SourceDELHI, INDIA, October 21, 2003: India Today published a book review of “Ayodhya, the Finale” by Koenraad Elst. It reads in part, “Although his academic credentials are quite impressive, Belgian historian Koenraad Elst is known to his Indian readers largely as a polemicist. In his 58-page booklet, Ayodhya, The Finale, he doesn’t disappoint those who have come to expect hearty,…
Hinduism TodayDELHI, INDIA, October 17, 2003: At the request of a reader for clarity on the upcoming Kumbha Mela in Ujjain, our Delhi correspondent, Mr. Rajiv Malik, writes that according to information from the Madhya Pradesh government, this is the twelve-year mela, known as Simhastha Kumbha 2004. The question arises because the Melas at other sites, particularly Prayag, are attracting…
Kadhiravan Tamil DailyTHUTHUKUDI, TAMIL NADU, INDIA, May 3, 2003: Village Kottamadaikadu in Kayalpattinam block of Thuthukkudi district in Tamilnadu is situated on the sea shore of Bay of Bengal. A major industrial unit, M/s Dharangadhara Chemical Works (DCW), manufacturing caustic soda, was the pride of the village, providing job opportunities to locals. But it rendered itself an eyesore to the…
SourceDURBAN, SOUTH AFRICA, October 19, 2003: A school clerk will take orchestral music to new heights when she blends it with Indian classical songs. Singer, dancer and choreographer Nirmala Govender, 39, of Malvern, Durban, will be performing with the Gateway Philharmonic Orchestra at the Gateway Theatre of Shopping’s Palm Court today. She will be singing Indian devotional songs at a…
SourceWASHINGTON D.C., U.S.A., OCTOBER 16, 2003: Followers of the world’s major faiths, including those in countries torn by sectarian violence, say that religion is not the cause of unrest, according to a global survey on religion recently released. The thousands of Buddhists, Christians, Hindus, Jews and Muslims surveyed in Israel, India, South Korea, the United States and other areas, said…
SourceSRI LANKA, October 18, 2003: Sri Lanka’s Hindu Religious Affairs Ministry has released US$16,000 for the purchase of new clothes for people in thirty-five orphanages, homes of the aged, children homes and women welfare centers in the north east of the country for Deepavali, said a ministry press release. The Ministry had earlier made an appeal to all Hindu temples…
SourceWASHINGTON, D.C., October 20, 2003: President George W. Bush has sent greetings to Hindus in the U.S. and around the world for the festival of Diwali. In a White House press statement Thursday, Bush said that by “marking the beginning of the Hindu New Year, Diwali provides an opportunity to give thanks for the renewal of life, reflect on lessons…
Press ReleaseUJJAIN, INDIA, October 18, 2003: Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shri Digvijay Singh praised the arrangements made for the Kumbha Mela at Nashik and he announced that the Ujjain Kumbha Mela scheduled for next year will be in line with the Nashik Kumbha Mela. Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister visited the Sadhu Gram at Tapovan in Nashik on August 22, 2003,…
SourceTORONTO, CANADA, August 20, 2003: The Toronto Star’s Ombudsman, Don Steller, issued the following statement in response to Hindu complaints about a picture of an unclothed statue of the Goddess Durga run prominently in their newspaper: “UNDRAPED GODDESS. Durga is the multi-armed, Hindu goddess of power. Each fall, statues of Durga are worshipped for nine days at prayer festivals, and…
SourceU.S.A., 2001: “Stereotypes about India and Hinduism when taught as fact in American classrooms may negatively impact students of South Asian origin who are struggling to work out their identity in a multicultural, predominately Anglo-Christian environment,” begins this very long article by Yvette C. Rosser. The author explores the reactions of Hindu students who have studied about India in social…