News ReportsUTTAR PRADESH, INDIA, July 12, 2003: Discrimination against Dalits (“Untouchables”) continues to escalate in the state by as much as 30% a year. In actual numbers, this means that the Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribes Commission receives about 1,200-1,400 complaints annually about atrocities and discrimination against Dalits. The Dalits themselves hoped to receive an improvement of their condition when Mayawati, a…
SourceLANHAM, MARYLAND, July 7, 2003: After twenty-five years of planning and fund-raising, tens of thousands of Hindus in the Washington area now have a completed Sri Siva Vishnu temple to worship in. The Kumbhabhisheham (dedication) ceremony brought devotees from near and far. Many pilgrims travelled from afar, like Sri Nivasan, a 28-year-old software publisher from San Antonio, Texas, who said…
SourceZAGREB, CROATIA, July 17, 2003: Croatia’s education ministry has withdrawn its recommendation that teachers take yoga classes because the Roman Catholic Church accused it of trying to sneak Hinduism into schools. Deputy education minister Ivan Vavra said that instead, yoga classes will be organized strictly in teachers’ spare time and focused on exercises only, with no students to receive instruction.…
Associated PressNEW DELHI, INDIA, July 15, 2003: Bachchan Singh Bahadur poured cups of melted butter on the wood fire of his father’s funeral pyre on the outskirts of New Delhi. He was in keeping with a centuries-old Hindu funeral tradition, but it’s also the stuff of ecological nightmares for the Indian government. Bahadur could have used an electricity-powered crematorium less…
SourcePOTTUVIL,SRI LANKA, July 19, 2003: Wildlife Department officials have been bracing for the largest-ever flow of foot pilgrims following the traditional Pada Yatra (“foot pilgrimage”) route through Yala National Park. The Park, which normally echoes with the songs of peacocks and jungle fowl, resounded with the songs of Pada Yatra pilgrims vowing to reach Kataragama, one of the most ancient…
The Jakarta Post BALI, INDONESIA, July 17, 2003: Chieko Komatsu and a number of other Japanese women came to Payangan, a famous art village, inviting 100 farmers to collaborate with them on a multi-cultural art project. The women are artists currently studying Balinese traditional dances at the Bali Institute of Arts in Denpasar. And the Payangan farmers are not only…
SourceINDIA, July 20, 2003: Extracts from the Indian neem tree been shown to damage the DNA of sperm when fed in large quantity (up to 10% of their weight) to mice. Researchers who made the discovery think that neem could be a “long-term genetic hazard,” and have called for further investigation to ensure that eating neem products does not produce…
SourceU.S.A., July 22, 2003: From giant sodas to supersize hamburgers, America’s approach to food can be summed up by one word: Big. Many health experts are hoping that, in the service of combating an epidemic of obesity, the nation might be coaxed into a cultural shift in its eating habits. Traditionally, the prescription for losing extra pounds has been a…
SourceDEHRADUN, INDIA, July 20, 2003: The Hardwar-New Delhi Highway was today closed for vehicular traffic for a month as thousands of pilgrims were on their way to the holy city in Uttaranchal to collect Ganga water, official sources said. The pilgrims, known as “Kawandias,” pour into Hardwar from Punjab, Delhi, Rajasthan, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh in the thousands during the…
SourceAMARNATH, JAMMU AND KASHMIR, INDIA, July 20, 2003: As the Amarnath Yatra enters its second week, inclement weather, unregistered pilgrims, multiple injuries and deaths are proving to be a nightmare for both the administration and the devotees. Administration officials said unprecedented cold coupled with a heavy rush of pilgrims was leading to an average of two deaths every day, in…