Press Release

PARIS FRANCE, April 5, 2013 (Press Release): Vaithilingam Sanderasekaram, founder of the Sri Manicka Vinayaka Temple in Paris, passed away on April 1, 2013. He was 68 years old. Sandera (Chandra), as he was commonly known, was born in Sri Lanka in 1946. He arrived in France in 1975. In 1985, he founded a small Ganesha Temple in the "Little India" La Chapelle neighborhood. He moved the temple to larger quarters at 17 rue Pujol in 2010. In 1996 he started an annual Chariot festival which carried Ganesha through the streets of Paris surrounding the temple. At the time of his death he was making preparations for the 18th event. Because of this festival the Sri Manicka Vinayaka Temple, and the presence of Hinduism in Paris, was well known to the general public.

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BANGLADESH, April 3, 2013 (The Daily Star, Dhaka): Miscreants torched a Hindu temple after vandalism of its three idols of God and Goddess in Morelganj upazila of Bagerhat early Wednesday. Unidentified criminals broke into the Sarbojanin Durga Temple at Herma Bazar of Teligati union in the upazila anytime after midnight and wrecked the idols of Hindu God "Ganesh" and, Goddess "Lakshmi" and "Saraswati", said Khandakar Rafikul Islam, superintendent of police (SP) in Bagerhat.

Then the miscreants left the scene after setting fire at straws in the temple, the SP said adding police trying to arrest the culprits. Gopal Gosh, president of Sarbojanin Durga Temple said he informed the law enforcers after a devotee saw the matter at the time of pray in the temple in the morning. Local parliamentary member Dr Mozammel Hossain, SP Khandakar Rafikul Islam visited the spot, he said.

Miscreants also vandalized several idols of Gopalpur Sarbojanin Temple on February 28, Dumuria Sarbojanin temple on March 1 and North Gopalpur Temple on March 19 in the same upazila, reports our Bagerhat correspondent.

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WARSAW, January 14, 2013 (Hindustan Times): The Ramayana, the great Indian epic, is now available in the Polish language, courtesy of Janusz Krzyzowski, an Indologist in Poland who has translated the monumental work. Though a few episodes of Ramayana were translated into Polish in 1816, these were mere translations of Western writers.

Krzyzowski collected the material from dozens of books and presented in a coherent manner so that a reader could sustain his interest while going through different chapters. The original was penned by Maharishi Valmiki in Sanskrit. "My main purpose was to translate this epic into many chapters in a story format so that laymen and particularly Polish children could enjoy the book as well as they should be aware of the great Indian mythological tradition.

"Ramayana and Mahabharata are two great epics which cannot (be) compared with other epics. Even Greek epics come out as pale shadows when we see the canvas of the Indian epics. They are almost unique in the history of mankind," Krzyzowski told IANS.

Krzyzowski is the president of India-Poland Cultural Committee since its inception in 2004. He has been a prolific writer on India since 15 years. His love for India has roots since his university days when he enrolled for a master degree in philosophy after a medical degree. This interest turned him into an automatic Indophile.

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INDIA, March 31,2013 (Hindustan Times): An astrologer and social activist has turned the religious practice of offering water and milk in temples into a unique way of water conservation. Pandit Purushotam Gaur, known as Guruji, has developed water harvesting infrastructure in more than 300 temples in Rajasthan over the past 13 years.

Gaur is harvesting the millions of gallons of water offered by devotees in Hindu temples that earlier used to literally go down the drain. Gaur said that he had started his Jalabhishek campaign in 2000. "I used to notice that the water offered by devotees in temples is completely wasted as it goes into the drain. So, an idea to use it in recharging the increasingly depleting groundwater level struck me," the 41-year old astrologer told IANS.

He started channelling water from temples (especially Siva temples) through several filter chambers before it drained into the ground and recharged the ground water level. As part of the project, several tanks and bore wells were constructed in each of the temple with the help of the people, Gaur added.
"I was delighted when several scientists and groundwater experts joined forces with me and came up with an institution called Shiksha Samiti. The institution has calculated that the city, with more than 3,000 temples, daily has at least 45 million liters of water poured on the deity of Lord Siva and other deities during the Hindu holy month of Shravan (July-August)," Guar explained. About 300 temples have been covered by the campaign.

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INDIA, April 2013 (youtube): The oral tradition of the Vedas consists of several pathas (recitations) or ways of chanting the Vedic mantras. Unesco proclaimed the tradition of Vedic chant a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity. To view a nice short video on Vedic chanting by UNESCO click source above.

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Out of purity and silence come words of power.
-- Swami Chinmayananda (1916-1993), founder of Chinmaya Mission

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WASHINGTON, U.S., April 1, 2013 (Economic Times): The White House has wholeheartedly embraced Yoga as a worthy physical activity at a time some schools in America are railing against the ancient Indian practice, saying it promotes Hinduism.

The White House announced last week that President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama will include a yoga garden for children and their parents who attend the traditional Easter Egg Roll festivities on Monday. "Come enjoy a session of yoga from professional instructors," the White House exhorted thousands of workaday Americans parents and their kids from across the country who will troop into the Presidential lawns, reminding participants that the event's theme is "Be Healthy, Be Active, Be You!"

It is not the first time that Obama's residence has hosted a yoga garden for Easter, but this year's event is significant because of an ongoing lawsuit in California challenging the teaching of yoga in schools. At the heart of the case is the argument by some parents that yoga is inherently religious, a contention most Americans, including the judge, seem to disagree with. Judge Meyer is reported to be a practitioner of Bikram Yoga, likening it to simple stretching exercises.

The White House meanwhile is stretching every muscle and sinew to get Americans, including children, to get more concerned about the decline in the nation's overall well-being and its soaring healthcare bill. The drive is led by Michelle Obama, a health and fitness advocate, and herself a yoga enthusiast.

"Yoga has become a universal language of spiritual exercise in the United States, crossing many lines of religion and cultures," the White House said without any reference to the ongoing controversies and lawsuit. "Every day, millions of people practice yoga to improve their health and overall well-being. That's why we're encouraging everyone to take part in PALA (Presidential Active Lifestyle Award), so show your support for yoga and answer the challenge."

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LONDON, ENGLAND, April 1, 2013 (North London Today): Plans to build a new Hindu temple with in Edmonton have sparked concerns among residents living near the site. Managers of the Nagapooshani Ambaal, a Hindu temple, in Church Lane, Edmonton, have applied for planning permission to Enfield Council to demolish the existing building and build a new place of worship and community hall.

The plans, which the temple representatives say will provide their community with a modern, soundproof building, also include the erection of the 16-metre tower, a number of new homes, a meeting area, a shop and a computer room. The application to demolish the temple, which was converted from a warehouse ten years ago, was submitted to the council in September.

But a group of people living nearby say the plans would be out of character with other buildings in the area and would lead to traffic congestion. "The situation with the temple has been going on for about eight years. We have a huge problem with parking in the area as a result of people visiting. "Whatever the outcome of the planning application, we all live in the same community. There is no animosity between us and this has nothing to do with religion or creed. It's not a personal attack."

About 130 people have signed a petition opposing the plans. On the other hand, temple secretary Arumugam Murugesu said that a modern building was needed and the new facilities would be of benefit to the wider community. He told the Advertiser: "We are not expanding the temple, we simply want to modernise our facilities and soundproof them. This is what the proposals are for."

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MASSACHUCETTS, USA, April 4, 2013 (archinect.com, by Rahul Mehrotra): HPI Note: This is a report given April 1 at Harvard's South Asia Institute entitled "Kumbha Mela, Mapping the Ephemeral City." The project specifically did not include any religious aspects of the Mela.

The introduction reads:

The research analyzes this ephemeral city from different perspectives. Being the biggest public gathering in the world , the Kumbh Mela deploys a pop-up city comprising of roads, pontoon bridges, tents of different sizes and an array of social infrastructure like clinics, hospitals, and social centers - all replicating the functioning of an actual city. The disposition of the city seamlessly articulates various layers of infrastructure and urban flows, serving apron 3 million people who gather for fifty five days and an additional 10 to 20 million people who come for cycles of twenty four hours on the main bathing dates. From the Kumbh we can learn about planning and design, reflect on flow management and infrastructural deployment but also about cultural identity and adjustment or elasticity in an urban condition of flux.

Click source above for this fascinating overview of an important study.

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I do not want to foresee the future. I am concerned with taking care of the present. God has given me no control over the moment following.
-- Mahatma Gandhi (1869-1948)

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JERSEY CITY, NEW JERSEY, March 30, 2013 (The Jersey Journal): Thousands of people descended on Lincoln Park in Jersey City this afternoon for the 21st Annual Phagwah Parade and Holi Hai Day festivities, a colorful Hindu spring harvest tradition that is celebrated by revelers who playfully shower each other with various colors of powder.

"The biggest significance of this is that everybody becomes a myriad of colors," said Dayanand Mangru, an executive with the United Hindu Association, adding that on such a holy day there are no racial distinctions. "There is no brown, black, or white."

The parade began around 11:30 a.m. at Audubon Park at the intersection of Kennedy Boulevard and Stegman Parkway as ten decorated floats blaring traditional Indian dance music made their way down Kennedy Boulevard to the fountain in Lincoln Park where the festivities continued into the afternoon.

"The focus is to bring all together in unity," said Gireeraj Beggs, president of The United Hindu Federation of New Jersey which led the organizing efforts for the parade. "As Hindus we believe in the unity of all people."

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NEW YORK, NEW YORK, March 26, 2013 (New York Times, by Shivani Vora): How do you teach your children about religion, particularly your own? Are the parents responsible for this vital task, or should they call in some outside help? It's a question I faced when I became a parent almost five years ago. I am a Hindu who was born in New Delhi and lived in India until I was 8, before immigrating to the United States with my parents and younger sister. Throughout my childhood, Hinduism wasn't something I formally learned; it was a natural part of my everyday life.

My parents did pujas (prayers) with my sister, Aditi, and me every evening in front of the makeshift mandir (temple) on top of their bureau in their bedroom. We celebrated all the major holidays, including Diwali and Holi, with parties and more elaborate pujas. Aditi and I spent Saturday mornings in India watching episodes of the Mahabharata and Ramayana on TV and listened intently to bedtime stories from our mother based on Indian mythology.

Following this tradition became more challenging as I grew into adulthood and got married. My husband, Mahir, who is from Mumbai, and I live in New York City, where we have never been starved for an Indian community. But, perhaps like many Indians who came to the United States as children, our careers and mainstream life took precedence over our religion as we grew up.

This slipping away of an integral part of my roots didn't bother me at all until I gave birth to my daughter, Meenakshi. Sometime in her first year of life, I started feeling urgently that she should learn all about her religion. Mahir and I started doing a short puja with her before she went to bed, but we felt inadequately equipped to be her sole source of learning and wanted something more.

When it comes to kids' classes in New York City, there are almost too many options, whether it's gym, music or art. That's not the case with those on the Hindu religion - I could only find three for kids. We picked Bal Vihar, one of the most popular offerings in the area. Part of the Chinmaya Mission, a religious group founded in 1953 in Mumbai by Swami Chinmayananda, the school is focused on teaching the age-old philosophy of Advaita Vedanta. The school came to the United States in the early 1970s, according to Runjhun Saklani, the secretary of the New York mission, when a handful of parents said they wanted an organized way to teach their children Hinduism.

Bal Vihar started in 2002 in the New York City area in a small way: four or five children met in apartments, where volunteer teachers taught them devotional songs and prayers and the names and meanings of the gods and goddesses. By the time we enrolled Meenakshi in Bal Vihar classes in 2011, there were classes around the country, and Ms. Saklani estimates that more than 5,000 children attend Bal Vihar in the United States today.

More at source.

BA, FIJI, March 28, 2013 (Press Release): Preparations for the first Pacific Regional Economic conference organised by the World Hindu Economic Forum (WHEF) are well under way. Dr Neil Sharma, the Minister for Health, Government of Fiji will inaugurate the conference. WHEF Pacific Regional Forum will be held at Sheraton Fiji Resort, Denarau, Nadi, Fiji on Saturday, 4 May 2013. The theme is "Making the South Pacific community prosperous".

In a statement, Swami Vigyananand, the founder of WHEF, said, "The primary objectives of WHEF are to promote activities for developing enterprise and entrepreneurship globally; to develop solutions for the most crucial of the issues confronting the world economy such as sustainable development, education, eradication of poverty, climate change and infrastructure development; and to promote a value based corporate governance system through organizing seminars, conferences and research activities."

"The aim of the Pacific Regional Hindu Economic Forum is to connect well established and newly establishing business-persons of the South Pacific and to facilitate sharing of knowledge through reputed economic thinkers," said Jay Dayal, one of the coordinators of this forum.

If you are interested in attending this Forum, and for more information, please email whef.pacific@gmail.com or contact Mr. Jay Dayal on (679) 992 9605.

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You must not let your life run in the ordinary way; do something that nobody else has done, something that will dazzle the world. Show that God's creative principle works in you.
-- Paramahansa Yogananda (1893-1952), founder of Self Realization Fellowship

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UNITED STATES, March 2013 (Hinduism Today): Holi is wild and raucous, a frolic of friendly playfulness. During Holi, India's streets are overtaken by crowds awash with colored powder. Not only clothes, but faces, arms and hair are smeared and sprayed with every color of the rainbow. Holi is a community's exuberant expression of joy to welcome the warmth of spring. In a reflection of nature's abundance, Hindus celebrate with bursts of color, camaraderie and shared abandon. It begins on Purnima, full moon day, in the Hindu month of Phalguni (February/March) and lasts for as long as 16 days.

Many communities create a central bonfire on the night before Holi, starting with kindling and logs and adding organic debris as they clean up their property. The fire symbolizes the torching of negative or troublesome experiences and memories. An effigy of Holika, a demoness personifying negativity, is consigned to the flames, and freshly harvested barley and oats are offered. The embers are collected to light sacred fires, and the ashes are used to mark the forehead as a blessing.

On the day of Holi, people celebrate by playing, dancing and running in the streets. Water pistols are filled with colored water and squirted on family, friends and strangers alike. Dye powders and water balloons are a big part of the play. The wise wear old clothes, usually white, in anticipation of the mess! Virtually anything goes, including ribald humor, practical jokes and sexual teasing--all excused with the saying, "Don't mind, it's Holi!" (Hindi: Bura na mano, Holi hai.) Men are at the playful mercy of women, who dance with them and even dress them in drag. Especially in North India, people celebrate with abandon, even splashing color on their homes as a prelude to the more sober custom of renewing the paint with shell-based white. Deities and images of ancestors are hand-painted and placed in beautiful altars. Dramatic events feature devotional songs and the retelling of the love epic of Radha and Krishna. Bonds are renewed, particularly among in-laws and the extended family. Etiquette on Holi requires that one accept all overtures with an open heart, burying grievances to begin relationships afresh. People of all walks of life mingle and greet, applying vermilion on each other's foreheads in an uninhibited exchange of goodwill.

Special sweet and savory treats including mathri, puran poli and vadai are made. Many communities make an intoxicating, cooling drink, called thandai, made of purified water, sugar, seeds of watermelon, muskmelon and lotus, along with nuts, cardamom, fennel, white pepper, saffron and rose petals.

What is the meaning behind the bonfire?
Love, positive values and goodness are celebrated on Holi. Their triumphs over divisiveness and negative forces have been reinforced in legends, such as that of Holika and her brother Prahlad. The famous king Hiranyakashipu had earned a boon that made him virtually indestructible. Blinded by this power, he thought he was God, the only being worthy of worship. His young son Prahlad was devoted to Lord Vishnu and refused to obey his father. Infuriated, the king devised the cruelest punishments. In one attempt, Prahlad's evil aunt Holika, who possessed the power to withstand fire, tricked him into climbing a burning pyre with her. Prahlad's love for true Divinity protected him from the flames. Holika burned while Prahlad lived. The bonfire of Holi is symbolic of this victory of good over evil.

How did the frolicking with color originate?
Legend has it that Krishna noticed one day how much lighter Radha's complexion was than His own. His mother playfully suggested that He smear Radha's cheeks with color to make Her look like Him, which Krishna did. The strong-willed Radha gleefully retaliated, and a merry chaos ensued. Another legend has it that Krishna celebrated this festival with His friends and the gopis. They danced and frolicked, filling the air with color in a joyous welcome of spring.

More at source above--including making safe natural colors.