Source: Outlook Magazine NEW DELHI, INDIA, December 20, 2000: The government has secretly initiated a move to open up tribal-owned properties for acquisition and commercial exploitation, according to a report in the leftist “Outlook” magazine. The Union ministry of mines has put up a note marked “secret” — No16/48/97-M.VI — for the committee of secretaries to encourage an amendment to…
Source: Hindustan Times, Dec. 15 THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, INDIA, December 15, 2000: A division bench of the Kerala High Court dismissed a petition seeking entry for non-Hindus into temples. Advocate J. William John petitioned the court claiming that all Indians are Hindus, and therefore Rule 3 (A) of the Kerala Hindu Places Worship Act of 1965 preventing the entrance of Christians into…
GO TO SOURCE ARHUS, DENMARK, December 18, 2000: Ali Simsek, like millions of Turkish immigrants drawn to Europe came to Denmark in 1970. His family joined him but in all the years, Mr. Simsek never learned a word of Danish or forsook Turkish customs. When his oldest son, Bunyamin, turned 17 in 1987, Mr. Simsek arranged a marriage for him…
GO TO SOURCE LONDON, ENGLAND, December 19, 2000: The story of the Sidis, the Indian community of African descent which has lost contact with its African origins, has attracted enormous interest from around the world. A recent report on BBC News Online by Andrew Whitehead about the Sidis’ quest for their history has prompted hundreds of e-mails. “The song of…
GO TO SOURCE BERGEN COUNTY, NEW JERSEY, December 15, 2000: Bergen County in North Jersey has become the home to the third-highest number of Indian Asians in the U.S.A. In order to keep their religion and culture thriving, the Hindu Samaj has purchased 5 wooded acres where the congregation of about 200 families plans to build a 26,000-square foot temple…
GO TO SOURCE MONTREAL, QUEBEC, CANADA, December 19, 2000: Concordia University announced it would hold an international conference on the Mahabharata June 7, 8 and 9, 2001. The themes are: methodological problems of teaching the mahabharata; character analysis based on ethical issues; and challenges and responses in the context of philosophical, social and other issues. Postal Address: Dr. Shrinivas Tilak,…
Source: Deccan Chronicle, Bangalore MYSORE, SOUTH INDIA, December 6, 2000: Akhila Bharatha Veerashaiva Mahasabha (ABVM) President Bheemana Khandre has called upon heads of all Veerashaiva monasteries to unite and mobilize Veerashaivas as a separate religion to strengthen the community. Speaking as the chief guest on the “Census Enumeration – 2001 and Awareness Tour,” organized by the prominent Veerashaiva Mahasabha based…
GO TO SOURCE LEUVEN, BELGIUM, December 15, 2000: Those interested in the revival of pre-Christian, Pagan religions now underway in many parts of Europe and North America may enjoy reading the above paper by Dr. Koenraad Elst. Groups such as Lithuania-based, World Congress of Ethnic Religions work to rediscover and reconstitute the religion of their ancestors. With so little recorded…
Source: The Hindu, Chennai THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, INDIA, December 14, 2000: An inquisition by the crime branch of the Sabarimala Temple in Kerala, South India, has been ordered by the administrative board after a bloated lizard and a shrew tail was discovered in a prasadam (food blessed in the temple ritual) can by a devotee. Ruling out the possibility that the creatures…
GO TO SOURCE LONDON, ENGLAND: Over a 10-year period Anglican and Roman Catholic church-attendance figures are down in England and Wales. Baptisms and church marriages are also in decline. The Anglican Church in Hereford is a case in point. Even with some 1,000 parishioners, weekly attendance averages only about 60. At the same time, other religions (not including Judaism) have…