KAULA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA, January 28, 2022 (MHS): In recent weeks the Malaysia Hindu Sangam has released a concise and authentic presentation of Sanatana Dharma’s commonly held beliefs and practices in four languages: English, Tamil, Hindi and Malay. In 2017 their leaders set out to tackle a common problem of Hindu communities worldwide: what exactly do we all believe? Other religions…
KUALA LUMPUR, January 21, 2022 (The Star): The Sri Subramaniar Swamy Temple in Batu Caves has opened the door for Hindus who did not have the opportunity to fulfill their vows to do so even though the Thaipusam celebration ended last Tuesday (January 18). Speaking to Bernama, its Trustee, Datuk N. Sivakumar, said the temple was making all preparations for…
MALAYSIA, January 18, 2022 (Malaysian Insight): Malaysian Hindus face muted celebrations of the annual Thaipusam festival, which were scaled back due to the coronavirus pandemic. The event sees hundreds of thousands of Hindus, a sizable minority in multi-ethnic Malaysia, showcase their devotion to the Deity Lord Murugan. The festival normally sees believers carrying offerings to places of worship to the…
SINGAPORE, January 18, 2022 (The Chestnut Post): In Singapore, over 12,000 devotees celebrating Thaipusam turned up at the Sri Thendayuthapani Temple to give thanks and seek blessings. Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat also visited the temple to take part in festivities. For the second year running, customs like the foot procession, body piercings and the carrying of wooden or…
UNITED STATES, January 9, 2022 (HAF by Shereen Bhalia): Our team at the Hindu American Foundation created a brand new calendar called Dharmic Days and Hindu Holidays, a guide to religious accommodation. This guide tells you the date of major holidays observed by Hindus and devotees of other Dharmic faiths for the next three years. Along with the dates, we’ve…
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND, January 12, 2022 (ICRC): The International Committee of the Red Cross has recently initiated a new long-term project on Hinduism/Dharmic religions, where they explore convergences with International Humanitarian Law (IHL), the “law of war” as understood by those religions. To this end, they are seeking Hindu scholars to participate in the research and publishing. If interested, contact Daniel Ratheiser, dratheiser@icrc.org. They…
INDIA, April 13, 2020 (YouTube): Dr. Deepak Vohra, a globally renowned Indian diplomat gave a TEDx Talk on where India be on the global stage by 2030. Gives an entertaining presentation on India’s changing demographics, economic shifts, educational focus and national self-esteem. With a median age of 28 is India is the world’s youngest country (compare to Europe’s median age…
KATMANDU, NEPAL, January 3, 2022 (New York Times by Shelby Tauber): At the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, with travel restrictions in place worldwide, the New York Times launched a new series — The World Through a Lens — in which photojournalists help transport you, virtually, to some of our planet’s most compelling places. This week, Shelby Tauber shares a…
UNITED STATES, January 10, 2022 (RNS by Murali Balaji): When my wife and I started dating, we thought our shared Hindu faith would make things simpler. We had friends who had dated non-Hindus who had encountered bumps when it came to how they would tie the knot and how the children would be raised. The fact that we were both…
SRINAGAR, KASHMIR, January 1, 2022 (New York Times): At least 12 people were killed and more than a dozen were injured in a stampede early Saturday near the city of Jammu, as thousands of devotees were paying obeisance at a famous Hindu shrine to mark the beginning of the new year. Hundreds of people were packed inside a corridor of…