Source: Religion News Service NEW YORK, NEW YORK, May 15, 2002: Excerpts from a report by William bole of Religion News Service: “One of the often-heard comments since Sept. 11 is that Islam is growing so rapidly it will soon become the world’s largest religion, overtaking Christianity in just a couple of decades. Many of these projections are traceable to…
GO TO SOURCE RUMTEK, SIKKIM, INDIA, May 11, 2002: Followers of the 17th Karmapa claimant Urgyen Thinley Dorjee have decided to prevent a Reserve Bank of India official from entering Rumtek monastery to make a court-ordered inventory of its fabulous wealth, a monastery spokesman told reporters here on Saturday. “We will oppose the RBI official tooth and nail if he…
GO TO SOURCE NEW YORK, NEW YORK, May 12, 2002: The NY Times “Fashion And Style” page recently contained the announcements of two Hindu weddings. The “High Society” announcements both appeared in the May 12 edition. Interestingly, both marriages were between Hindu women and non-Hindu men and both ceremonies were conducted by Hindu priests. Dr. Neeta Sharma, daughter of Dr.…
GO TO SOURCE WASHINGTON, USA, May 13, 2002: U.S. Researchers say vegetarian teenagers have a healthier diet than their meat-eating counterparts. “It seems that rather than viewing adolescent vegetarianism as a difficult phase or fad, the dietary pattern could be viewed as a healthy alternative to the traditional American meat-based diet,” epidemiologist Cheryl Perry and colleagues wrote in Sunday’s issue…
GO TO SOURCE LONDON, ENGLAND, May 13, 2002: Selfridges store has stopped selling cakes with icing decoration depicting Hindu Gods and Goddesses after complaints that they offended religious sensibilities. The cakes were featured as part of a three-week summer promotion of Indian foods, and were on sale next to a food counter where Hemant Oberoi, the Indian Prime Minister’s personal…
GO TO SOURCE SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, April 24, 2002: People from more than 60 countries settling in California in the last ten years have brought with them their customs, beliefs and ethnic food. As a result, Bay area cuisine has changed accordingly. Ethnic cuisine once meant Italian and Chinese food. Now it could be Indian curries, Taiwanese hot pot restaurants,…
Source: Times of India KATHMANDU, NEPAL, May 13, 2002: Some 500 Maoist rebels stormed a Sanskrit university in west Nepal, set the building on fire and destroyed office records, an official said on Monday. District officer Mathur Prasad Yadav said that the guerrillas snapped telephone lines and overpowered the night guard of the Mahendra Sanskrit University in Dang in west…
GO TO SOURCE AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND, May 14, 2002: Asia 2000 and Auckland City both joined hands and holding an authentic Deepavali festival in Auckland, New Zealand at the Mahatma Gandhi Centre on 26 October 2002. An official press release states that the Deepavali Festival of Lights will be the first of its kind on this scale in Auckland. As…
GO TO SOURCE SEATTLE, WASHINGTON, May 2, 2002: The Seattle lawyer who successfully forced McDonald’s to publicly admit its use of beef extract in its supposedly vegetarian french fries now has set his sights on another popular fast-food chain: Pizza Hut. The proposed class-action suit, filed by attorney Harish Bharti on behalf of 15 million vegetarians and 1 million Hindus…
GO TO SOURCE CAMPAL, GOA, INDIA, May 15, 2002: Percussionist Shivamani is recognized as “Shiva” in the world of South Indian percussion in the present day, for he becomes the epitome of Shakti on stage with his assortment of percussion instruments. Shivamani creates magic with just about anything from his conventional cymbals to the timbale to the batajon to the…