GO TO SOURCE AGARTALA, TRIPURA, December 27, 2000: Baptist insurgents of the banned National Liberation Front of Tripura (NLFT) raided Dalak, a Jamatia-dominated village at night on December 25 and killed Lab Kumar Jamatia, leader of Hoda Okhra, a religious organization of the community, for his refusal to embrace Christianity. Lab Kumar was beaten up severely and died at the…
GO TO SOURCE GUJARAT, INDIA, December 28, 2000: Birthday celebrations for the acclaimed Pandurang Athavale were held last week on the banks of the Narmada River. Marking his 80th birthday and over 46 years of social service, the gathering was attended by over one million followers from all over the world. Promoting social change and healing, Athavale’s philosophy known as…
GO TO SOURCE WASHINGTON, D.C., December 24, 2000: The Washington Post has put together a list of the weirdest wackiest news this year, from all over the world. Two stood out to HPI. First is this one: Art patrons bought up Christie’s entire collection of 60 paintings created by artists that also happen to be elephants, including works by Sao…
GO TO SOURCE SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, December 27, 2000: Adopting a new religion or solidifying your devotion to a childhood faith is a growing movement on campuses across the nation. Those choosing a new faith are faced with the challenge of explaining new inner commitments to their family, while respecting their parent’s faith and avoiding hurt feelings. Quoting Makin McDaid…
Source: Hindustan Times ALLAHABAD, INDIA, December 27, 2000: January 9, 2001 marks the beginning of the first Maha Kumbha Mela of the millennium in Allahabad. Tens of millions of people are expected through the month. The Uttar Pradesh government has solicited the help of the Army and Air Force to keep peace in the area. There is fear of a…
GO TO SOURCE KATHMANDU, NEPAL, December 25, 2000: The world’s most famous Sherpa was really not a Sherpa at all. Tenzing Norgay, along with Edmund Hillary, were the first to conquer Mt. Everest in 1953. He was a Tibetan and not a Nepali, according to a new book. “Snow in the Kingdom,” by American mountaineer Ed Webster claims Tenzing was…
GO TO SOURCE HANOVER, GERMANY, September 4, 2000: The Indian Pavilion at the Expo 2000 in Hanover drew record crowds and rave reviews from the German public. 11,000 to 12,000 German visitors toured the Indian Pavilion every day to view the splendor and richness of both ancient and modern India. From the invention of zero to high tech achievements to…
GO TO SOURCE BRATISLAVA, SLOVAKIA, October 25, 2000: Yoga was recently introduced at both the primary and high school level as part of the gym curriculum in Slovakia. Swami Maheswarananda’s “Yoga in Daily Life” organization worked for years to implement the program, which was welcomed by school officials and students alike. However, Catholic leaders have objected to this form of…
GO TO SOURCE IPOH, MALAYSIA, December 25, 2000: The descendants of Marimuthu Ammal created history by holding the largest Indian family gathering, with some 480 relatives from peninsular Malaysia, Sabah, Singapore and New Zealand turning up. They comprised a third of about 1,200 descendants of the matriarch, who first came to Malaysia in the 19th century. The oldest in the…
Source: Religion News Service WASHINGTON, DC, December 22, 2000: The “Return to Home” legislation was passed by Congress and signed by President Clinton on Thursday, December 21. A coalition of religious groups collaborated so that Medicare patients suffering from severe illnesses could be treated at care facilities close to home or those affiliated with their faith. Previously, loved ones were…