(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)
News from Hindu Press International
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Posted on 2014/4/2 16:50:22 ( 458 reads
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ONEHUNGA, NEW ZEALAND, February 14, 2014 (Indian Weekender): Thousands of
people thronged Onehunga, Auckland, over four days last week as the
Shirdi Saibaba Mandir opened its doors to the public. Twelve years, more
than $4.5 million, and countless hours of toil by members of the Shirdi
Saibaba Sansthan of New Zealand came to fruition at 12-18 Princess St on
February 6, as the splendor of the mandir was unveiled to all. Four days
of rituals, pooja and discourses culminated with cultural programmes and
Shej Aarti on Sunday, February 9. Sansthan executives told the Indian
Weekender they were delighted with the opening of the mandir and the way
the community had responded to make the event so successful.
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Posted on 2014/4/2 16:50:15 ( 482 reads
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PAKISTAN, March 29, 2014 (Tribune): A small temple belonging to the Hindu
scheduled-caste community was desecrated on Friday morning. Three
unidentified attackers entered the temple of the Hindu deity, Hanuman, in
the SITE area of Latifabad at around 7 am. The men prayed for two minutes
and then broke Hanuman's statue before setting the temple on fire. This
temple is located in the same compound as the more popular temple of Kali
Mata.
"They asked me to let them in because they wanted to pray,"
said Darshan, a student of class five, who has been looking after the
temple for the last five months. "But, once they entered, they broke
the statue, sprayed kerosene oil and set everything ablaze."
The temple is located in Kali Mata Colony on the foothills of the Ganjo
Takkar mountain range. The colony, inhabited by around 500 to 600
scheduled-caste families, is named after the historic Kali Mata temple,
which was located in a mountain cave before the new temple was built.
Hanuman's temple is situated at the colony's entrance, some 350 to 400
feet away from the Kali Mata's temple. The attack came weeks before the
April 14 fair organized at the temple every year.
Krishan Kumar, who represents the colony's community, refused to accept
that Friday's attacks were caused due to any rivalries. The people of
this area mostly belong to the labor class, he said, adding that they
neither fight with neighboring communities nor have they received any
threats. "We have been living here for centuries because of Kali
Mata's temple. Never in the past were we attacked this way."
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Posted on 2014/4/18 12:21:40 ( 126 reads )
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UTTARAKHAND, INDIA, April 11, 2014 (domain-b.com): With tourists from
Maharashtra forming a considerable number of the total visitors to
Uttarakhand, the state tourism board has begun the exercise of attracting
Mumbaikars for the religious of Char Dham yatra, which is set to open for
the season from next month. The pilgrimage, which starts during summer, has
been popular since ancient times, as it involved difficult and arduous
trekking through the hilly regions of Uttarakhand and is considered to be
highly auspicious among Hindus.
The hill state, whose economy is hugely dependent on tourism, is home to
Hindu holy mountain shrines of Kedarnath, Badrinath, Gangotri and Yamunotri,
together constituting the Char Dham, which attract a large number of
devotees and religious travelers every year. The Uttarakhand government is
making special efforts to revive religious tourism following the death of
thousands and devastation to these shrines in the flood-landslide disaster
of last year, which cost the state US$200 million worth of business.
"We are in the process of rebuilding the state's infrastructure. We
are ready to begin the holy yatra from 2 May with the opening of the Yamunotri
and Gangotri gates," state tourism secretary Umakant Panwar told
reporters in Mumbai. Panwar said that taking lessons from last year's
tragedy, the state plans to contain the number of visitors at any given
time. To enforce the plan, the tourism department has made arrangements for
mandatory biometric registration of the all the visitors. Also, each
visitor will be tracked with a GPS-based monitoring system.
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Posted on 2014/4/18 12:21:34 ( 107 reads )
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CHENNAI, INDIA, April 14, 2014 (Times Of India): The Tamil New Year in 2014
will be called Jaya, the 28th year in the 60-year Tamil calendar. Though
January 1 is considered the New Year for official purposes, most Tamils
follow the Tamil calendar and celebrate April 14 as new year.
Each Tamil New Year is named from a calendar of 60 names which starts with
Prabhava (first in Sanskrit). The names repeat after every 60 years. Thus
the outgoing year is Vijaya and the next Tamil year will be called
Manmatha. In 1954, the Tamil New Year was called Jaya; those born that year
will be celebrating their 60th birthday this year.
Temples and monasteries across the state have lined up several religious
programs to mark the occasion. Special pujas and discourses have been
planned at temples from Monday morning. At the monasteries, senior pandits
will read the new almanac and predict the good and bad that the coming year
has in store for people. "Jaya will bring all-round prosperity to the
people of the country," forecasts astrologer R. Swaminathan.
"There will be good rain and good harvest. People will be generally
happy, but there is bound to be some hindrances during happy
occasions," he said.
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Posted on 2014/4/18 12:21:28 ( 145 reads )
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SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA, April 17, 2014 (Press Release): Two major seminars on
subjects that impact the global Hindu community will be hosted at the
Global Hindu Conference 2014, scheduled for April 26th-27th weekend in San
Jose, CA, USA.
One of the two seminars is on development of Hindu Historiography, which is
a one-of-its kind initiative that is being done outside of, and in parallel
to, the conventional academic establishment. Sumeet Saxena, the coordinator
and chair of the historiography seminar, said that history plays too
important of a role in self-identification of Hindus all over the world to
be left only to the academia to deal with. The informal sector could also
engage equally in history writing. The conventional academic framework,
which is based on a Western worldview, is inadequate to capture the
complexity of Hindu culture and civilizational experience, in order to
properly express the Hindu historical narrative. Thus, the Western
expression of Hindu history often stands at odds with the representation of
Hindu community in global public affairs, leading to atypical "caste-sati"
type caricatures, mocking and even hate crimes. Decades of discrimination
has led to low self-esteem among Hindu youth, who now shun their Hindu
identity in public spaces. Therefore, the use of unorthodox methods and
setting is needed to accomplish the task of Hindu historiographical
development.
Paramacharya Sadasivanathaswami and Acharya Arumuganathaswami, editor and
managing editor, respectively, of Hinduism Today magazine will conduct a
special session on the representation of Hinduism in American public
schools. The presentation will draw on their two decades of experience with
the portrayal of Hinduism in school textbooks. The target audience will be
parents of Hindu children and social studies school teachers who teach
Hinduism in public schools. The special session will feature the Northern
California premiere of their documentary titled "The History of Hindu
India" which is intended for use in public schools in the U.S. to
supplement the deficient material now in use. The documentary establishes a
historical continuum of faith and practice by narrating the history of
Hinduism since the Indus Valley civilization until the modern age.
The other seminar at the conference will be on Hinduism-Christianity
Comparative Religion. The purpose of the comparative religion seminar is to
build competencies for a deeper and more meaningful engagement with the
Christian world. The current Hindu-Christian interlocution is largely
one-sided where the Hindus have been dependent on old ideological
formulations that were formed in a colonial milieu of 19th century India,
which is acutely compromised in its core and one that has yielded in
indeterminate results. This necessitates the need to learn more and
understand Christianity in a new light from its original sources.
Rajiv Varma, the conference director, expressed his satisfaction on the
overall organization of the conference. Laying down the purpose and vision
for the exercise, he stated that the central theme of the conference is to
build intellectual competencies among the Hindus for a meaningful
engagement with the outside world. Development of Hindu historiography is a
must to write an authentic Hindu narrative. He added that it is imperative
to build Hindu ideological competencies, and incrementally build clarity on
the nature of Hinduism in relation to Abrahamic religions in general, and
with Christianity in particular, in order to provide ideological direction
to the next generation of Hindus. He also outlined a vision of establishing
a comprehensive program for reviving Sindh's classical Hindu heritage, and
integrating the efforts towards Pakistani Hindu refugee rehabilitation into
that program. He clarified that this is necessary to establish an emotional
and cultural connection between refugees and the global Hindu community.
For more information, click source above, or email Rajiv Varma at info@ghfinc.net or call at (281) 576-7496
or (281) 576 7496.
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Posted on 2014/4/18 12:21:22 ( 107 reads )
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In my silence, I experience one vast garden, spread out through the
universe. All plants, all human beings, all higher devas are about it in
various ways and each has his own uniqueness and beauty. Their presence and
variety give me great delight. Every one of you adds in a special way to
the glory of this garden."
-- Sri Anandamayi Ma, (1896-1982), Bengali mystic
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Posted on 2014/4/13 18:36:00 ( 463 reads )
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UNITED KINGDOM, April 10, 2014 (The Northern Echo): Hindu followers from
across the region took part in a ceremony today to mark the installation of
a statue at a temple for Gurkha soldiers. Shivalinga, the representation of
the Hindu God Lord Shiva, was erected in an annex to the Gurkha Temple at
the Infantry Training Centre (ITC) in Catterick Garrison.
The statue was donated by Swami Shri Gopal Sharan Devacharya Ji Maharaj, a
high ranking Hindu priest who visited the ITC in 2012. Pundit Atmaram Dahal,
Gurkha Company religious teacher, said: "The statue was constructed in
India before being donated to our temple.
Captain Rajeshkumar Gurung, from Gurkha Company, said religion played an
important part in the development of recruits, with religious teachers
using examples of Lord Shiva to explain the moral component and duties of a
soldier in combat.
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Posted on 2014/4/13 18:35:53 ( 309 reads )
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MALANG, INDONESIA, April 6, 2014 (The Jakarta Globe): Rice cakes wrapped in
palm leaves, or ketupat, is a usually a treat reserved for the Islamic
holiday of Idul Fitri, but for Hindus in Malang, East Java, ketupat serves
as a customary dish in celebrating Nyepi, the day of silence.
Last week, 33 educational institutions and temples in Malang participated
in a ceremony on Balekambang Beach to celebrate one of the biggest holidays
in the local Hindu calendar. The ceremony, called Jala Nidhi Puja, is held
before Nyepi and it beautifully displays the diversity of Indonesia. In
Sanskrit, "jala " means sea, "nidhi " means sanctity
and "puja " means ceremony.
Apart from the use of ketupat and the Javanese gamelan, Hindus in Malang
also decorate their offerings differently from their better-known
counterparts in Bali. Every offering contains five mandatory elements:
leaves, flowers, fruits, water and incense. Suharsono, the chairman of the
Indonesian Hindu Association (PDHI) in Malang, said that they customized
their offerings according to the things that flourished in their hometown,
but staples like yellow rice, bananas and yellow palm fronds were a common
element.
More at source.
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Posted on 2014/4/13 18:35:47 ( 353 reads )
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DENPASAR, BALI, April 12, 2014 (The Jakarta Post): Hindu experts from
around the world are slated to gather in Denpasar, Bali, next Thursday, to
attend the second World Hindu Wisdom Meet. Five hundred delegates from six
countries, namely India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Russia, Singapore and the UK,
have confirmed their attendance.
The meeting, which will discuss Hindu-based education, is being organized
by the World Hindu Parisad, a Hindu discussion and deliberation forum that
aims to expand the network of Hindus around the globe.
"We hope the meeting will result in a set of basic principles and
essential referrals that can be used by Hindus for guidance in developing
Hindu-based education and educational institutions," World Hindu
Parisad's president, Ida Pedanda Ketut Sebali Tianyar Arimbawa, said during
a press conference in Denpasar on Friday.
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Posted on 2014/4/13 18:35:42 ( 381 reads )
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KAUAI, HAWAII, April 12, 2014 (HPI): Click source above to see the three
pieces of art we've found so far of Saint Akka Mahadevi of Karnataka.
Unfortunately, none are high enough resolution for use in Hinduism Today
magazine. We need photos taken at least 1024 pixels wide, with a file size
of at least 1.5MB. If you have something, or know where we can get it,
kindly email us at letters@hindu.org.
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Posted on 2014/4/13 18:35:35 ( 302 reads )
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The son's duty to his father is to make the world ask, "by what great
austerities did he merit such a son?"
-- Tirukkural
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Posted on 2014/4/11 16:05:03 ( 332 reads )
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WASHINGTON, D.C., April 10, 2014 (Hindu American Foundation): Leaders of
the Hindu American Foundation (HAF) applauded the introduction of the
Freedom of Faith Act by Congressman Mike Honda (D-CA) earlier today. The
Foundation worked closely with Rep. Honda on the legislation, which
permanently reauthorizes the Special Immigrant Non-Minister provision of
the Religious Worker Visa program. The Religious Worker Visa program is
considered essential to many faith communities in the U.S., particularly
Hindus, who rely on the program for the continued vitality of their places
of worship.
"Unlike other faiths, Hindus lack facilities in the United States to
train priests and religious workers here," said Harsh Voruganti, Esq.,
HAF's Associate Director of Public Policy. "We depend heavily upon the
Religious Worker Visa to effectively staff our temples and religious institutions."
"For over two decades, Congress has reauthorized this program time and
time again." Rep. Honda stated. "It's time we do what's right for
our communities of faith and make permanent this program that allows
workers who lead worship, officiate events, and offer pastoral care, to
receive temporary visas like ministers and faith leaders do."
Absent Congressional action, the Special Immigrant Non-Minister provision
is scheduled to expire in September 2015. The provision has been
consistently renewed by Congress every three years, but supporters argue
that the constant need for renewal is inefficient and hurts houses of
worship. "Houses of worship, like businesses, cannot function in
uncertainty," noted Padma Kuppa, a member of HAF's Board of Directors
and a prominent interfaith activist in Greater Detroit. "It's
difficult for a temple or church to make long-term management decisions
when we don't know if this vital program will exist next year. The Freedom
of Faith Act solves this dilemma."
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Posted on 2014/4/11 16:04:56 ( 297 reads )
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KERALA, INDIA, April 9, 2014 (Press Information Bureau): The months of
April and May, when the temperatures soar and the countryside is soaked
daily in the brightest of sunlight, villages and small towns in the Malabar
region (Northern parts) of Kerala reverberate to the exciting rhythms of
various instruments. The colorful and musical festivals of Poorams are held
during this period.
The pooram festivals are conducted with the local temple as the centre. The
biggest and most colorful festival takes place at Vadakkumnathan temple in
Thrissur and is called Thrissur Pooram. It happens during the Malayalam
month of Medam (April/May). Another important festival not far from
Thrissur is the Arattupuzha Pooram, which has around 60 elephants. This
year the Arattupuzha pooram is being celebrated on April 11.
Thrissur pooram, the grandest spectacle of all has its beginnings during
the reign of Sakthan Thampuran - one of the strongest rulers of the erstwhile
kingdom of Kochi. He is said to have started the system of staging a grand
pooram festival in repentance of having accidentally beheaded an oracle
(what is locally known as a velichappadu - one who acts as a spokesperson
for the local deity).
Panchavadyam, a rhythmic orchestra, that may feature more than 100 artists,
playing five (pancha) different kindof instruments, is one of the major
ingredients of the Pooram festivals. The term panchavadyam literally means
an orchestra of five instruments. It is basically a temple art form that
has evolved in Kerala. Of the five instruments, four --timila, maddalam,
ilathalam and idakka -- belong to the percussion category, while the fifth,
the kombu, is a wind instrument.
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Posted on 2014/4/11 16:04:49 ( 347 reads )
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UNITED STATES, April 9, 2014 (Forbes): Serial entrepreneur Pravin Kothari
has spent the past two decades in Silicon Valley's enterprise software
trenches. He's had a hand in founding four tech companies, including
ArcSight, which grew into a $1.6 billion HP acquisition in 2010. Kothari
holds over a dozen patents in security technologies and is the inventor
behind his latest company, CipherCloud's encryption technology. "For
me, solving complex problems through innovation is my calling," says
Kothari. But the biggest challenge in a startup when you have limited
resources, changing priorities, too much to do and not enough time can be
stress. "Yoga saved my career," says Kothari. "In 2004, I
experienced a stress-induced digestive system disorder. My doctor informed
me that I would need to quit startups and take daily medication for the
rest of my life to counter the condition."
Under his doctors advice, Kothari started yoga to help de-stress for one
hour in morning and one hour in the evening. He puts the fact that he made
a full recovery and was able to toss out the medication within a year down
to this routine. A 2012 study by the Alternative Medicine Review looked at
35 trials addressing the effects of yoga on anxiety and stress. It found
that 25 noted a significant decrease in stress and/or anxiety symptoms when
a yoga regimen was introduced, although it recommended more stringent
controls such as larger study populations. "Yoga actively cleanses and
refreshes one's mind and boosts creativity," says Kothari. "It
helps channel peace into the organized chaos of building and running start
ups. By finding their calm, employees are at optimal state for making the
best decisions and deliver best results."
Kotari encourages and sponsors yoga for his employees. At ArcSight, he
started weekly sponsored sessions at work to help employees better manage
work life balance. "Ultimately, yoga is a powerful medium to take care
of yourself, which is important because we often forget that in the course
of taking care of work and family. As you get deeper into the practice, you
extend that self-awareness into serving your community," says Kothari.
"Yoga brings the balance, calm, team harmony, creativity and focus to
help solve difficult problems faced every day in business. It can help
achieve success in business and even fulfillment of personal dreams".
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Posted on 2014/4/11 16:04:38 ( 255 reads )
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You may develop a thousand virtues and be reckoned as the greatest in the
land. But the lotus of your heart will not blossom until you receive the
grace of the Guru, the grace of God!
-- Dada Sadhu Vaswani
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Posted on 2014/4/9 18:42:06 ( 517 reads )
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DEHRADUN, INDIA, April 9, 2014 (Times Of India): Only eight pilgrims have
registered for road travel towards Kedarnath this year. Nearly 1.3 million
had visited Kedarnath and Badrinath last year, during the Char Dham Yatra
(pilgrimage to four holy sites). Rattled by last year's devastation in
which floods killed 6,000 and stranded 100,000, only 77 devotees have opted
for the chopper service for Kedarnath this year. With the Char Dham Yatra,
the backbone of Uttarakhand's economy, scheduled to kick off in the first
week of May, it is clear that the state is set to lose millions of dollars
in revenue.
The Char Dham Yatra used to have over 20 million visitors through the
pilgrimage season. It fueled the economy of Uttarakhand, triggering money
circulation in the form of taxi rides, hotel bookings, chopper rides and
road taxes. This year, the Garhwal Mandal Vikas Nigam (GMVN) has only 294
bookings, including 77 for Kedarnath, for the Yatra.
Stunned by the low head-count, the state government has held meetings with
over 250 tour operators based in Ahmedabad and Mumbai. "In the
meetings we are telling the private tour operators about arrangements made
by the state government in all the four shrines. This includes the medical
facilities, helipads, emergency services, communications and
transport," said a senior Uttarakhand Tourism Development Board
official.
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Posted on 2014/4/9 18:42:00 ( 350 reads )
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LIVERMORE, CALIFORNIA, April 4, 2014 (Independent News): The Shiva Vishnu
Temple's soaring white gopura, the ornate tower at the temple's entrance,
is awe-inspiring against Livermore's deep blue sky, but the people gathered
within are beyond warm and welcoming. "Our motto is, 'Serving God
through serving mankind,'" said Kruthi Shah, emcee of the Hindu
Community and Cultural Center (HCCC)'s annual Grant in Aid Ceremony on March
22nd.
"Grant in Aid is in the spirit of giving back to the community,"
said Karunakar Gulukota, chairman of the Human Services Functional
Committee. "The HCCC stands for community overall, and is sincerely
making efforts to bring a positive difference to our community. Our
facilities are open to everyone who could make suitable use of them while
being mindful of the fact that it is attached to the Hindu Temple."
Since 1987, around $30,000 each year is granted to non-profit organizations
that focus on meeting a wide range of human needs, particularly those
ensuring food, shelter, health and education. Nearly 30 non-profits were
chosen this year to receive grants which varied in amount according to the
organization's needs, size and programs. Livermore-Pleasanton Fire Chief
Jim Miguel accepted a grant of $1,200 that will help those impacted by
fires and local emergencies, along with assisting firefighter's families
when needed.
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Posted on 2014/4/24 12:19:22 ( 302 reads )
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INDIA, April 20, 2014 (Daily Mail): Heavy snowfall accompanied by rainfall
since Saturday night has hampered reconstruction work at flood-hit
Kedarnath in Rudraprayag district. Presently a Special Task Force (STF)
team, comprising Nehru Institute of Mountaineering (Uttarkashi) and the
Uttarakhand Police, is engaged in constructing a trek road to the famous
Hindu shrine, which will reopen on May 4. Preparations are underway to
restore tourist facilities in Kedarnath, which includes creating a trek
route, helipad ground, fixing water supply, electricity and other basic
amenities.
Devotees in large numbers visit Kedarnath from different parts of India to
offer tributes to Lord Shiva. But the flow of tourists has seen a drastic
decline ever since last year's devastating flash-flood.
Till last year, the trek for Kedarnath used to start from Gaurikund but
this time the pilgrims will have to walk an additional distance because of
the slow reconstruction work. Located at a height of 11,750 ft., pilgrims
visiting Kedarnath will have to use a new 4.3 mile pedestrian road from
Rambara onwards to reach the shrine. The earlier trek connecting Rambara to
Kedarnath has been abandoned. But the trek connecting Rambara to Gaurikund
will more or less remain the same.
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Posted on 2014/4/24 12:19:16 ( 397 reads )
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NEW DELHI, INDIA, April 19, 2014 (Times Of India): [HPI note: this report
should be taken with a grain of salt. Ever since the discovery of the
temple's wealth, the state government has been trying to take control of
the temple's finances, something they can do only if mismanagement is
proven. The temple's present management has challenged this amicus curiae
report.)
The untold riches of Thiruvananthapuram's Sree Padmanabhaswamy temple,
which was discovered three years ago and was estimated at US$16.5 billion,
may be getting pilfered, an explosive report on the state of affairs in the
temple submitted to the Supreme Court said. Rare jewels, stone-studded
crowns, heaps of gold and silver coins, statues and gold, silver and brass
platters and lamps, were found in the temple in July 2011, catapulting it
overnight to one of the richest in the country.
Amicus curiae Gopal Subramaniam, after a 35-day inspection of the temple,
told the court in his report about recent discovery of a gold plating
machine in the temple premises and expressed apprehension that some original
temple gold and ornaments may have been pilfered and replaced with fakes.
Subramaniam, tasked to report on the state of affairs of the temple as well
as the wealth, said there appeared to be a deep-rooted conspiracy in the
apparent mismanagement of the temple wealth and suggested a detailed audit
by former comptroller and auditor general Vinod Rai.
Importantly, he urged the court to open Kallara (vaults) 'B' and assess the
wealth in it. Till now, Kallara A to F had been opened and valuables
listed, except 'B'. There was opposition to the opening of vault 'B' on
various counts, which ranged from religious to dogmatic. Interestingly,
Subramaniam found two more vaults and named them Kallara 'G' and 'H'. He
urged the court to order authorities to open these two new vaults and
inventory the valuables.
He also found discrepancies in the general account kept by the temple
management and suggested an audit of it. Subramaniam said for the last 30
years, the receipts from devotees had not been accounted for properly and
said this was an additional reason for a detailed audit of temple accounts.
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Posted on 2014/4/24 12:19:10 ( 307 reads )
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y-8IYtyVKHQ
MIDLANDS,TEXAS, Feb 19, 2014 ( Kauai Aadheenam, Hawaii): On February 19,
2014, one Hindu, one Jew and three Christians sat together to answer
questions submitted by the moderator and the local community before an
audience of mixed faiths at First Baptist Church in Midland, Texas. This
was the fourth such interfaith panel held in the Permian Basin.
The five speakers this year were Rabbi Holly Levin Cohn of Temple Beth El,
Odessa, Texas, Msgr. Larry Droll, Pastor, St. Ann's Catholic Church,
Midland, Texas, Satguru Bodhinatha Veylanswami of Kauai's Hindu Monastery,
Hawaii, Rt. Rev. Sam B. Hulsey, Bishop (Retd.), Episcopal Diocese of
Northwest Texas and Dr. Randel Everett, Pastor, First Baptist Church,
Midland, Texas.
Topics discussed were gay marriage, non-Christian children being told by
their peers they were going to hell, and belief in the supernatural world.
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Posted on 2014/4/24 12:19:04 ( 360 reads )
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REUNION ISLAND, April, 16 2014 (Zinfos): The Reunion Tamil Federation, the
Reunion Vaikoundam Association and the insurance company, Assurances
Australes, have teamed up to offer the population of Reunion the
possibility of organizing a funeral according to Hindu rites. It is a first
for the island. This funeral agreement is a turnkey product to avoid
financial and administrative burdens on families. The objective is avoid
administrative and financial hassles for bereaved families. In exchange for
an annual subscription, the insurer takes care of everything (a lump sum
payment of 3,500 euros funeral service chosen by the family
According to Hindu tradition, the death ritual takes place in four steps
and requires the use of a pujari (priest) who organizes the ceremony. The
Hindu ritual surrounding death is very special. There is a vigil, cremation
or burial, the Karoumadi ceremony (16th day after death) and Devsam
ceremony (one year and one day after death.) "There has been a lot of
trouble for families to organize the proper sequence of ceremonies. So
difficult that most have opted for a conventional funeral in the church. We
are here to liberate families of all their worries," says Jose Krishna
Amouny, pujari in the southern town of Saint-Pierre.
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Posted on 2014/4/24 12:18:57 ( 326 reads )
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The biggest sorrow is poverty. The greatest happiness is that of meeting
with a saint, which is beyond compare.
-- Tulsidas in the Ramacharitamanasa, 16th century
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Posted on 2014/4/20 16:55:01 ( 634 reads )
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INDIA, April 15, 2014 (BBC): India's Supreme Court has recognized
transgender people as a third gender, in a landmark ruling. "It is the
right of every human being to choose their gender," it said in
granting rights to those who identify themselves as neither male nor
female. It ordered the government to provide transgender people with quotas
in jobs and education in line with other minorities, as well as key
amenities.
According to one estimate, India has about two million transgender people.
Campaigners say they live on the fringes of society, often in poverty,
ostracized because of their gender identity. Most make a living by singing
and dancing or by begging and prostitution.
Members of the third gender have played a prominent role in Indian culture
and were once treated with great respect. They find mention in the ancient
Hindu scriptures and were written about in the greatest epics Ramayana and
Mahabharata. In medieval India too, they played a prominent role in the
royal courts of the Mughal emperors and some Hindu rulers. Many of them
rose to powerful positions.
Their fall from grace started in the 18th Century during the British
colonial rule when the Criminal Tribes Act of 1871 categorized the entire
transgender community as "criminals" who were "addicted"
to committing serious crimes. After Independence, the law was repealed in
1949, but mistrust of the transgender community has continued. It is hoped
that the landmark court ruling will help bring them into the mainstream and
improve their lot.
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Posted on 2014/4/20 16:54:54 ( 513 reads )
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AUSTRALIA, March 1, 2014 (The Indian Sun): Inspired by His Holiness Pramukh
Swami Maharaj, the current spiritual head of BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha, the
newly reconstructed BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir in Rosehill, Sydney was
officially inaugurated with Vedic rituals by Sadguru Sant Pujya
Ishwarcharan Swami, a senior BAPS sadhu, and the State Premier of New South
Wales, the Honorable Barry O'Farrell, on Sunday, 9 February 2014.
The murti-pratishtha ceremony marked the climax of the four-day Mandir
Mahotsav. The murtis, previously sanctified and consecrated by His Holiness
Pramukh Swami Maharaj during his visit in 2002, were reinstalled in the new
mandir amidst the chanting of Vedic mantras. This was followed by a
traditional folk dance performed by children and the first arti of the
murtis in the new mandir.
Another BAPS mandir was inaugurated in Brisbane the following week with a
two-day celebrations on 14 and 15 February. With this two mandir openings,
BAPS now holds four mandirs in Australia, specifically in Sydney, Perth,
Melbourne and Brisbane with Adelaide to go next as well as Perth
renovations in the pipeline.
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Posted on 2014/4/20 16:54:39 ( 830 reads )
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INDIA, March 1, 2014 (Global Post): Female sadhus, or holy Hindu women,
have broken away from tradition and formed a new all-female group in India
that they hope will end male domination of spiritual practices. In the
northern city of Allahabad a group of women sadhus formally established
their group or akhada, holding ceremonies on the banks of the River Ganges
which is considered sacred by Hindus. Mahant Trikal Bhavanta, a leading
woman sadhu, told AFP late Friday that the all-women akhada was believed to
be the first in the history of Hinduism in India.
An akhada is a group of sadhus -- reclusive ascetics or wandering monks who
renounce normal life and are often widely respected for their holiness.
India has more than a dozen such groups, all male-dominated. According to
some Hindu lore, it is believed the first akhada was formed by Hindu
philosopher Adi Shankaracharya in the eighth century with the aim of
safeguarding the religion's interests.
Bhavanta said the all-women group was facing criticism from male sadhus,
who claim the move goes against age-old customs. "Nowhere in the Hindu
scriptures is it mentioned that women cannot have an akhada of their
own," she told AFP.
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Posted on 2014/4/20 16:54:33 ( 459 reads )
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BARBADOS, March 17, 2014 (Nation News): Dashes of blue, red and white
powder painted a kaleidoscope of celebration, as Hindus and people of
Indian descent in Barbados marked Phagwa yesterday. The festival of many
colors signalled the beginning of a new year on the Hindu calendar, as well
as the victory of good over evil, Pandit Thakoor Prashad explained to the
Daily Nation at the Welches temple where the event was held. "Barriers
are broken and all enmity is gone and everyone becomes friends," he
continued.
Prashad reported that local celebrations were growing. Fifteen
undergraduate cultural studies students from the University of the West
Indies, Cave Hill, curious onlookers and supporters came out to the event,
which started late in the afternoon, despite the scattered showers.
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Posted on 2014/4/20 16:54:26 ( 389 reads )
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The way to freedom is a way of silence--of silent resolve and silent
service.
-- Sadhu Vaswani, (1879-1966) founder the Sadhu Vaswani Mission
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Posted on 2014/4/19 18:51:40 ( 556 reads )
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LOS ANGELES, April 03,2014 (by Grace Lim, SCPR): Aerospace engineer Dileep
Bhat doesn't consider the science of his day job and his study of astrology
as mutually exclusive. Growing up in India, Bhat learned about the ancient
practice of Vedic astrology from his grandfather and uncle. The older men
taught him to read and interpret astrological charts through the teachings
in the Vedas, 6,000-year-old Sanskrit texts. Later, when Bhat moved to the
U.S., some of his engineering colleagues questioned how he could work in
science and believe in something so unscientific. "There are certain
things in science, like gravity; ... you can't see it, but we all
experience it. Astrology has the same kind of principle," Bhat said.
Vedic astrology, also known as Jyotish, has been part of Indian culture for
thousands of years, but its followers have grown in the last few decades.
As Western interest in zodiac astrology increased, so did interest in other
types of astrology and fortune telling. Of course, not everyone buys into
astrology's claims, Vedic or otherwise. But those who believe in Vedic
astrology see an alternative to traditional Western, so-called zodiacal
astrology.
A typical zodiac horoscope reading is based solely on the date of birth.
But with Vedic astrology, three different factors -- the place and time of
birth as well as the date are needed for a reading. Bhat uses computer
software to turn the three factors into an astrological chart that is
interpreted for an individual's personality traits, physical condition and
life events.
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Posted on 2014/4/19 18:51:34 ( 552 reads )
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NEW DELHI, INDIA, April 10, 2014 (Business Insider): KFC, the
Kentucky-based fast-food chain known for its "finger-lickin'
good" range of chicken fillets and burgers, has finally given in to India's
penchant for vegetarianism. In what appears to be a first across all KFC
franchises globally, KFC India has unveiled a segregated vegetarian menu
along with a strong message about its newfound bias for vegetarian
offerings.
Paneer Zinger and Veg Twister, in addition to the hot-selling Potato
Krisper Burger, Veg Strips, Veg Rockin' Burger and Veg Rice Bowl will now
vie for consumer mind space along with their popular non-veg counterparts.
The company has not only introduced new products under its veg range, it
has also tweaked its global tagline "So good" to "So veg, so
good" to show its commitment towards the category.
Executives at the company say the new menu will help them satiate high
local demand for vegetarian options. "We recognized an opportunity to
deliver a significant vegetarian range for the Indian consumer, and to
reach out to a broader target audience," says Dhruv Kaul, director of
marketing at KFC India.
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Posted on 2014/4/19 18:51:28 ( 503 reads )
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NAKHON SI THAMMARAT, THAILAND, April 15, 2014 (Thai News): Thousands of
Thai and foreign tourists have participated in the Nang Dan Parade during
the Songkran Festival in southern Nakhon Si Thammarat province. The Nang
Dan Parade is influenced by Hindu religious rituals, which are a part of
the Hindu Swinging Ceremony or Tri Yampawai.
The intention of the ceremony is to engage three of the Hindu subordinate
Gods to greet Shiva (Phra Isuan) when he pays a visit to the Earth in the
second month of every year, in order to bless the town. The Nang Dan (Dan
or Kradan means a plank) is made from three planks, the first one crafted
as the Sun and the Moon, the second as the Vasudhara (Phra Mae Thorani),
and the last one as the Ganga (Phra Mae Kongka). The parade is designed to
welcome Shiva.
Chaowas Sanepong, Mayor of Nakhon City Municipality, presided over the
Shiva worshiping ceremony at the PraSayom Base--the oldest Hindu
construction that remains in the city.
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Posted on 2014/4/19 18:51:22 ( 660 reads )
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MILTON, CANADA, March 17, 2014 (Weekly Voice): This small city west of
Mississauga is the latest to approve Diwali fireworks as its council
unanimously voted to amend a town fireworks bylaw, granting the fall
celebration equal status with Victoria Day and Canada Day. The five-day
festival, scheduled for October 23 this year, is celebrated by Hindus,
Sikhs, Jains, Buddhists and other South Asian religions. Also known as the
festival of lights, Diwali holds spiritual significance in the lighting of
lamps, candles and fireworks.
Under the previous bylaw, a $47 permit was required for those wanting to
discharge family fireworks. That fee is waived for Victoria Day, Canada
Day, and now Diwali. The by-law will stipulate that Diwali celebrant still
have to go through a permit process and clear safety concerns.
Niraj Thakkar of non-profit group Halton Gujarati Samaj told the council
"without the fireworks, Diwali is not complete." Thakkar says
that the Halton Gujarati Samaj members worked tirelessly to approve the
above amendment of bylaw by constantly calling each councilor and flooding
the town hall on the day voting for amendment was to happen.
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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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