INDIA, January 18, 2025 (BBC): It’s 1000 CE – the heart of the Middle Ages. Europe is in flux. The powerful nations we know today – like Norman-ruled England and the fragmented territories that will go on to become France – do not yet exist. Towering Gothic cathedrals have yet to rise. Aside from the distant and prosperous city of…
INDIA, January 17, 2025 (Economic Times): Steve Jobs’ handwritten letter, offering a rare glimpse into his spiritual and poetic side, has made history as the first personal letter by Jobs–the late co-founder of Apple–to be auctioned, fetching an impressive US$500,312, according to India Today. Written on Jobs’ 19th birthday, February 23, 1974, the letter was addressed to his childhood friend…
PRAYAGRAJ, INDIA, January 16, 2025 (Swarajya, by Ankit Saxena): Are you a devotee wanting to know your route to the Sangam in Prayagraj? Here is your pictorial guide. Considered the largest spiritual gathering on Earth, the Maha Kumbh 2025 began on 13 January in the city of Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh. This once-in-144-year event, steeped in centuries-old traditions, will continue until…
UNITED STATES, January 17, 2025 (Chinmaya International Foundation): A 24-credit Certificate in Hindu Spiritual Care (CHSC) has been developed by Chinmaya International Foundation (CIF) to train Hindu Spiritual Care Providers, or Chaplains, to address the spiritual and emotional needs of individuals of Hindu faith in various secular settings, such as hospitals and hospices, schools and universities, communities, the military, corporations…
NEW YORK, NEW YORK, January 13, 2025 (RNS): The Vedanta Society of New York is easy to miss. The center of worship, housed in a plain-old brownstone on the Upper West Side, has hosted dozens of monks, lamas and other spiritual celebrities over more than 100 years — all thanks to Swami Vivekananda, the young monk who brought the ancient…
INDIA, January 7, 2025 (Swarajya, by Aravindan Neelakandan): The Harappan civilization, first unearthed in the 1920s, continues to pose significant questions for researchers of ancient Indian history. While conventionally categorized as pre-Vedic, a notable body of scholarship has explored the Vedic texts as a potential lens to interpret key facets of Harappan society. Despite the politicization of the term, some…
OHIO, U.S., January 4, 2025 (WTOL News): In December, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine signed a new law allowing students to take school days off for religious holidays. The law will go into effect next school year. The law will require all K-12 schools in Ohio to give school off for students for 3 religious holidays per year. One of the…
VRINDAVAN, INDIA, January 5, 2025 (Kuow NPR, by Omkar Khandekar): Thieving, hostage taking monkeys are as common as pilgrims in Vrindavan, the holy Hindu town by the Yamuna river in northern India. Monkeys are everywhere: hanging by power lines, sliding off sloping temple rooftops and rummaging through garbage bins for snacks. Residents say monkeys also sneak into their kitchens or…
AYODHYA, INDIA, January 1, 2025 (Swarajya, by Ankit Saxena): The date 22 January 2024 marked the historic opening of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya. The temple trust, Ayodhyavasis, and the entire nation are now preparing to celebrate its first anniversary in January 2025. The temple has come to symbolise not only faith and devotion for millions of people but also…
UNITED STATES, December 30, 2024 (BBC): In 1996, Ananya Vajpeyi, a doctoral student, discovered the fabled South Asia collection of books at the University of Chicago’s Regenstein Library. “I’ve spent time in some of the leading South Asia libraries of the world, at Oxford and Cambridge, Harvard and Columbia. But nothing has ever matched the unending riches held at the…
