Should India Follow the West Blindly?

Source INDIA, December 19, 2020 (YouTube by Karolina Goswami): Karolina Goswami is a Polish citizen who is married to an Indian national–Anurag Goswani. In this YouTube video she examines if religious conversion is the perfect solution for those who face discrimination in the Western nations and casteism in India. What she discovered is that the rigid social hierarchy that encourages…

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Rare Statues Stolen From 13th Century Shiva Temple in Odisha

Source BHUBANESWAR, INDIA, December 22, 2020 (Hindustan Times): Nearly 22 antique statues, some of them made of Ashtadhatu alloy (“of eight metals”), have allegedly been stolen from a 13th century Shiva temple in Khurda district late on Monday night. According to the police, some unidentified miscreants barged into the sanctum sanctorum of the 800-year-old Daksha Prajapati temple in Banpur town…

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Daily Inspiration

Source Wealth and happiness are not related to each other as cause and effect. An attempt to secure happiness by securing wealth is as futile as it is absurd. — Jagadguru Sri Chandrasekhara Bharati Mahaswamigal(1912-1954), 34th pontiff of the Sarada Peetham

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California State University-Fresno Establishes Joint Endowed Chair in Hindu and Jain Studies

Source FRESNO, CALIFORNIA, December 22, 2020 (India West): Over two dozen families, individuals and foundations have come together to create a joint Endowed Chair in Jain and Hindu studies at California State University, Fresno. The partnership between the Jain and Hindu communities and the university underscores a “mutual commitment to educating current and future generations of students about the principles…

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Nepal’s Bala Chaturdashi Festival Dedicated to One’s Ancestors

Source KATHMANDU, NEPAL, December 12, 2020 (Online Khabar): Pashupatinath temple is thronged by people all-year-round. Among the many occasions that attract devotees and sightseers from everywhere to the temple, Bala Chaturdashi has its own charm and religious importance in people’s hearts. It is one of the many unique festivals that are only observed in Nepal. When the ritual was first…

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Daily Inspiration

Source Sojourns in tirthas, which are meritorious and which constitute one of the high mysteries of the rishis, are even superior to sacrifices.— Mahabharata

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Sports Ministry Formally Recognizes Yogasana as Competitive Sport

Source INDIA, December 17, 2020 (Indian Express): Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju and Minister of AYUSH (Ayurveda, Yoga, Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha, Homoeopathy) Shripad Yesso Naik formally promoted yogasana as a competitive sport during an event here. The move was made to encourage yoga, spread awareness about its benefits and to help improve physical and mental wellbeing of the people. “Yogasana has…

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Daily Inspiration

Source It is far easier to conquer others than to conquer oneself, because the former can be attained by recourse to outside means, while the latter can be achieved only with one’s own mind.— Mahatma Gandhi(1869-1948)

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Recycling India’s Floral Waste: How Flowers Left as Temple Offerings Are Being Made Into Soap, Dyes and Incense Sticks

Source INDIA, December 15, 2020 (SCMP): Devotees hurry to buy flowers from vendors to fill their baskets and join the sea of women heading into the gaily lit and brightly decorated temple. It’s the evening of an auspicious festival and temples all over the southern Indian city of Hyderabad are crowded with Hindu worshippers, most bringing offerings of flowers: marigolds,…

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