GO TO SOURCE BRUSSELS, BELGIUM, January 26, 2001: European Union farm ministers will meet next week amid calls for tougher measures to combat the mad cow disease crisis affecting the continent. As consumers lose their confidence in beef, governments will debate whether they should extend compulsory testing of cattle for the brain-wasting disorder to younger animals and ban potentially dangerous…
GO TO SOURCE LONDON, ENGLAND, January 25, 2001: Immigrating from Northern India in 1975, Perween Warsi started her own business over 20 years ago by making and selling samosas from her home in Derby. From this humble beginning her multi-million dollar business now employs 1,300 people in 4 factories. Such a success story confirms Britain Immigration Minister Barbara Roche’s statement,…
GO TO SOURCE EAST JAVA, BALI, INDONESIA, January 22, 2001: An organization in East Java called the Santana Dharm Trama Foundation is appealing for funds to start a priest training program. They say training for suitable candidates is needed in the country and the community feels that trained priests are vital to uphold the tradition. HPI recommends that contributors research…
GO TO SOURCE WASHINGTON, MARYLAND, January 24, 2001: Temple construction may come to a standstill unless an additional US$1.8 million is collected. The North Indian style complex in Metropolitan Washington will include a 25,000 square foot temple, library, multipurpose hall, classrooms, and kitchens. Temple trustee, Shusheal Gupta, is confident that the affluent Hindu community will proceed as they have already…
GO TO SOURCE BARODA, INDIA, January 26, 2001: HDH Pramukh Swami Maharaj announced today: “Everyone is aware that the earthquake has wrought unimaginable destruction throughout Gujarat and other states in India. Thousands have died and thousands more have been made homeless. As citizens of Ahmedabad it is our duty to work together to do everything we can to help those…
GO TO SOURCE AHMEDABAD, INDIA, January 26, 2001: Bochasanwasi Shree Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha, BAPS, has its international headquarters in Ahmedabad. It has established massive earthquake relief work using scores of other BAPS centers in Gujarat, BAPS has outstanding experience in disaster relief, and is recommended by HPI as an excellent channel for donations to the relief effort, especially considering…
GO TO SOURCE ALLAHABAD, INDIA, January 25, 2001: Here, amid noisy crowds and cold winds laden with the sand of the Ganges, you can hear the sound of weeping from a cowshed-like structure. These are the unheeded cries of elderly women, abandoned by their families. This is the uglier side of the Maha kumbha Mela, where millions go to wash…
GO TO SOURCE INTERNET, EARTH, January 23, 2001: Jharkhandstate.com has started a Hindi section. It is totally based on the Dynamic Font Mechanism that eliminates the need to download a font. Those interested in creating their own webpage are invited to go to the address given above where a set of complete tools, backgrounds, lines, icons are available. The mother…
GO TO SOURCE ALLAHABAD, INDIA, January 24, 2001: The pilgrims had come to share in the spiritual experience of a lifetime: a mass ritual bath on the peak holy day of perhaps the largest religious gathering in history — the Maha Kumbh Mela, a 41-day festival. This one is considered the most sacred in 144 years because of a unique…
GO TO SOURCE KERALA, INDIA, January 14, 2001: A division bench of the Kerala High Court declined to order an inquiry into the secrecy of makara jyoti (celestial light) appearing at Ponnambalamedu on the makara sankranti day during the Sabarimal pilgrimage. The bench stated, “To find out whether makaravilakku is natural or artificial is not the duty of this court…