Source: Hindu Press International INDIA, August 19, 2002: Swami Satchidananda, founder of the Integral Yoga Institute headquartered in Yogaville, Virginia, USA, is reported to have attained Maha Samadhi yesterday in India at age 87 as the result of an aortic bleed. Swamiji was honored by Hinduism Today in 1994 with the Hindu Renaissance Award as “Hindu of the Year.” The…
GO TO SOURCE AHMEDABAD, INDIA, August18, 2002: The government of India, with the assistance of hydrologists, geologists, archaeologists and space scientists, is trying to bring back the Saraswati River, which dried up in Vedic times. The dry bed of the “mythological” river was spotted in satellite photos, five miles wide, coursing from the Himalayas to the Arabian Sea. Some water…
GO TO SOURCE MUMBAI, INDIA, August 18, 2002: Televangelists are an increasing tribe of secret icons in modern India, states this informative — though overly sarcastic — article. “All over the Indian diaspora and in the lush ashrams and spiritual camps across the country,” it goes on, “assorted gurus, gurumaas and preachers play the spin-offs of their praxis.”
GO TO SOURCE NORTH CAROLINA, USA, August 7, 2002: A US university that included a book on the Koran in a class for new students is being sued by a Christian organization and a group of students. The case began when the University of North Carolina chose professor Michael Sells’s book, “Approaching the Qur’an” for one of its courses. Students…
Source: Press Reports JAPAN, August 14, 2002: Hinduism went from India to Japan along with the Buddhist missionaries. Numerous deities were introduced into Japan and many of these are still very popular. For example, Indra is popular in Japan as Taishaku (literally the great King Sakra); Ganesha is worshipped as Sho-ten (literally, Holy God) in many Buddhist temples, and is…
GO TO SOURCE LONDON, ENGLAND, August 17, 2002: Britain’s Charity Commission has launched a preliminary investigation into allegations that the Vishwa Hindu Parishad, UK and Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh (HSS) here are linked to terrorist activities. A spokesman of the Charity Commission said that the Commission had contacted the trustees of the VHP, UK and HSS to provide more details of…
GO TO SOURCE KARNATAKA, INDIA, August 18, 2002: Lingappa, 45, a push-cart bhelpuri food vendor, lost most of his customers when new road construction changes were made in Bangalore three years ago. Bhelpuri is a popular dish made of puffed rice, chickpeas, potatoes, onions, tomatoes, cilantro, etc. Times were hard and his only consolation was buying lottery tickets — which…
Source: Hindu Press International KAUAI, HAWAII, August 19, 2002: As we approach the first anniversary of the September 11 attack upon America, other events of importance on this date are coming to light. The one closest to home was Hurricane Iniki, which devastated our small island of Kauai on this day in 1993. It broke the US Navy’s wind meter,…
GO TO SOURCE HOUSTON, TEXAS, August 19, 2002: Educators in the greater Houston area are invited to attend “Learning about Hindu Culture and Values,” a free World Hindu Council (VHP)-Houston sponsored seminar. It will be held on Saturday, September 21, 2002, 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. The location is a large, well-equipped meeting room, Days Inn-Rosenburg, 26010 Southwest Freeway, Rosenburg,…
GO TO SOURCE KATHMANDU, NEPAL, August 10, 2002: With the naming ceremony to commemorate the birth of another heir to the throne, spirits were high at the Narayanhity Royal Palace on Friday, August 9. Born to Crown Prince Paras and Crown Princess Himani, the new Prince Hridayendra will be second in line to the throne. Last year on June 1,…