U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Says India Did Act on Gujarat Violence

GO TO SOURCE WASHINGTON D.C., March 22, 2003: The Indian government has taken “much action” against those behind the Gujarat violence but it was not reflected due to the “agonizingly slow” legal system in the country, US Assistant Secretary of State for South Asia Christina Rocca has said. “There have been a number of arrests and prosecutions,” she said on…

Continue reading

Mystery Powder Prompts Scare in U.S. Post Office

GO TO SOURCE FOXBORO, MASSACHUSETTS, March 20, 2003: A red powdery substance discovered Monday in a letter by mailroom workers at Invensys prompted a partial evacuation of the facility. With the heightened alert due to the war with Iraq, local firefighters were concerned when responding to a call about an unknown powdery substance at the Invensys mailroom. Deputy Chief Steve…

Continue reading

Devotees Walk the Dakor Pilgrimage

GO TO SOURCE MEHAMDABAD, INDIA, March 14, 2003: All roads seem to lead to Dakor, Kheda district, as pilgrims of various age groups, from one to 75, walk the stretch of road for a “darshan of Ranchhod Rai” (Lord Krishna.) Close to a million people were expected to visit the pilgrimage shrine before the 17th, the Poonam of Holi. Since…

Continue reading

Devotees Walk the Dakor Pilgrimage

GO TO SOURCEMEHAMDABAD, INDIA, March 14, 2003: All roads seem to lead to Dakor, Kheda district, as pilgrims of various age groups, from one to 75, walk the stretch of road for a “darshan of Ranchhod Rai” (Lord Krishna.) Close to a million people were expected to visit the pilgrimage shrine before the 17th, the Poonam of Holi. Since the…

Continue reading

Indian Cooking Can Be Bad for Your Heart

Source: Canadian PressONTARIO, CANADA, March 15, 2003: Indo-Canadians are being warned that their traditional cooking, heavy on clarified butter and whole-milk yogurt, is bad for their hearts. The issue has become something of a crusade for Edmonton Hindu priest Acharya Shiv Shankar Diwivedi. He’s been seeing too many people in their 40s and 50s suffering heart attacks, and has made…

Continue reading

The Ramayana Comes to The Bay Area

Source: San Francisco WeeklySAN FRANCISCO, U.S.A., March 13, 2003: The ambitious retelling of the epic Hindu myth, Ramayana, hits its stride with the A.C.T. Conservatory’s production. This epic story of King Rama, exiled by his stepmother and forced to wander the Indian subcontinent with Princess Sita and a number of friends before he rises again to his rightful throne, is…

Continue reading

Pandit Ravi Shankar Takes Issue With Today’s Fusion Music

GO TO SOURCE NEW DELHI, INDIA, March 17, 2003: Sitar virtuoso Pandit Ravi Shankar, often praised for pioneering collaborations with musicians from the West, does not identify with the fusion music of today. “I was never involved in fusion music as it is understood today,” he said at a press conference to announce a concert with daughter Anoushka on March…

Continue reading

U.S. Scholar Seeks Input for Anthropological Study of Diaspora Hindus

GO TO SOURCE CLEVELAND, U.S.A., March 17, 2003: For the purpose of studying the Hindu identity in the United States diaspora community, Vimal Bhatnagar, Ph.D. candidate at Case Western Reserve University, is seeking contacts with various Hindu temples, community organizations, magazines, and web pages around the U.S. that serve the Hindu diaspora community here. Kindly contact Ms. Bhatnagar at “source”…

Continue reading

Indian NGO Initiates “Safe Holi” Practices

GO TO SOURCE PUNE, INDIA, March 15, 2003: The non-governmental organization (NGO), Kalpavriksha, has offered healthy alternatives to chemical colors to ensure safe celebrations of Holi. Kalpavriksha has obtained 100 percent natural and safe colors from Delhi-based NGO Development Alternatives. The have headed a campaign against highly toxic dyes and powders used for Holi colors and are teaching women to…

Continue reading