GO TO SOURCE NEW DELHI, INDIA, April 3, 2002: In a recognition of their separate identity, the Constitution Review Commission has recommended that Sikhism, Buddhism and Jainism should be treated as religions distinct from Hinduism. Presently, a constitutional provision groups them together. The existing explanation II of Article 25 of the Constitution (Freedom of Conscience and Free Profession, Practice and…
Source: The Hindu KARIMNAGAR, ANDHRA PRADESH, INDIA, March 31, 2002: The local administration prevented the marriage of a 15-year-old girl here. The authorities got the marriage postponed while they explain to the family that there are laws against marriage at that age in India. The legal age for marriage for girls in India is 18 and for boys 21. In…
GO TO SOURCE JAMMU, INDIA, April 4, 2002: Saturday’s terrorist attack on the historic Raghunath Temple, the first major strike by the Kashmiri militants in past 12 years, has shaken the residents of Jammu. The attack, which killed ten persons, stopped business activity in the winter capital on Sunday, with people preferring to stay indoors. The 150-year-old Raghunath Temple has…
GO TO SOURCE JAMMU, INDIA, April 4, 2002: Hundreds of devotees and priests on Sunday performed mass purification and joint prayers at the Raghunath temple complex here desecrated by two militants who opened indiscriminate fire and exploded a grenade killing three securitymen and five civilians on Saturday. About 40 priests from different temples across Jammu city, assisted by over 500…
GO TO SOURCE NEW DELHI, INDIA, April 2, 2002: The VHP on Monday, states this article in the Hindustan Times, advised Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee to confine himself to politics and leave matters of faith to religious leaders. “It is better if he (Vajpayee) confines himself to politics and leaves matters of faith to religious leaders,” VHP senior vice-president…
GO TO SOURCE KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA, April 2, 2002: A conference entitled “The Malaysian Indian in the New Millennium — Rebuilding Community” is planned here June 1 and 2, 2002. The main aim of the conference is to reflect upon the position of Malaysian Indians at the beginning of the new millennium, taking into account the many challenges facing the…
GO TO SOURCE KAULA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA, April 2, 2002: The Malaysia Hindu Sangam announced today that Dr. Srinivasan, representative of the Shankaracharya of Kanchi, Jayendra Saraswati, is visiting Malaysia to arrange a visit by the Shankaracharya in the near future. He is meeting with Hindu leaders April 4 at 7:30 pm at Kalaamandapam, Lorong Scott, off Jalan Scott in KL.…
Source: New York Times RIDGEWOOD, NEW JERSEY, March 29, 2002: The people in this suburban town decided they weren’t spending enough quality time as families because they were overscheduling their children. They began meeting with community leaders and school officials, and scheduled themselves some free time. Tonight was declared “Family Night,” an evening when everyone was encouraged to set aside…
GO TO SOURCE STANFORD, CALIFORNIA, April 2, 2002: Hindu Students Council (HSC) at Stanford University announces a class on “Hinduism in the Modern Era.” For the first time in Stanford University history, a class on Hinduism has been created by Hindu students. The class seeks to provide a clearer and more balanced picture of Hinduism, including religious, social, and political…
GO TO SOURCE GUWAHATI, INDIA, April 1, 2002: Mixing religion with an initiative to revive dying art forms is what temple authorities at the Dol Gobindo mandir near here did on Saturday on the occasion of Holi. The five-day-long Dol Utsav here — thronged by thousands, apart from local villagers — is not just a celebration of religion or the…