India’s Flag Rules Challenged

GO TO SOURCE NEW DELHI, INDIA, June 14, 2001: It is an oddity of Indian law that only VIPs, government offices and public sector undertakings are allowed the honor of displaying the country’s flag on their premises. Now a 31-year-old businessman, Naveen Jindal, having been cited for flying the flag on his factory, has challenged the law in court. The…

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US House of Representatives Condemns Taliban on Hindus

GO TO SOURCE WASHINGTON, D.C., June 14, 2001: Several influential US lawmakers wore a yellow badge with the inscription “I am a Hindu” in solidarity with Hindus in Afghanistan as the US House of Representatives unanimously passed a resolution condemning the Taliban’s anti-Hindu edict. The bipartisan “Sense of the Congress”, non-binding resolution, originally authored by Democrat Rep. Eliot L. Engel…

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Goddess’ Blessing Next for King Gyanendra

GO TO SOURCE KATHMANDU, NEPAL, June 12, 2001: In early autumn this year, the new king of Nepal, Gyanendra, will go before Goddess Taleju Bhawani, the living goddess of Nepal, in Her incarnation as a young girl. The Kumari, or virgin, as she is called, is selected periodically and reigns until puberty. The king can only be crowned following her…

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As Biotech Crops Multiply, Consumers Get Little Choice

Source: New York Times CHICAGO, USA June 9, 2001: Despite persistent concerns, genetically modified crops are spreading so rapidly that it has become almost impossible for consumers to avoid them. Wind-blown pollen, commingled seeds and black-market plantings have extended these products of biotechnology into the far corners of the global food supply — perhaps irreversibly. Some agriculture experts say that…

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Tabla Wizard at Six

GO TO SOURCE NAGPUR, INDIA, MAY 29, 2001: Six year-old Shantanu Khardenvis is the youngest tabla player in the world. In a recent performance at the Nagpur Doordarshan he performed with the efficiency of a fifteen-year-old. Shantanu, who started learning tabla at the age of two, practices four hours daily. “I gave my first performance when I was in nursery,”…

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Yuba City’s Sikh Immigrants Success Story

GO TO SOURCE YUBA CITY, CALIFORNIA, June 11, 2001: Early Sikh immigrants from India planted their seeds of success in the rich agricultural community in this American city located in Sutter County. Of Yuba City’s 36,758 residents, 2,360 are Indians. Sutter County boasts of the highest percentage of Indians in any US county. Nearly nine percent of its 79,000 residents…

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Gujarat State Attempts to Control Population Growth

GO TO SOURCE AHMEDABAD, GUJARAT, INDIA, June 10, 2001: With the population increasing in the state of Gujarat year after year, the government has chosen to form a committee to draw up a proposal introducing legislation to limit family size to that of two children per couple. The proposal, which will become law one year after approval has been received…

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New Temple Opens in Sacramento

Source: Hinduism Today SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA, June 10, 2001: On Sunday, June 10th, a new Laxmi-Ganesha Temple opened in Sacramento, California. Hindus from northern California gathered to offer milk abishekam to the Deities, Ganesha, Lakshmi and Saraswati. The temple is located at 4679 Aldona Way, conveniently nearby Interstate 80. For puja times and more information call 925-202-7494.

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Indian Subcontinent and Africa Sink Deeper Into Poverty

GO TO SOURCE LONDON, ENGLAND, June 8, 2001: The world’s poor may be sinking deeper into poverty, according to a new report that turns traditional insights into poverty reduction upside down. This is in stark contrast to the widely used — and potentially misleading — data based on Gross National Product (GNP) and the Human Development Index. The measure of…

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