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…

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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…

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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”…

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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…

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So When Was Holi Supposed to Be?

Source: HPI KAUAI, U.S.A., March 20, 2003: As reported recently, the Union Ministry of Home Affairs in India declared Holi should be celebrated on March 19, while many Hindu priests held that Holi was actually a day earlier. HPI asked readers for their authoritative comments, and a number were received here from astrologers and priests giving their insights into the…

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Delhi Officials Asked to Solve Beggar Problems at Temples

GO TO SOURCE NEW DELHI, INDIA, March 18, 2003: The Delhi High Court on Monday directed the officials of the Social Welfare Department of the Delhi government to visit four temples in the capital and report on the problems created by beggars and to suggest ways begging can be eliminated. The temples where the problem was at its peak were…

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Registry Says Hindu Gods and Goddesses May Be Advertising Trademarks

GO TO SOURCE NEW DELHI, INDIA, March 16, 2003: Does the display of Gods and Goddesses on commercial goods like tobacco products hurt the religious sentiments of people? No, says the office of Trademarks Registry. In an affidavit filed before the Delhi High Court, the Trademarks Registry has said that Hinduism has innumerable Gods and Goddesses and to put them…

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“Paradise Tree” Promises Immense Potential

GO TO SOURCE TIRUPATI, INDIA, March 5, 2003: Simarouba (Simarouba Glauca), also known as the “Paradise tree,” a native of El Salvador, Central America, was first introduced in Amravati, Maharashtra, in 1966. Syamasundar Joshi, a scientist in the University of Agricultural Sciences, Bangalore, who has studied the tree, believes apart from edible purposes, it could be a promising ingredient in…

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U.S. House Resolution for Deepavali Stamps

Source: Office of Congressman Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ) WASHINGTON, D.C. USA, March 6, 2003: U.S. Representative Frank Pallone, Jr., founder of the Congressional Caucus on India and Indian Americans, introduced a resolution in the U.S. House of Representatives asking Congress to request the United States Postal Service to issue a stamp honoring the holiday of Deepavali. The Citizen’s Stamp Advisory…

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Vijayanagar Icons Unearthed

GO TO SOURCE TIRUCHI, INDIA, March 2 , 2003: Six stone statues, including those of Mahavira, Jeyshtadevi and Muruga, have been unearthed from a field in Gundur near here where it is believed there was once a temple. The two and a half feet high by two feet wide icon of Mahavira, seated on a throne in a meditative posture,…

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