East Indians Struggle to Maintain American Identity

GO TO SOURCE TROY, MICHIGAN, October 4, 2001: When the Michigan Association of Physicians of Indian Origin met in Troy after the September 11th terrorist attacks, the focus of conversation was on how south Asians will fare in America. Concerned that their community will be mistakenly identified with the Middle Eastern terrorists, many are reluctant to appear different looking. Dr.…

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Small Shrines Mushrooming in NY After September

GO TO SOURCE NEW YORK, USA, October 8, 2001: Since shortly after the terrorist attacks that destroyed the World Trade Center, New Yorkers have been creating impromptu shrines, memorializing the victims. People have placed photographs of the dead and missing, together with flowers and American flags, in many places, including the walls in Grand Central Terminal, Pennsylvania Station and the…

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Government to Strengthen Unani, Ayurvedic Medical Colleges

Source: Times of India GRAKHPUR, INDIA, October 7, 2001: The state government has regularized the service of 719 medical officers of Ayurvedic and Unani systems, both traditional medicines of India. UP Minister for Medical Education, NKS Gaur said that US$1.46 million had been released under the Prime Minister Rozgar Yojna to purchase ayurvedic and Unani medicines. The state cabinet has…

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Afghan Food Airdrops Are Vegetarian

GO TO SOURCE RAMSTEIN AIR BASE, GERMANY, October 8, 2001: The tens of thousands of food packets being dropped over Afghanistan are all vegetarian “Meals Ready to Eat” or MRE. The packets contained a day’s ration of red beans, rice, fruit bars, peanut butter and strawberry jam, providing at least 2,200 calories. When the meals were developed for this relief…

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V.S. Naipaul Awarded 2001 Nobel Prize for Literature

GO TO SOURCE STOCKHOLM, October 11, 2001: Trinidad-born British writer V.S. Naipaul won the 2001 Nobel prize for literature on Thursday. Naipaul, long tipped for the prestigious award, won the $1 million prize for combining existing genres into a style of his own in works that compel readers “to see the presence of suppressed histories,” the Swedish Academy said in…

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Antony Recalls How He Got Spiritual Solace

GO TO SOURCE MRITAPURI, INDIA, October 8, 2001: Has the atheist Chief Minister Antony become a devotee of the woman-saint Mata Amritananda Mayi? Antony, a member of the Congress party, would not call himself a devotee but he admitted that he had found solace in the presence of the Mata, who is lovingly called Amma. “I am no believer nor…

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A Call to Action for Area Sikhs:

GO TO SOURCE YUBA CITY, USA, October 8, 2001: Since the September 11 terrorist attacks, Sikhs across America have been the target of hate crimes by misguided bigots who think Sikhs with turbans and beards are linked to Osama bin Laden. A bad situation has become the catalyst for better understanding, said Dr. Jasbir Kang, a Yuba City physician and…

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Free Issue of MeeRa E-mail Publication

GO TO SOURCE October 5, 2001: The goal of a new e-mail service being offered by MeeRa Publications is to provide information, ideas, and analysis to understand and celebrate Indian culture and heritage. The service is especially focused on youth and families with young children. The first issue offers a welcome letter, this year’s Diwali Calendar, ten ways to make…

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UP Gives Tax Breaks on Puja Material

GO TO SOURCE UTTAR PRADESH, INDIA, October 6, 2001: The Bharatiya Janata Party-led Rajnath Singh government in Uttar Pradesh has exempted puja related items such as mukut, icons, trishuls, havan kund, deepak, etc, from trade tax. Significantly, the decisions have come at the onset of the festive season and when preparations for Ramlila are in full swing all over the…

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Obesity a Growing Challenge to Indian Health

GO TO SOURCE NEW DELHI, INDIA, October 4, 2001: A new report, published in the October issue of the Journal of Nutrition, underscores obesity as a growing nutritional problem. Several studies since the late 1990’s have shown that obesity is on the rise in India, particularly among more affluent women living in urban areas. In a country where more than…

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