SourcePONDICHERRY, INDIA, June 4, 2003: A 20-year-old classical danseuse performed bharata natyam for 60 hours, qualifying her to seek an entry into the Guinness Book of World Records. Sangeetha, a final-year student at the Bharathiyar Balakalaikoodam, completed the targeted task at 9:15 p.m. last night after she began her dance at 8:30 a.m. on June 1. Unlike an earlier national…
SourceCHENNAI, INDIA, June 5, 2003: The Board of Trustees of Panchamuka Sri Jayamurthi Seva Trust have announced the creation of the tallest Anjaneya (Hanuman) statue in India, currently sculpted in Kelambakkam near Chennai. The statue will be installed in a temple being constructed at Panchavatee on the Tindivanam-Pondicherry National Highway. The temple is being built as a result of the…
SourcePORT-OF-SPAIN, TRINIDAD, June 4, 2003: Lamenting the fact that Indian diaspora was “slow to integrate into the mainstream of the host societies,” a senior Indian official said that most Indians looked for a middle ground in most issues and avoided extremes. Speaking at a two-day seminar on “From Indentureship to Entrepreneurship,” hosted by the Indian High Commission to mark the…
SourcePARAMARIBO, SURINAM, June 5, 2003: The first batch of indentured laborers from India was brought here 130 years ago aboard the ship Lala Rukh and had the mistaken belief they were going to the land of Shri Ram and not Surinam. Upon arrival some were dejected, but others, who brought with them their faith in Ramcharitra Manas and couplets of…
SourceNEW DELHI, INDIA, June 4, 2003: Job: Sitting for six hours a day, stretching a hand out occasionally. Qualifications: None. Vacancies: Unlimited. Earnings: Uncertain. That’s the classic version of the temple beggar, widespread in India. The job, qualifications and vacancies for the metro version, widespread in Delhi, are roughly the same. The ways in which they are different from brothers…
SourceKAUAI, HAWAII, USA, June 6, 2003: Hinduism Today magazine is planning an article in its next issue on the subject, “Why I am a vegetarian.” Hindu youth (age 24 and below) are invited to send a 300- to 500-word essay on the subject. Each writer of a published essay will receive US$25 for the piece. The essay should cover the…
SourceTAMPA, U.S.A., June 2, 2003: A rather astounding article appeared in the Florida Tampa Tribune of June 2 supposedly on the Aghoris, a radical group of sadhus living beyond the norms of society, but really about one crazy American, Gary Stevenson, claiming to their reporter (George Coryell) that he was an Aghori. The reporter considered the American insane, and indeed…
SourceUTTAR PRADESH, INDIA, June 2, 2003: Yet another marriage met a premature end on Monday when the bridegroom added a Maruti car to his list of dowry demands. However, the groom, his brother and father — all three who have been named in the complaint made by the girl’s family, have not yet been arrested. The incident occurred at New…
SourceHYDERABAD, INDIA, June 2, 2003: A coconut in the hands of a devotee is unlikely to cause any alarm. For security analysts, however, the humble offering could well be stuffed with explosives and used with maximum effect to launch an Akshardham-type attack. The very thought of such a scenario being enacted in Tirumala has made the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD)…
SourceHYDERABAD, INDIA, June 4, 2003: A dress code has been established for the Lord Venkateswara (also known as Balaji) at Tirumala hills. The Tirupathi-Tirumala Devastanam (TTD), which runs the temple, has announced men will not be allowed to participate in any rituals unless they are wearing a dhoti and angavastram and women should be wearing sari or salwar kameez. The…