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ARHUS, DENMARK, December 18, 2000: Ali Simsek, like millions of Turkish immigrants drawn to Europe came to Denmark in 1970. His family joined him but in all the years, Mr. Simsek never learned a word of Danish or forsook Turkish customs. When his oldest son, Bunyamin, turned 17 in 1987, Mr. Simsek arranged a marriage for him with Sorgul Ceran from Turkey, a daughter of an old friend. But after the birth of a child and the completion of Bunyamin's education, things quickly soured, failure owing to unsettling contradictions of their lives."My wife was wearing a veil, a problem for me in Denmark, as my friends are Danes," he says. This is one case of why forced arranged marriage is a target of ridicule across Europe. "Immigrants must adapt to Danish cultural norms," said Nils Preiser, a senior Interior Ministry official. Bunyamin, now 30, is a Danish-speaking citizen at ease with the give-and-take of Western society, an olive-skinned Muslim in a land of Vikings. Some people call him a "Nydansker," or "New Dane," a term that sets him and others like him apart. "Like many second-generation immigrants, I have two identities," he says. Arranged marriage is also an issue in the UK where too often the match is forced.

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LONDON, ENGLAND, December 19, 2000: The story of the Sidis, the Indian community of African descent which has lost contact with its African origins, has attracted enormous interest from around the world. A recent report on BBC News Online by Andrew Whitehead about the Sidis' quest for their history has prompted hundreds of e-mails. "The song of the Sidi ladies in India," wrote Basha Sebro in Ethiopia, "is very similar to one sung by my father's tribe in Harar in Ethiopia." But it's possible that Sidis' had west African origins, with the Sidi village of Jambur, sharing a name with a village in The Gambia. "The Sheedi or Makrani community outside Karachi in Pakistan was part of the Sultanate of Oman," explains Asim Alavi in the US, "and Sheedis came here as slaves." E-mails about an African trading community near Belgaum, again in southern India, and about small settlements in western Sri Lanka were also received. Some emails reflected resentment that Sidis were being regarded as an anthropological curiosity.

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BERGEN COUNTY, NEW JERSEY, December 15, 2000: Bergen County in North Jersey has become the home to the third-highest number of Indian Asians in the U.S.A. In order to keep their religion and culture thriving, the Hindu Samaj has purchased 5 wooded acres where the congregation of about 200 families plans to build a 26,000-square foot temple and community center. An old Victorian House is in the process of being renovated to house a priest for the temple. Upon completion in January, 2001, a priest will be hired to host prayer groups in the house until the temple is completed. Construction will begin after the group has raised at least $1 million. The new temple will cost in the vicinity of $3 million. Other religions have places of worship nearby and the mayor of Bergen Country said the temple has no strong opposition.

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MONTREAL, QUEBEC, CANADA, December 19, 2000: Concordia University announced it would hold an international conference on the Mahabharata June 7, 8 and 9, 2001. The themes are: methodological problems of teaching the mahabharata; character analysis based on ethical issues; and challenges and responses in the context of philosophical, social and other issues. Postal Address: Dr. Shrinivas Tilak, Department of Religion, Concordia University, 1455 de Maisonneuve Boulevard West, Montreal, Quebec, Canada H3G 1M8.

Source: Deccan Chronicle, Bangalore

MYSORE, SOUTH INDIA, December 6, 2000: Akhila Bharatha Veerashaiva Mahasabha (ABVM) President Bheemana Khandre has called upon heads of all Veerashaiva monasteries to unite and mobilize Veerashaivas as a separate religion to strengthen the community. Speaking as the chief guest on the "Census Enumeration - 2001 and Awareness Tour," organized by the prominent Veerashaiva Mahasabha based at Suttur Mutt, Khandre reiterated that Veerashaivas were not Hindus as they revolted against the Vedic culture and, by this token, should be recognized as a separate religion in the census report. He denied that their demands would divide society on caste issues and told of injustices meted out to this community who are socially and educationally backward. Neither the Backward Commission Reports nor the Mandal Commission had benefitted their cause, he said. The government too had denied them a separate religion listing in column eight of the census form. Khandre called upon Veerashaivas to insist on their name being listed on the form.

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LEUVEN, BELGIUM, December 15, 2000: Those interested in the revival of pre-Christian, Pagan religions now underway in many parts of Europe and North America may enjoy reading the above paper by Dr. Koenraad Elst. Groups such as Lithuania-based, World Congress of Ethnic Religions work to rediscover and reconstitute the religion of their ancestors. With so little recorded tradition available, and much of that distorted, they often borrow heavily from the traditions of Hinduism, the world's largest surviving ancient Pagan faith. While sharing common ground with the neo-Pagan religions, Elst also candidly explains where the neo-Pagans part company with traditional Hindus, with regard to certain values, disciplines and established yogic traditions.

Source: The Hindu, Chennai

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, INDIA, December 14, 2000: An inquisition by the crime branch of the Sabarimala Temple in Kerala, South India, has been ordered by the administrative board after a bloated lizard and a shrew tail was discovered in a prasadam (food blessed in the temple ritual) can by a devotee. Ruling out the possibility that the creatures were cooked or packed in the prasadam is the fact that the cooking process is done at 300 degrees Celsius. Neither the rat nor the lizard were charred. A similar incident of contamination at the Aravana Temple in November resulted in the high court ordering an investigation by the State Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau.

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LONDON, ENGLAND: Over a 10-year period Anglican and Roman Catholic church-attendance figures are down in England and Wales. Baptisms and church marriages are also in decline. The Anglican Church in Hereford is a case in point. Even with some 1,000 parishioners, weekly attendance averages only about 60. At the same time, other religions (not including Judaism) have tripled in number. One in four people in Leicester (a city in the British Midlands) is now a Hindu. Countrywide, Islam is the fastest-growing religion.

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HONESDALE, PENNSYLVANIA, December 15, 2000: Beginning on January 9, 2001, and continuing through the month, the staff of Himalayan Institute will post "the Kumbha Mela Times," a daily online newspaper covering the upcoming Kumbha Mela in Allahabad, India. Thirty million devotees are expected on the main bathing day in late January.

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WILBRAHAM, MASSACHUSETTS, December 15, 2000: The family of Dr. Abhaychandra L. Mehta has requested HPI to inform Hindus that Dr. Mehta passed away on February 28, 2000, two days after his 83rd birthday, of pulmonary fibrosis. An ayurvedic physician, teacher and practitioner of pancha karma, Dr. Mehta was the former principal of Gujarat Ayurveda University Hospital in India and the founder of the Indian Cultural Research and Development Institute in America.

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CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, December 15, 2000: Illinois has become the first state in the nation to ban the sale of bidi cigarettes, tiny, hand-rolled, flavored cigarettes, which are popular among young teens. "Bidi cigarettes resemble marijuana joints, which may influence their popularity," said the Governor's statement. "The United Stages government's Centers for Disease Control found that bidis produce three times the nicotine and carbon monoxide and five times the tar of regular cigarettes." Bidis are often manufactured in India in sweatshop-like conditions, sometimes by child labor. The cigarettes are given candy-like flavors and colorful packaging that appeal to kids. Some think bidis may be a gateway to drugs because they look like marijuana joints and produce a powerful head rush. From January 1, violators of the ban in Illinois will be fined $100 to $1000. The Christian Science Monitor source above gives a complete story on US policy.

Source: Indian Express

MUMBAI, INDIA, December 6, 2000: An estimated 250,000 sadhus and 700,000 pilgrims are expected to visit Trimbakeshwar in the Himalayas for a holy bath between July 30, 2003, and August 26, 2004, when Nashik hosts the Kumbh Mela. Dates will be ratified at a meeting on January 14 at Allahabad. According to the dates declared, the Sinhasta Kumbh period begins at 11:51 am on July 30, 2003, and will conclude at 11:49 pm on August 26, 2004. There will be 20 occasions for holy baths during the 13 months. Along with pilgrims, there are about 19 Mahants and 22 Akhadas of hermits of Vaishnav and Saiva sects who are expected to participate in the mela and government agencies estimate an expenditure of about US$65.2 million to accommodate the crowds, including improvements to the mela area. The Kumbh Mela is held once every four years at one of four holy places in India -- ie, Haridwar, Prayag, Ujjain and Nashik. The 2001 gathering in Prayag (Allahabad) is expected to be the largest single gathering of human beings in history.

Source: The Hindu

NEW DELHI, INDIA, December 11, 2000: The Ramakrishna Mission has incurred an expenditure of over US$22,000,000 on education, health and relief as well as developmental works undertaken during 1999 - 2000. Over $14.8 million, much of it subsidies from the government of India, was spent by the Mission's educational institutions imparting knowledge to nearly 170,000 students. Medical services rendered to more than 5,100,000 people through nine Mission hospitals and dispensaries cost $5,000,000. Relief and rehabilitation programs undertaken by the Mission benefitted nearly 400,000 people in more than 800 villages.

Source: Hinduism Today

FLUSHING, NEW YORK, December 15, 2000: According to the latest bulletin from the Hindu Temple Society of North America which governs the Ganesha Temple in Flushing, a new dress code is in force. "Certain kinds of dress are inappropriate for attending the temple," says the bulletin. "These include shorts for both men and women; very short skirts, ripped or truncated jeans, etc."

Source: Dainkik Bhaskar, Bhopal

KHILCHIPUR, INDIA, December 5, 2000: To promote world peace Sri Ram Nam Jap, the chanting of Lord Rama's name, has been organized and inspired by religious leader Sri Balyogi Rammilan Das Ji Maharaj of Kashi at the Naharda Hanuman Temple premises. According to Sri Balyogi Maharaj, this was the first huge sacred offering of it's kind where the name of Lord Rama would be repeated in the forms of chanting, writing, speech and offerings. The program commenced November 30 with devotees bearing sacred urns in holy procession around the temple followed by an invocatory prayer to Lord Ganesh. The event concluded on December 6 with the distribution of blessed offerings. Sri Balyogi Ji's intention is to organize 108 such mahayagnas to propagate the well-being of all beings. The high priest, Yagnacharya Pandit Srinath Das Mehta, presided over the well-attended program.