GO TO SOURCE KATMANDU, NEPAL, December 10, 2002: Nepal has ordered it’s schools to drop compulsory Sanskrit lessons, but denies it has caved in to demands by Maoist rebels who say the language is foreign to the Himalayan Kingdom. The abolition of Sanskrit lessons is key amongst a list of educational reforms demanded by the rebels who have called on…
GO TO SOURCE BUCKINGHAMSHIRE, ENGLAND, December 15, 2002: A study by researchers at the Buckinghamshire Aylesbury Young Offenders Institution found that adding nutrients to the inmates’ diet reduced antisocial behavior in the unit. The British Home Office backed the study conducted on behalf of Natural Justice, which involved 231 18- to 21-year-old men in the maximum-security jail. Half of the…
GO TO SOURCE COLOMBO, SRI LANKA, December 13, 2002: British reggae group, UB40, say the world should learn from Sri Lanka’s peace process. The group is in Colombo and recently gave a concert for peace in Sri Lanka. The organizers say the idea is to reintegrate Sri Lanka into the rest of the world after two decades of civil war…
GO TO SOURCE CALIFORNIA, USA, December 13, 2002: A Christian marketing research company says non-Christians in the United States view evangelical Christians “somewhat more kindly than prostitutes, but with less affection than lesbians and lawyers.” According to George Barna, president of Barna Research Group, many non-Christians expressed negative impressions of evangelicals because they don’t know who or what an evangelical…
GO TO SOURCE AGRA, INDIA, December 8, 2002: The world famous 17-century Taj Mahal received a face-lift. Exposure to industrial pollution had left the marble Mogul tomb stained with black and yellow impurities. Wanting to restore the monument to its original splendor, archaeologists discovered that a mud-pack was used in the 16-century to restore Indian buildings. Using the formula as…
GO TO SOURCE NEW YORK CITY, U.S.A., December 12, 2002: In this droll look at New York’s famous fashion scene, Kate Betts’ “view” takes a fresh look at Hinduism’s ancient practice of Yoga. “The last thing I thought I would be buying at the Marc Jacobs boutique in SoHo (Manhattan) was a sticky yoga mat. Yoga was for sincere, mantra-chanting…
GO TO SOURCE UNITED KINGDOM: In this article, Juge Ram, a Christian convert from Hinduism and Pastor of Emmanuel Church in Birmingham, England, answers questions on Hinduism and explains how to reach Hindus with the Bible. After giving a detailed background of Hindu beliefs and culture, he suggests a few methods which Christians can use to reach out to Hindus.…
GO TO SOURCE PUNE, INDIA, December 9, 2002: Seventy-five-year-old Malatibai Joshi is no ordinary teacher. She belongs to the first and the most elite batch of women purohitas (priestesses) in the city. Trained by none other than the late Shankarrao Thatte, who opened the doors of priesthood to women in 1975, Malatibai on Sunday presided over a unique gathering of…
GO TO SOURCE PRETORIA, SOUTH AFRICA, December 9, 2002: For Ramesh Chhagan, founder of the only Hindu school in South Africa at the mainly Indian township of Laudium here, three decades of community work has reaped a special award. “It left me with a warm feeling, as it was totally unexpected,” said Chhagan. Involved in education for 19 years before…
GO TO SOURCE NEW DELHI, INDIA, December 6, 2002: “Mega diverse” countries in the developing world, including India, have just finished meeting in Peru where they decided to push for patent requirements which specifically protect the holders of traditional knowledge. These countries, rich in natural resources, are still debating some of the common issues, positions, experiences and possible strategies against…