Panch Kuva, 22
Muslims brought out their televisions and destroyed them at the same time.
Residents around two Ahmedabad mosques smashed their sets, and young men
from the Baluchwad neighborhood destroyed televisions in public. Mufti
Imtiaz's office said he was traveling through the quake-hit Kutch region of
Gujarat.
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Posted
on 2001/2/12 22:47:02 ( 452 reads )
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SPRINGDALE, ARKANSAS, USA, February 11, 2001: Jim Lewis got his share of
"licks" with a paddle when he was a student in public school. Now
that he's a principal himself, he paddles students only on rare occasions
and as a last resort. "Most principals now are far from the
disciplinarians that principals used to be," said Lewis, principal at
George Elementary in Springdale. He uses his wooden paddle about four times
a school year and only with parents' consent. The principal was reluctant
even to talk about paddling, since it's such a small a part of what goes on
in his school. "It's not who I am," he said. Instead of giving
licks, Lewis likes to work with the child and his parents on behavior
changes when discipline problems arise. "Paddlings and spankings are
usually short-term fixes," he said. Arkansas is one of 23 states in America
that still allow corporal punishment in its public schools. Twenty-seven
states have now banned the practice, up from five states in 1986. The
Arkansas Board of Education adopted a resolution in 1993 urging school
districts to pass policies against corporal punishment, saying such
punishment wasn't in line with national education goals. Jim Argue, a
Democratic representative for Little Rock, said "It represents a
rural, male-dominated culture that sees corporal punishment as an
acceptable tool of discipline." Argue said he's in the minority as a
lawmaker against the practice. He decided to stop spanking his own children
after punishing his young daughter one day. His daughter wondered aloud why
he would hit her as punishment for hitting her sister. The irony struck
him. "She kind of taught me a lesson," he said. "I don't
think violence is a good tool [to encourage] nonviolence." "We
discourage it," said Hartzell Jones, deputy superintendent for
personnel in the Springdale School District. "But some people don't
think a good spanking is child abuse. They think the Bible supports
that." Many education groups and professional psychiatric and
psychology taken the position that corporal punishment perpetuates a cycle
of abuse.
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Posted
on 2001/2/11 22:49:02 ( 458 reads )
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PALAKKAD, INDIA, February 6, 2001: You can't miss the sign, "Sale,
purchase or possession of all intoxicants is punishable." A reminder
of good intentions gone awry. For the air in Attapadi, the largest tribal
block in South India, is full of the scent of poppy, ganja and hooch, a
trade the locals have perfected. The Karumber, the wealthiest of the
tribals that include the Irullar, Mudugar and Valayars, no longer rely on
government support to get by. Their thriving ganja (marijuana) cultivation
in the thick forest takes care of all their needs. Despite the unlawful
trade, the tribals continue to live in huts, away from civilization. It is
outsiders who pocket the profits. They provide all the raw materials then
return for the goods at harvest time. The tribals get a fixed commission,
but even this small profit that trickles down is enough. The ganja brings
in US$21.74 a kilo. (In the USA, a kilo could bring $2,150, not to mention
eight years in jail and a $10,000 fine.) A plant matures in six months and
in three years a maximum of 20 kg of leaves can be picked, bringing around
$434.78 from one plant. The profits are mostly spent on liquor. Ironically,
the main suppliers of hooch -- cheap liquor -- are the outsiders who trade
in ganja. They ensure a continuing supply to the tribals.
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Posted
on 2001/2/24 22:45:02 ( 436 reads )
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SAN FRANCISCO, U.S.A, February 24, 2001: Researchers at a California
biotechnology company, StemCells Inc., have produced laboratory mice with
human brain cells, marking a potential step toward developing treatments
for human brain disease like Alzheimer's but promising to fuel fresh debate
over the evolving ethics of bioengineering. "We are not recreating a
human brain. We're really just trying to understand how these stem cells
can function, and how they can be used in the treatment of specific
diseases," said Ann Tsukamoto, vice president of scientific operations
at StemCells Inc. Irving Weissman, a Stanford university professor involved
in the two-year research project, said the next step could be to produce
mice with brains made up almost entirely of human cells but a thorough
ethical review will be done before this step is taken. Tsukamoto added that
the experiment also demonstrated that StemCell Inc's process was viable,
and that cell banks could be established for future transplantation into
humans. Both scientists stressed, though their logic may escape the casual
reader, that their research was in no way aimed at blurring the lines between
human and animal. But consider the bright side. If they develop a talking
mouse, Disney can hire, rather than draw, Mickey Mouse.
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Posted
on 2001/2/23 22:49:02 ( 454 reads )
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AHMEDABAD, INDIA, February 22, 2001: Kumbha Mela, the 42-day-long religious
fair, came to an end Wednesday with the last spurt of bathing fervor.
Two-and-a-half million made their dip into the holy waters of the
confluence of the three rivers, the Ganga, Yamuna and the mythical
Saraswati. "Initially, we were keen to come towards the beginning of
the fair, but soon we realized that it would be much better and more
meaningful to take our dip in peace towards the end," said Ramesh
Lenka, a shopkeeper from Orissa. The one million-strong township of Kumbhnagar
in Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh, has disappeared as swiftly as it sprouted on
the sand banks. The 50 sq. km. Kumbhnagar is now an endless stretch of
sand, the Hindu monastic orders that came from all corners of the world for
a dip into the confluence have gone.
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Posted
on 2001/2/23 22:48:02 ( 438 reads )
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NEW DELHI, INDIA, February 22, 2001: The gigantic venture of India's Census
2001, involving 2 million enumerators visiting 650,000 villages, 5,500
towns and scores of cities to collect crucial demographic and
socio-economic data concerning over a billion people could have inspired
unity. Instead, it has spawned its own set of controversies, relating once
again to age-old caste and communal divisions. The census indeed appears
almost designed to conceal rather than collect useful data. There are more
than 3,000 castes and sub-castes among Hindus. So far, only the census of
Dalits, who constitute about 25 percent of the community, has been made
caste-based. A number of inherent flaws in enumeration methodology, and
caste and communal prejudices of the enumerators, may lead to the census
throwing up "the most complicated lies about the country's
sociological and demographic make-up."
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Posted
on 2001/2/23 22:47:02 ( 458 reads )
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THANE, MAHARASHTRA, February 4, 2001: According to Dr. Vijay Bedekar,
president of the Thane-based Institute of Oriental Study, the Vedas,
Puranas and great epics had references to earthquakes and the devastation
these natural disasters could cause. While there is extensive research
about the quakes in the last 200 years, he said historical documents reveal
studies about earthquakes in the olden days too. Two books, the Brihad
Samhita of Varaha Mihira (5th and 6th century A.D.) and Brihad Sagara of
Ballara Sena (10th and 11th century A.D.) have references about
earthquakes. Dr. Bedekar said, "The reasons and zones of quakes had
been classically mentioned in these texts,'' adding that the country from
Kashmir to Kanyakumari was divided into four seismic zones. Dr. Bedekar
said the four types of earthquakes were the Vayu type which causes the
maximum damage, the Agni, Indra and Varuna types. Quakes and their
intensity could also be found in texts of "Lokapakaram'' in Kannada by
Chamundrai, in 1025 A.D. China has kept the longest detailed records on
earthquakes, going back more than 2,000 years, which has allowed their
scientists to make a few accurate predictions.
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Posted
on 2001/2/23 22:46:02 ( 601 reads )
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NEW DELHI, INDIA, February 24, 2001: Francois Gautier is releasing his new
book, "A Foreign Journalist on India", on March 2, 6:30pm, at the
Park Hotel, in the presence of Dr Murli Manohar Joshi and L.K. Advani.
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Posted
on 2001/2/20 22:49:02 ( 445 reads )
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NEW DELHI, INDIA, February 19, 2001: In some of the remote parts of
Gujarat's Kutch district, Muslims affected by the January 26 earthquake are
refusing relief from an Islamic sect and turning to Hindu organizations
instead. Muslim clergymen in Kutch have reportedly called for a boycott of
a group of Ahmadiyas who are trying to propagate their brand of Islam while
distributing relief. The Ahmadiyas are not recognized as Muslims by the
rest of the Islamic community. Kutch Muslims are instead accepting relief
from volunteers of Hindu organizations like the Vishwa Hindu Parishad and
the Bajrang Dal, as they are not pushing any religious propaganda. The
Ahmadiya sect has a substantial following in Pakistan, where it was banned
during the tenure of Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto. The sect is also banned in
several other Islamic nations.
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Posted
on 2001/2/20 22:48:02 ( 424 reads )
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SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH, February 19, 2001: It is no surprise that the state
of Utah, where 70% of the population is Mormon, also bolsters the highest
percent of women nation-wide who have home-based businesses. From crafts to
stamps and more, the enterprising women are finding creative outlets and
independence while supporting the Mormon value system of large families and
stay-at-home mothering. With the built-in network already in place,
marketing of home-based products is done with ease. Supported by their
peers and the community at large many Mormon women are earning respectable
incomes. Stampin Up, a Utah company selling rubber stamps and stationery,
was started by two sisters and in 1999 produced a whopping US$100 million
in gross revenues.
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Om Tat Sat
(Continued...)
(My humble salutations to Sadguru Sri Sivaya Subramuniyaswami ji,
Satguru Bodhianatha Velayanswami ji, Hinduism
Today dot com for the collection)
(The Blog is reverently for all the seekers of truth,
lovers of wisdom and to share the Hindu Dharma with others on the
spiritual path and also this is purely a non-commercial blog)
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