CALIFORNIA, June 3, 2022 (Hindu American Foundation): AB2282 will make California the first state to: 1) Recognize the swastika as a symbol of peace to the Hindu, Jain, and Buddhist communities in its penal code, adding a layer of protection; and 2) Identify the Nazi emblem as the “hakenkreuz” and “hooked cross”. These are two monumental victories in recognizing and…
INDIA, May 31, 2022 (Odisha TV): Puri, popularly known as Jagannath dham, is one of the four divine sites for every Hindu. Here, Lord Jagannath, an incarnation of Lord Vishnu, along with His siblings Lord Balabhadra and Devi Subhadra, are worshiped in the world famous temple. For the uninitiated, a total of 148 festivals are celebrated in the temple annually.…
CALIFORNIA, U.S., May 30, 2022 (Hindu American Foundation): The California State Assembly passed AB.2282, taking a historic step and leading the nation as the first state legislative body to legally recognize the difference between the swastika and the Nazi emblem, the hakenkreuz. HAF’s Fremont-based Managing Director, Samir Kalra, Esq., stated “HAF and Assemblywoman Bauer-Kahan both recognize that the passage of…
UNITED KINGDOM, May 30, 2022 (BBC): Laurence Candy is not only giving up farming animals, he is looking to get vegan accreditation. It was after Laurence Candy lost most of his dairy herd to bovine tuberculosis that he decided he would no longer send animals to the slaughterhouse. “It made me wonder if we can justify the industrial slaughter of…
BAY AREA, CALIFORNIA, May 27, 2022 (COHNA): The Coalition of Hindus of North America (CoHNA) expressed its strong disappointment around California Assembly’s decision to pass Bill AB2282, titled “Hate crimes: nooses, crosses, and swastikas,” whose purpose is to criminalize the display of hate symbols. While the bill is well meaning, it perpetuates confusion by once again using false and hateful…
NEPAL, May 27, 2022 (The Wire): Hindus believe the rudraksha, the dried seeds of the Elaeocarpus ganitrus tree that grows in the foothills of the Himalayas, are made from the tears of Lord Shiva and hold them sacred. While there is no such story in Buddhism, the depiction of the Buddha, like many sacred figures in the region, wearing rudraksha…
NEW DELHI, INDIA, May 24, 2022 (Tribune India): Amid a raging controversy over claims and counter-claims on historic monuments, the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) on Tuesday opposed before a Delhi court a plea demanding restoration of worship of Hindu and Jain Deities inside the Qutub Minar complex. The ASI, which has the mandate to protect and preserve ancient monuments,…
INDIA, May 20, 2022 (The Hindu): The Thiruvattaru temple is being readied for Kumbabhisekam after 400 years; the structure of the Deity, damaged at many places, required refurbishing. The statue of Adikesava is unique not just because it is the longest among the Deities of the 108 Divya Desams, but it is also the longest Kadusarkarai yogam Deity in India:…
VARANASI, INDIA, May 20, 2022 (Indian Express): In claims likely to deepen the Kashi Vishwanath-Gyanvapi row, two reports on a videography survey of the Gyanvapi mosque complex state that debris of old temples were found at the corner of the northern and western walls outside the barricading, and Hindu motifs such as bells, pots, flowers and trishul were visible on…
PORTLAND, OREGON, May 15, 2022 (AP News): Wedged into a recliner in the corner of her assisted living apartment in Portland, Skylar Freimann, who has a terminal heart condition and pulmonary illness, anxiously eyed her newly arrived hospital bed on a recent day and worried over how she would maintain independence as she further loses mobility. There to guide her…