Hinduism Today is available online free of charge July 1st at http://www.hinduismtoday.com. You can also download our free Hinduism Today app and get the entire magazine in a mobile-friendly format for your device at hinduismtoday.com/get-the-app/. Our cover story is on Nepal’s remarkable rudraksha bead industry which generates a full six percent of the nation’s Gross National Product each year. Reporter Nikki Thapa and photographer Thomas Kelly traveled to the valleys adjacent to Mount Everest where forests of trees produce millions of the seeds sacred to Lord Siva. We meet the farmers, middlemen and buyers—many from China these days—at the center of the action.
Bodhinatha’s Publisher’s Desk, “Merit, Demerit and Liberation,” is on the necessity not only of avoiding papa, wrongful action, and performing punya, virtuous action, but diligently pursuing spiritual knowledge and experience, just as a dancer must practice hard to improve performance.
Our Educational Insight this issue is on Sri Aurobindo, one of modern India’s most notable philosophers whose 150th birthday is being celebrated. A major force in India’s independence movement, he stepped onto the spiritual path in mid-life, producing profound writings which are studied and revered to this day.
Anne Petry takes us to the Ramnamis, a small community in Chhattisgarh, central India, whose elders have are so devoted to Lord Ram that they have His name tattooed even on their faces and live their lives in one-pointed devotion to Him. Anne, who is both writer and photographer, contributed a second article on the colorful painted homes of rural Tamil Nadu.
A marvelous in-depth piece by Devi Ravindraraj of Texas explains the ecological benefits of the various types of disposable leaf plates used throughout India since ancient times (and now on Amazon.com). She recommends them as an environmentally friendly substitute for harmful plastic.
In an article on dance, Savita Tiwari of Mauritius explains how learning bharatanatyam as an adult (and one with a husband and two children) greatly improved her spiritual life. Also on the topic of finding a key to a spiritual life is the self-told story of Nikhil Misra-Bhambri and his quite accidental but life-changing encounter with the teachings of Swami Vivekananda. As well, Priya Ayyar tells about learning yoga over a period of decades from Swami Bua, an amazing sadhu who taught hatha yoga in New York and passed away at the age of 122. Our In My Opinion is by Murali Balaji on marriages of Hindu couples of different heritages. Young writers Sanjeevani Dedge and Mudgha Shinde teamed up for a review of Kavi Sharma, the Mattel toy company’s “American Girl Doll of the Year.” The extremely popular series of dolls, featuring historical depictions of life as a girl in America, showcases individuals from all races, ethnicities and religions. This is their first Hindu doll. And, of course, there’s all the usual captivating items: Global Dharma, Quotes and Quips, Scriptures and more.