GO TO SOURCE CHENNAI, INDIA, October 31, 2002: The Hindu religion does not subscribe to untouchability, which is prevalent in some rural areas, states Sankaracharya Jayendra Saraswathi. Untouchability exists, His Holiness believes, because of illiteracy and can be eradicated only by educating people. His Kanchipuram Mutt is taking steps to eradicate it. Referring to a recent court ruling that anyone…
GO TO SOURCE MADURAI, INDIA, November 6, 2002: Heavy and continuous rains have damaged an older gopuram of the Meenakshi Temple in Tamil Nadu. Dedicated to Mother Goddess, Meenakshiamman, the temple is 500 km south of Chennai. The gopuram of the Mukkuruni Vinayaka temple, built in 1559 and dedicated to Lord Ganesha, was damaged. It is one of the smaller…
Source: CNN.com HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA, October 31, 2002: Fox Television Network is developing “Married by America,” a weekly reality series that will search for people anxious to get married — and then set them up with arranged marriages. The American viewing public will play matchmaker, voting on which couples will get engaged. “Married” is the latest in what has become an…
GO TO SOURCE WASHINGTON D.C., United States, November 1, 2002: Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, niece of late president John F. Kennedy, has promised the Indian community that she would organize a Deepavali Mela at the Maryland State House if she is elected Maryland’s governor in the November 5 election. She also pledged to strengthen economic ties between Maryland and India. Along…
Source: Newsday (New York, NY) FLUSHING, NEW YORK, October 21, 2002: New immigrants coming to America are seeking solace in their religious roots and nowhere is this more evident than in New York City. Rajesh Vohra, a 39-year-old restaurant manager originally from New Delhi, says, “First I began coming to the Ganapati Temple on Bowne Street because I missed family…
GO TO SOURCE LONDON, ENGLAND, October 28, 2002: Hundreds of young British Hindus, from various communities and youth groups worked side-by-side in an extraordinary show of solidarity, creativity and inspiration to put on the Get Connected Hindu Youth Festival in London. Over 9,000 visitors flocked to the spectacular Alexandra Palace in North London to attend the free festival, which sought…
GO TO SOURCE TIRUVANANTHAPURAM, KERALA, October 29, 2002: The government of Kerala is making efforts to integrate spirituality with the medical system in their bid to tackle the growing incidence of mental afflictions in the state. The idea is to ensure availability of a psychiatrist, laboratory, referral infrastructure and other modern facilities in these centers to enable them to better…
GO TO SOURCE MUMBAI, INDIA, October 25, 2002: It is not just a piece of fabric six yards long and 48 inches wide, says Bela Shanghvi, who for the past twenty years has worked tirelessly to promote the craftsmanship that goes into making an exquisite sari. As a result of changing lifestyles, demand for the sari has fallen along with…
GO TO SOURCE NEW YORK, UNITED STATES, November 1, 2002: Two classical traditions, one Indian and one Western, will come together in New York during Bharata natyam dance recitals set to the music of renowned classical Western composer Johann Sebastian Bach. “Bach-Bharata Natyam Variations” is part of a project to rethink the Indian dance from a 21st century perspective, says…
Source: The New Indian Express INDIA, October 21, 2002: Excerpted from an article by Swami Dayananda Saraswati: “I welcome the promulgation of the ordinance by the Government of Tamil Nadu to ban religious conversions ‘by use of force or by allurements or by any fraudulent means.’ This is a long-awaited step. A step that ensures for the citizens of Tamil…