Source: The Tribune AMRITSAR, INDIA, December 21, 2000: Hindu devotees may resume pilgrimages to Pakistan. The president of the All-India Hindu Shiv Sena has prompted Mr. Atal Behari Vajpayee, Prime Minister, to resume talks with Pakistani leaders to ensure the safety of Hindu pilgrims in that country. A recent pilgrimage by Sindhi Hindus was abruptly ended when they were ridiculed…
Source: Hinduism Today WASHINGTON, D.C., December 21, 2000: Since President Clinton recognized the value of Hindu’s contributions by way of a Divali message from the White House, American Hindus have started to promote the idea of a Divali stamp to be issued by the US Postal Service next year. Aside from Christmas stamps which are issued by the hundreds of…
GO TO SOURCE WASHINGTON, D.C., December 20, 2000: The government released the first national standards for growing and processing organic foods. Foods that meet the new federal standards will bear a seal “USDA Organic” and replace dozens of local standards. The new regulations will ban the use of biotechnology or irradiation in organic products, which are grown without the use…
GO TO SOURCE CHENNAI, INDIA, December 20, 2000: Mauritius has decided to strengthen its links with India to enhance its educational and training facilities. Mr. Ramduthsing Jaddoo, a former Minister for Human Resource Development in Mauritius and the brain behind a movement to revamp higher education is in India to establish links with some South Indian centers like Chennai, Bangalore…
GO TO SOURCE UTTAR PRADESH, INDIA, December 17, 2000: Chief Minister Rajnath Singh’s decision to ban beauty contests has caused heated debates among opposition parties and BJP allies. Comments range from total agreement by Muslim organizations and religious leaders, to total disagreement by a female opposition leader who described the ban as an attack on the fundamental rights of women.…
GO TO SOURCE SEATTLE, WASHINGTON, December 20, 2000: After 14 years and 15 million dollars, the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center has abandoned a project that was aimed at controlling tobacco use among the youth. 8,388 school children and 640 teachers in 40 school districts were targeted for the study. The curriculum, arming the children with tools to resist peer…
GO TO SOURCE WASHINGTON, DC, December, 2000: The Pew Internet and American Life Project surveyed over 1,000 congregations to see to what extent they’re using the Internet for religious work. The survey found that churches are using the Internet to offer virtual tours of their grounds, webcast their services, and post church bulletins, allowing consumers to shop for churches, just…
GO TO SOURCE LUCKNOW, INDIA, December 17, 2000: Even as the country struggles with the challenges of over-population, the RSS strongly disapproves of “small families.” As noted in their recently prepared booklet, to be distributed during a month-long, door-to-door campaign in Northern India, the RSS attributes the rising number of unwed mothers to increased use of condoms and other family…
Source: The Times of India NEW DELHI, INDIA, November 13, 2000: Establishing the location of the Saraswati River alluded to in ancient Indian religious literature would authenticate its existence as a mighty Himalayan river. Over 160 Indus sites were nurtured by the Saraswati, far from the Indus River Valley. Now satellite photos and ground studies of clay, silt, sand and…
GO TO SOURCE LONDON, ENGLAND, December 19, 2000: Madonna’s wedding may assume a multicultural flare at Skibo castle in Scotland on December 22. A Hindi scholar has been asked to provide Sanskrit prayers for the ceremony and Reverend Susan Brown, the first women minister in a British cathedral, will be conducting the marriage. A senior Hindu leader in London told…