SourceCOLOMBO, SRI LANKA, August 11, 2003: The Balarajah family from London had an unusual summer holiday this year — three days in a former war zone in northern Sri Lanka. “After so many years we are going back and it’s going to be a surprise for us. I hope it’s not going to be a shock,” says 53-year-old Athithapillai Balarajah,…
SourceCOLOMBO, SRI LANKA, August 13, 2003: Buddhist organizations in Sri Lanka have welcomed a Supreme Court decision to prevent proselytizing or religious conversions and to deny legal status to two Christian organizations. A three-judge bench held in two judgements that while the Sri Lankan constitution upheld a citizen’s right to worship and practice his or her religion, it did not…
SourceWASHINGTON, USA, August 15, 2003: A study has found people practicing meditation for eight weeks have the ability to produce more antibodies to a flu vaccine and showed increased activity in areas of the brain related to positive emotion than individuals who did not meditate. The study is the first to connect meditation to changes in brain activity associated with…
SourceKATMANDU, NEPAL, August 13, 2003: China and Nepal are hoping to increase trade and tourism through the possible opening of two ancient Himalayan crossings and allowing helicopters to travel from Nepal to Mt. Kailas, a major Hindu pilgrimage site in Tibet. An agreement to make tourism easier was signed last week by a visiting delegation from Chinese-ruled Tibet and Nepal’s…
SourceNEW DELHI, INDIA, August 13, 2003: Thanks to the local administration, all but three of the 3,000 people who got lost in the huge crowd were reunited with their families by the end of the day. This year attendance at the Kumbh is estimated to be 3.5 million pilgrims and sadhus. When 85-year old Bhushan Mali completed his ritual bath,…
SourceMUMBAI, INDIA, August 8, 2003: In October of this year, the Hindu Samaj is launching a quarterly journal whose mission is, “to vigorously facilitate both scholarly leadership and intellectual development that would be the driving force behind the Hindu Renaissance.” Inviting articles from competent scholars, reviews and relevant research studies, THR will uphold the vision of Param Vaibhavshali. For more…
SourceORLANDO, FLORIDA, August 6, 2003: Devotees of Shirdi Sai Baba are invited to attend a Mahasamadhi Festival in Orlando, Florida on October 4 – 5, 2003. Called Shirdi Sai Utsav 2003, the gathering will focus on the spiritual teachings of the late guru as well as participate in a Sai Naam Jaap Yagna. For more details, devotees are encouraged to…
SourceNEW YORK, NEW YORK, August 16, 2003: As New York reeled under a severe power blackout, an Indian restaurant owner earned much praise for traditional Indian hospitality. When the lights failed Thursday night, several restaurants downed shutters. Those that remained open doubled or tripled their prices, but the stranded had nowhere else to go. As ATM machines did not work…
SourceINDIA, August 13, 2003: Starting this Sunday (August 17) at 9:00 am, Sanskar Television will be broadcasting a serial of Parmarth’s Divine Mansarovar and Mt. Kailash Yatra. The yatra was inspired and led by H.H. Swami Chidanand Saraswatiji, President and Spiritual Head of Parmarth Niketan Ashram, and was graced by the presence of numerous spiritual leaders. The series will broadcast…
SourceUSA, August 10, 2003: Swami Dheerananda surveyed campers as they gathered before him for story hour, begins this story in the Washington Post. “One day, a group of people wanted to find out the difference between heaven and hell. So they got on a spaceship and zoomed to hell.” The hell that the group encountered, he said, boasted the stuff…