KATHMANDU, NEPAL, March 16, 2020 (NY Times): Yoga will soon be more than an extracurricular activity in Nepal. Next month, when the new academic term begins, this small Himalayan country will become the first in the world to make it a required subject nationwide. Hundreds of thousands of elementary and junior high students will enroll in a new, weekly yoga…
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, INDIA, April 2, 2021 (New India Express): While the BJP, in its election manifesto, has promised an Uttar Pradesh model law against forceful religious conversion and love jihad in Kerala to woo Hindu and Christian voters, the data sourced by TNIE from the government gazettes paint an altogether different picture. According to official figures for the year 2020, the…
ALABAMA. U.S., May 24, 2021 (NY Post): Alabama has lifted an almost 28-year ban on yoga being taught in public schools — but it’s still outlawing chanting, mantras like “Om” and the traditional greeting “Namaste.” The state banned yoga in December 1993 because lawmakers deemed it a “Hindu philosophy and method of religious training.” But Gov. Kay Ivey signed legislation…
RANCHI, INDIA, May 24, 2021 (New Indian Express): In a first of its kind decision taken by any corporate house, Jamshedpur-based steel Tata Steel has rolled out a social security scheme for its employees, under which, nearest kin of an employee who dies of Covid, will get the last drawn salary till 60 years of age of the deceased along…
KAUAI, HAWAII, USA, May 23, 2021: Hindu Press International has gotten a much needed upgrade, both to its web page and its backend. We’re now running from Word Press instead of some custom made and now rather aged home-grown software. We were off line for longer than expected during this changeover, but with the Covid crisis raging in India, there…
PUDUCHERRY, INDIA, May 19, 2021 (New Indian Express): The Integrated Temple Management System (ITMS) website for 243 temples in Puducherry was launched by Lieutenant Governor Dr. Tamilisai Soundararajan at Raj Nivas on Wednesday. The ITMS of the Department of Hindu Religious Institutions & Waqf, Puducherry, carries details of 243 religious institutions including temples and mutts that come under the purview…
NEW YORK, NEW YORK, May 14, 2021 (BK Reader): New York State Assemblywoman Jenifer Rajkumar recently introduced a new bill (Bill #A7062) to establish Diwali as a school holiday. The bill comes after decades of advocating for recognition of New York’s enormous East Asian population and Diwali as an important holiday for its residents. Diwali is a Festival of Lights…
source RUSSIA, May 7, 2021 (Bitter Winter): A prosecutor in Udmurtia, Central Russia, claims that organizing the Maha Shivratri festival, the “great night of Shiva” celebration for Hindus, and advertising the event on social media is a form of “illegal missionary activity” forbidden by Russia’s anti-proselytization law. A woman, Ekaterina Kalinkina, who teaches yoga and Vedic astrology to a small…
EVANSTON, ILLINOIS, USA, May 3, 2021 (dailynorthwestern.com) After exploring various career paths, Amar Shah (class of 2016) is returning to Northwestern (ranked as one of the top 30 universities in the world) as the inaugural Hindu chaplain. Following graduation, Shah studied as a Hindu monk for two years, and now wants to share the knowledge he acquired in his training,…
Source KARNATAKA, INDIA, April 25, 2021 (Telangana Today): A UNESCO World Heritage site, Pattadakal is located on the west bank of the Malaprabha River in the Bagalkot district of Karnataka. UNESCO has described Pattadakal as “a harmonious blend of architectural forms from northern and southern India” and an illustration of eclectic art at its height. Pattadakal, also called Raktapura, is…