KAUAI, HAWAII, March 15, 2015 (Hinduism Today): The new issue of Hinduism Today has been released and is now available for free online. In this issue, our team of writers and photographers take you deep into Rajasthan for a giant festival in honor of the India cow, considered to be sacred. Our reporter, a 20s-something city-girl from Delhi, is thrown into a first-hand experience of rural India and the elaborate ways that the ever-giving Desi bovine is honored. Her story is a revealing clash of traditional Bharat and urban life in modern India.
Then off to the Himalayas with the story of the Nanda Devi Raj Yatra, one of the world’s most dangerous pilgrimages, which led our camerawoman up and up and up into the frozen mountains with the Goddess. Next we take you to Germany for the Balinese Kuningan festival, which added a dazzle of color and Balinese style to the streets of Hamburg.
Our publisher, Satguru Bodhinatha Veylanswami, offers a helpful explanation of temple murtis and the various views that are commonly held of them. He explains how the various Hindu lineages define God and how this impacts worship and temples.
This is the issue in which we announce our Hindu of the Year Renaissance Award which for 2014 goes to……cue drum roll….. India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi. It is hard to argue with his enormous impact on Hindus everywhere in the world.
Explore your own mind with this issue’s Insight section, showcasing a detailed analysis of the five states of mind: the subconscious, subsubconscious, conscious, superconscious and subsuperconscious. For those exploring yoga and meditation, this is a precious resource, giving profound insights into the nature of our mind.
Other stories in the issue:
How one Hindu parent in California is working to improve the presentation of Hinduism in US public schools.
Profile of Ramli Ibraham, a Malaysian, one of today’s most creative dancers, choreographing masterful works drawing on India’s rich stories and dance styles, particularly Orissi.
The historic World Hindu Congress held last November in New Delhi.