Ganesha Needs Environmentally Friendly Paint

GO TO SOURCE BANGALORE, INDIA, August 25, 2002: Come September 10 and most households will celebrate Ganesh Chaturthi. And even as they wait to buy Ganesha idols which have already hit the market shelves, the next step is to immerse them in water bodies in and around the city. However, according to Dr. Venkatesh, director of National Referral Centre for…

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Evangelism as Military Assault

GO TO SOURCE INDIA, February 26, 2000: This article by David Kostinchuk details the plans of Christian evangelists and their assault on India. Kostinchuk begins, “The evangelism of India is done in a model similar to a military model used to invade, occupy, control or subjugate a population of a given country. Intelligence is considered essential to invading a country;…

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Domestic Violence Shatters Bangalore’s Glittery Veneer

GO TO SOURCE BANGALORE, INDIA, August 23, 2002: Bangalore, India’s Silicon Valley and fastest growing city, was once a safe haven for women. While women are no longer safe on the streets of the city, now they are often not safe within their own homes, too. Domestic harassment is on the rise and 100 women on an average are said…

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Amarnath Yatra Ends: Eleven Pilgrims Killed This Year

Source: The Hindu SRINAGAR, INDIA, August 23, 2002: Undeterred by the inclement weather and two deadly militant strikes, over one hundred thousand pilgrims had darshan of the ice Siva Lingam during the month-long Amarnath yatra which concluded with the Chhari Mubarak (holy mace of Lord Siva) reaching the cave shrine of Amarnath in the Kashmir Himalayas today. During the pilgrimage,…

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Temple Idols Desecrated in Jalalabad

Source: Times of India MEERUT, INDIA, August 22, 2002: Tension prevailed in Jalalabad on Wednesday as news spread that some unidentified persons desecrated the idols of Lord Siva, Nandi Gai and Hanuman, as well as vandalized the temple’s property on Tuesday night. The temple, which is visited by pilgrims from different parts of the country, is located on the bank…

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Hindus Detained in Belarus

Source: Belarusian News Agency, Belapan MINSK, RUSSIA, August 24, 2002: Twelve members of the unregistered Hindu Siva-Sakti community, the Light of Kailash, held an unauthorized picket between 13:00 and 13:40 on August 17 at the intersection of Frantsysk Skaryna Avenue and Lenin Street and then in October Square in Minsk. They protested against religious oppression, singing mantras (prayers) and holding…

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Sleuths Discover the Rite Mantra

Source: Hindustan Times NEW DELHI, INDIA, August 18,2002: The police crime branch has commissioned new weapons for its crime-busters: prayers and vaastu shastra (sacred architecture). As cases pile up and leads are hard to come by, police are going in for shuddhi pujas (purification rites) at various crime branch offices. During the last fortnight, puja was carried out in at…

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105 Kids Buried for a Minute in Temple Ritual

GO TO SOURCE MADURAI, INDIA, August 21, 2002: At least 105 children were “buried alive” for one minute in Perayur village, near Madurai, on Wednesday to propitiate two female deities even as a government minister watched. The children — who were first rendered unconscious — were sunk into makeshift graves, covered completely, kept there for 60 seconds and then pulled…

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Armitage Says Devastation in Jaffna Reminds Him of Vietnam

GO TO SOURCE COLOMBO, SRI LANKA August 22, 2002: After touring the heartland of Sri Lanka’s bloody civil war Thursday, Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage said what he saw reminded him of the devastation of the Vietnam War. Armitage’s visit was the first to Sri Lanka by a senior U.S. official since the war began in 1983 and reflects…

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Snakes Get a Breather on Naagpanchami

GO TO SOURCE MAHARASHTRA, INDIA, August 13, 2002: The age-old tradition of naagpanchami celebrations at Batis Shirala may never quite be the same again. The Mumbai High Court has banned the use of snakes in any procession or competitions. This has angered the villagers, as they are left with no option but to follow the court orders under the supervision…

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