Source DUBAI, March 7, 2020 (Gulf News): It will be a colurless Holi festival for Indian expats this year as Hindu temples in Bur Dubai have cancelled the celebrations and advised against throwing colors to prevent the spread of coronavirus. This is in addition to other preventive measures such as reduction in prayer times and providing sanitizers as part of…
Source Let me tell you the truth: there is nothing wrong in your being in the world. But you must direct your mind towards God; otherwise you will not succeed. Do your duty with one hand and with the other hold to God. After the duty is over, you will hold to God with both hands.— Sri Ramakrishna Paramahansa (1836-1886)
Source ALABAMA, USA, March 6, 2020 (The Hill): A proposed Alabama House bill would undo a 1993 ban on yoga in K-12 public schools but would create strict rules on how the practice is instructed to students. The measure, introduced by Democratic state Rep. Jeremy Gray, has already passed in the Education Policy Committee with bipartisan support and is expected…
Source FIJI, March 7, 2020 (Fiji Village): The Ministry of Education is urging schools to follow the statement sent by the Ministry which states that all schools that are run by Hindu faith-based organizations will be closed to observe the festivals of Holi and Ram Navami. This is after an email sent by the Senior Education Officer Nadroga-Nadi which stated…
Source Even in search of extraordinary gains, the wise will never speak trivial or useless words.— Tirukkural 198
Source AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND, March 5, 2020 (News Bharati): New Zealand Minister for Ethnic Communities Jenny Salesa acknowledged that the Hindu community in NZ was the second-largest and fastest-growing community. “Your faith and your community will be a big part of Aotearoa New Zealand’s future,” the Minister said while inaugurating the 4th New Zealand Hindu Youth Conference. The inaugural event…
Source Sectarianism, bigotry and its horrible descendant, fanaticism, have long possessed this beautiful Earth. They have filled the Earth with violence, drenched it often with human blood, destroyed civilizations and sent whole nations to despair. Had it not been for these horrible demons, human society would be far more advanced than it is now.— Swami Vivekananda (1863-1902), disciple of Sri…
HPI KAUAI, HAWAII, March 4, 2020 (Hinduism Today): The editors of Hinduism Today plan an article covering India’s powerful cultural preference for fair skin. It is planned to explore the skin lightening industry, the attitudes surrounding this oddity and more. We will compare with a similar movement in the American black community faced the issue several decades ago. Help us…
Source LAHORE, PAKISTAN, February 10, 2020 (Dawn): Despite being granted nominal religious freedom by Pakistan’s Constitution, Hindus like Raj Kumari, who has lived in Lahore since birth, still face extreme obstacles in being able to practice their faith. In a city of 11 million people that covers almost 2,000 square kilometers, only two publicly-functioning Hindu temples remain. One is the…
Source TAMIL NADU, INDIA, March/April 2019 (Archaeology): Srirangam Island, at the confluence of the Kaveri and Kollidam Rivers in southeastern India’s state of Tamil Nadu, is home to a 2,000-year-old temple complex, major parts of which are still in use today. However, much of the complex is hidden or damaged. Many older sections are buried under sediment as a result…