SourceWASHINGTON D.C., U.S.A., June 21, 2003: For 25 years, and most recently as the U.S. Navy’s chief of chaplains, Pastor Barry C. Black has led interfaith services on aircraft carriers and destroyers and counseled military personnel. Now, after retirement from the military August 15, 2003, the rear admiral is set to become spiritual counselor to members of the U.S. Senate…
SourceBOSTON, U.S.A., June 23, 2003: Getting an hour’s sleep during the day may be as beneficial as a whole night in bed, according to scientists. But the “power-nap” only works if the sleep is of the right quality, say the experts from Harvard University. Experts also add that a full night’s sleep is still necessary for many vital body functions,…
SourceLONDON, ENGLAND, JUNE 21, 2003: Young Indians and Pakistanis are reshaping the tradition of arranged marriages in Britain. While couples were once introduced exclusively by relatives and friends, there is now a boom in Asian marriage web sites, chat rooms and personal advertisements. But South Asian “speed dating” — Hindus one night, Muslims the next — is the latest phenomenon…
SourceNEW DELHI,INDIA, May 20, 2003: National and international debates on agriculture are increasingly talking of a new buzzword: agrobiodiversity (HPI’s translation: “the old way of doing things”). Diversity in agriculture can produce a variety of foods which are safe to eat and also provide fodder for farm animals. It is in contrast to the dominant viewpoint that you grow a…
SourceST. LOUIS, U.S.A., June 24, 2003: A judge has ordered 120 days in a prison boot camp for a young man who firebombed the Hindu Temple in west St. Louis County this year. Nathaniel Connor, 17, pled guilty Tuesday in St. Louis County Circuit Court of two counts each of second-degree arson and criminal possession of a weapon. Judge John…
SourcePORT LOUIS, MAURITIUS, June 25, 2003: The Hindu organizations of Mauritius are honoring Pujya Swami Purnanandji Maharaj for his 40 years of religious service to the county during a month-long celebration this June. His 75th birthday is being celebrated this month along with a whole series of activities. This program was initiated by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad, Sanatan Sarvodaye Sabha…
SourceNASHIK, INDIA, June 24, 2003: Nashik and Trimbakeshwar are currently in the midst of intense activity as they prepare for the thousands of pilgrims anticipated for the Sinhashtha Kumbha Mela or the Festival of the Nectar of Immortality. Over 2,500 people are working in three shifts to erect 35,000 sheds on 840 plots, each 4,000 sq. ft in area, at…
SourceVIENNA, AUSTRIA, June 20, 2003: Mr. Ashok Kaushal, a Hindu living in Vienna, Austria, has been refused by Austrian authorities to register himself and his son as Hindus. Mr. Kaushal, born in India as a Hindu has been living in Austria more than 15 years and is an Austrian citizen. When he recently had to reregister his documents in Vienna,…
SourceSOUTH AFRICA, June 24, 2003: South African President Thabo Mbeki has been invited to that country’s first Hindu convention later this year. Ashwin Trikamjee, president of the South African Hindu Maha Sabha, said the September convention would focus on the challenges facing Hindus in post-apartheid South Africa. “Our objective is unity among all Hindu organizations. We need to have a…
SourcePURI, ORISSA, June 22, 2003: The elephant will no longer be used as part of the age-old rituals in the annual rath yatra (car festival) of Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra and Devi Subhadra, which begins on July 1. The temple authorities have decided to break with the tradition of an elephant leading the procession of the Puri king from his…