GO TO SOURCE LIVINGSTON MANOR, NEW YORK, June 18, 2001: Major Buddhist centers have spread throughout the wooded hills and valleys of the Catskills. Academics and others say the Buddhist presence is steadily growing, both in the number of centers and in the increasing variety of their traditions. “The borscht belt has become the Buddhist belt,” said Melvin McCleod, the…
GO TO SOURCE BANGALORE, INDIA, JUNE 15, 2001: Now, at the click of a button, families can decide the budget for a marriage or get a wedding manager to take over the task of organizing their entire wedding. Promoted by Indian marketing guru Shunu Sen and one of India’s early woman entrepreneurs Kiran Mazumdar Shaw, shaadionline.com is introducing the concept…
GO TO SOURCE BRADFORD, ENGLAND, June 14, 2001: Allegations that Hindu families are being driven out of their homes by young Muslims have been disputed by local community leaders. Police have confirmed they are aware that tensions between some members of the two communities exist. A local Vishwa Hindu Parishad trustee, whose pharmacy was allegedly firebombed, believes that Muslims have…
GO TO SOURCE LONDON, ENGLAND, June 14, 2001: Tensions between Hindus and Muslims have become evident in the city of Bradford where a 350,000 strong white majority coexists uneasily with 85,000 Asians, predominantly Pakistani Muslims, according to this report. Paresh Mistry, 18, an organizer of the Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh (Hindu Voluntary Corps) in Bradford, says his organization’s aim is “to…
GO TO SOURCE NEW YORK, June 9, 2001: Some time next year, when you walk into Saks on Fifth Avenue, don’t be surprised to see clothes by Indian designers Rohit “Gudda” Bal, Rina Dhaka, Vivek Narang, Tarun Tahiliani and Raghavendra Rathore on the shelves. Their exhibition held at the home of Meera and Vikram Gandhi in Manhattan had the Saks’…
Source: Hindustan Times NEW DELHI, INDIA, May 21, 2001: In an effort to save India’s rivers, the Central Pollution Control Board has been doing some research. CPCB chairman, D.K. Biswas, uncovered information in the 8th century scripture called Brahmanda Purana that prohibits 13 actions on the sacred Ganga. Such actions as ablutions, defecation, throwing of used floral offerings, and discarding…
GO TO SOURCE ONTARIO, CANADA, June 7, 2001: Two reports appeared recently on the evangelical site, “Persecution.net.” The first states, “National and expatriate Christians in India continue to face threats and false accusations, as the Gospel continues to spread throughout the subcontinent. Gladys Staines, widow of Graham Staines, an Australian missionary slain in 1999 along with his two sons, is…
Source: The Times of India News Service LUCKNOW, UTTAR PRADESH, INDIA, May 21, 2001: Lucknow University is leading the way in promoting the ancient science of Astrology and Vedic Rites on its campus. Two hundred university students, many of them girls, have called the three-month long course an unique experience. The curriculum teaches Sanskrit chants, how to perform fire ceremony…
GO TO SOURCE KATHMANDU, NEPAL, June 10, 2001: Nepalese bade an ancient Hindu farewell to Crown Price Dipendra that they hope will banish the ill fortune that has struck the palace. Dipendra, as Crown Prince, was named king as he lay dying in a coma from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. As for his father just a few days before, the…
GO TO SOURCE CHANDIGARGH, INDIA, June 19, 2001: Officials at the British High Commission in New Delhi have come to the rescue of a young Briton of Indian descent who was kept captive by her parents to prevent her from marrying against their wishes. Jaspreet Kaur, 17 and a resident of London, had come to her native village of Bagha…