GO TO SOURCE AGARTALA, INDIA, January 28, 2001: The Baptist Church authorities in Khumlung have allegedly made it incumbent upon Hindu tribal students in a school near the headquarters of the autonomous district council to attend regular prayer sessions in a nearby church. Now the growing religious conflict between the National Liberation Front of Tripura and the Hindu resistance groups…
GO TO SOURCE ATLANTA, GEORGIA, January 28, 2001: Power yoga is about learning to breathe, relax and acquire an awareness of your body. In the process you work up a sweat, push your muscles to their limit and stretch like silly putty. According to this recent article in the Atlanta Journal, the popularity of power yoga is on the rise…
GO TO SOURCE GURUVAYOOR, KERALA, January 26, 2001: The managing committee of the Sree Krishna temple at Guruvayoor in Kerala has decided to initiate legal action against four firms for accepting sanctified offerings from devotees through their Web sites. K.M. Satheesan, administrator of the temple, told India Abroad on Jan. 15 that the four firms had sought permission from the…
GO TO SOURCE AHMEDABAD, INDIA, January 29, 2001: An article in the Washington Times by Janaki Kremmer reports that a Catholic priest, Father Cedric Prakash, director of the Saint Xavier’s Social Service Society, came to help at a hospital here. Prakash claimed he was shouted at by Hindu volunteers and pushed around until he left. He said, “Hindu hotheads are…
Source: The Times of India RAIGARH, INDIA, January, 26, 2001: An estimated 360 Christian tribals reconverted to Hinduism under the banner of Vanwasi Kalyan Ashram on Wednesday. The function proceeded peacefully as BJP Rajya Sabha member Dilip Singh Judev washed the feet of the tribals before declaring their reconversion to Hinduism. Judev later claimed that 1,500 persons belonging to 315…
Source: Religion News Service KATARAGAMA, SRI LANKA, January 27, 2001: “It is very, very peaceful here,” said Hirono Hideki a 51-year-old Buddhist monk from Tokyo, referring to the Kataragama Temple in southern Sri Lanka. Declared a “Peace Area” by both Hindu and Buddhist leaders, the temple is a major pilgrimage spot for devotees of either faith. Temple elephants inside the…
GO TO SOURCE NEW YORK, January 25, 2001: Early efforts to escape government regulation have backfired on the biotech industry in America, according to this very long article in the New York Times. Opposition to labeling, lobbying in Washington to set their own rules and general ignoring of consumer concerns have all caught up with the industry the report says.…
Source: Reuters CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, January 27, 2001: An international group of reproductive experts plans to start a serious effort to clone humans to provide children to infertile couples, a U.S. scientist said. A viable embryo, probably using stem cells or other cells taken from the man, could be available for implantation in the woman’s uterus within 18 months, said Dr.…
GO TO SOURCE KUMBHNAGAR, INDIA, January 23: One man is given the responsibility of ensuring that the millions attending the Kumbh Mela have a satisfactory bath. Rising 30 feet above the Sangam confluence, stands a three-story control tower. Special Superintendent of Police, Alok Sharma, is constantly monitoring for danger signs that could bring a crushing stampede. Starting this evening an…
GO TO SOURCE ALLAHABAD, INDIA, January 27, 2001: Stepping into one of the hottest religious controversies in South Asia, the Dalai Lama has joined Hindu leaders in condemning the Muslim and Christian practice of actively seeking converts. “Whether Hindu or Muslim or Christian, whoever tries to convert, it’s wrong, not good,” the Dalai Lama said Thursday after a meeting with…