Hindu Press International

SRINAGAR, INDIA, August 18, 2004: Tens of thousands of Muslims waving green and black protest flags planned to march through Indian Kashmir's main city of Srinagar. They intended to reach the U.N. offices demanding freedom from India. Security measures prevented them from reaching the U.N. offices, but demonstrators tore down barbed wire barricades that authorities had erected on roads and chanted "Down with India."Masarat Aalam, a prominent separatist, said leaders would deliver a petition citing human rights violations by Indian authorities and requesting intervention. The crowd shouted violent slogans such as "It is your death, India."The crisis began in June with a dispute over land near the Amarnath temple. Muslims held protests complaining that a state government plan to transfer 99 acres (40 hectares) to the Amarnath temple trust to build facilities for pilgrims near the shrine was actually a settlement plan meant to alter the religious balance in the region.Organizers said the protest was the largest against Indian rule since unrest sharply escalated two months ago. Much of the Kashmir valley remained paralysed last week by a shutdown called by separatist groups. At least 34 people, both Muslims and Hindus, have been killed in Indian-administered Kashmir. The unrest has pitted Muslims against the region's Hindu minority.

NEW DELHI, INDIA, August 15, 2008: Twelve young flagbearers of Hindi from Europe chosen from among hundreds for their skill in the language are currently on a 10-day trip to India.Barring a few European students of Hindi, they are all persons of Indian origin who have learnt the language to keep alive an emotional link with their country of origin.The trip involves meetings with dignitaries and commoners alike, and visits to historical places like Haridwar, Rishikesh, Agra and Lucknow. The UK Hindi Samiti of Padmesh Gupta conducted the test in February to select the youngsters all aged between 16 and 25 most proficient in Hindi and an organization called Aksharam planned the trip."The whole idea is to promote Hindi in Europe. If Hindi dies among second generation Indians from north India in Europe, their links with India will also die, as language is a crucial aspect of culture. So we thought that inculcating love of the language was important for inculcating the love of India," Anil Joshi of Aksharam told Hindustan Times.

MALAYSIA, August 12, 2008: What started out as a passing fancy ended up as a labor of love that lasted almost three years for Professor Dr. Krishna Gopal Rampal. "At first, I thought it would be nice to have a few paintings on Indian temples in Kuala Lumpur," says Prof. Krishna, 57, an ardent collector of Malaysian artworks since 1991. "Since I knew friends in the artist community, I enlisted their help. My son suggested that I include the temples in Singapore." The professor of occupational health at the Medical Faculty, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, is no painter himself but has always had a fascination for art. Prof. Krishnas fascination for Indian temples culminated in an exhibition of almost 200 pieces of artworks by 10 leading Malaysian artists at the Badan Warisan Malaysia in March last year. The exhibition, entitled Sacred Structures: An Exhibition of Artistic Renditions of Indian Temple Architecture in Malaysia, was aimed at creating awareness of the artistic merit and beauty of Indian temple structures. This amazing collection is now featured in a coffee-table book entitled Sacred Structures: Artistic Renditions of Hindu Temples in Malaysia and Singapore. The book is a guide to the world of Hindu temples in Malaysia and Singapore, as seen through the eyes of the artists. The total collection features more than 190 paintings.

Culture without religion is just for tourists.    Anonymous

KATHMANDU, NEPAL, August 12, 2008: Religious authorities in Nepal have begun the search for a girl who could be as young as three or four to serve as the new Kumari, or the virgin "living goddess", in a centuries-old tradition.Astrologers were consulting horoscopes of candidates from Buddhist Shakya families to replace the current Kumari, Preeti Shakya, who is 11 and should retire during the annual Hindu festival of Dasain in October, temple officials said. "If we don't change her now, we'll have to wait until next year which could be late," said Deepak Bahadur Pandey, a senior official of the state-run Trust Corporation that oversees the country's cultural matters.Under the Kumari tradition, a girl selected from a Buddhist Newar family goes through a rigorous cultural process and becomes the "living goddess". She is considered by many as an incarnation of the powerful deity Kali and is revered until she menstruates, after which she must return to the family and a new one is chosen.Traditionally it was believed that the girl's horoscope should be in harmony with that of the king of Nepal. It is not clear how this formality will be completed now that Nepal has abolished the monarchy. In the past even the kings of Nepal sought her blessings.

TORONTO, CANADA, August 13 2008: An estimated 2,500 people from across the area braved the rains last weekend to attend the Hindu Heritage Festival, held at Toronto's Black Creek Pioneer Village by the Hindu Federation as announced on HPI on August 9.The festival provided a perspective on how the first members of the community experienced life in Canada, said Pandit Roopnauth Sharma, president. The event is set to become an annual fixture on the community's calendar, federation officials added.Advocating an Unusual Role for Treeshttp://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/12/science/12prof.html?ref=scienceMERRICKVILLE, ONTARIO, CANADA: Dr. Diana Beresford-Kroeger, 63, is a native of Ireland who has bachelor's degrees in medical biochemistry and botany, and has worked as a Ph.D.-level researcher at the University of Ottawa school of medicine, where she published several papers on the chemistry of artificial blood. She calls herself a renegade scientist, however, because she tries to bring together indigenous tradition and botany to advocate an unusual role for trees.She favors what she terms a bioplan, reforesting cities and rural areas with trees according to the medicinal, environmental, nutritional, pesticidal and herbicidal properties she claims for them, which she calls ecofunctions.Memory Elvin-Lewis, a professor of botany at Washington University, said that in India, for example, compounds from neem trees are said to have anti-inflammatory and antiviral properties and are planted around hospitals and sanitariums. "It's not implausible," Dr. Elvin-Lewis said; it simply hasn't been studied. "Her ideas are a rare, if not entirely new approach to natural history," said Edward O. Wilson, a Harvard biologist. "The science of selecting trees for different uses around the world has not been well studied."

If there is one place on the face of earth where all the dreams of living men have found a home from the very earliest days when man began the dream of existence, it is India.    French scholar Romain Rolland

CHENNAI, INDIA, August 11, 2008: Works for providing golden chariots in 14 temples across Tamil Nadu are under various stages of execution and they willready by next March, an official of the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments department said. At present, 35 temples have golden chariots. With the approval of 14 more golden chariots, nearly 50 temples in the state will have such glowing cars for parading the Deities.A government official, Mr. Periyakaruppan, said these chariots are using technology and tradition at the same time. "Work is currently on. With technological development, making golden chariots has become easy, even though it is costly. Some temples feel that having a golden chariot takes them a grade higher and improves the devotees' view of the temple. The government plays a facilitating role," he said.Each golden chariot costs between US$ 35,000 and $50,000. This amount will be borne by the temples themselves. The temples where the chariots are coming up are Kottai Mariyamman temple, Dindigul, Arthanareeshwarar temple , Thiruchengodu, Masaniamman temple, Coimbatore, Vekkaliyamman temple, Trichy, Angala Parameswari Amman temple, Melmalaiyanur , Kaliyur Amman temple, Subavaneswar temple, Salem, Sholingur Lakshmi Narasimhaswamy temple, Murugan temple, Azhagarkoil, Vekkudiar Kaliamman temple, Ariya Kuruchi and Bhagawathi Amman temple, Kanyakumari.

BRANDON, USA, August 9, 2008: Suseela Reddy slipped off his shoes before walking into the Hindu temple here out of respect for the sacred space. Once inside, the Jackson State University professor joined some 150 devotees awaiting the arrival of a renowned Indian guru, Sri Ganapathi Sachchidananda Swamiji, who is known for his healing and meditation music and has established more than 50 temples worldwide.The special occasion this week drew Hindus from throughout the region, who flocked to the temple for a glimpse of the holy man. The crowd also got to survey the progress of a new, Indian-style temple that's been under construction on the grounds for close to four years. The nearly $4 million building project signals the growth of the metro area's Hindu community, which over the past two decades has swelled from about 100 to 500 families."We need a new temple because the old one was very small and our community is growing," said Reddy, a native of south India who has lived in Mississippi for 15 years. Founded in 1990, the original house of worship is a one-story, cinder-block building that lacks the ornate architectural details for which Hindu temples are known. The new temple is expected to be complete for a dedication ceremony in late November, said Baldev Patel, a business owner and chairman of the Hindu Temple Society of Mississippi.About 10 artisans from India have been working six days a week for close to four years hand carving intricate designs, patterns and figures into nearly every inch of the structure. Though it's not yet complete, the uniqueness of the new temple already causes some motorists to stop and take a closer look, Patel said. "It is a one-of-a-kind, beautiful temple," he said.

HOUSTON, TX, USA, August 12, 2008 (Press release): The group Hindus of Greater Houston will honor Raj Bhavsar during their Janmashtami celebration, on August 30. Raj Bhavsar, a 27-year-old artistic gymnast, earned a bronze medal as a member of the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team, becoming the third Indian-American ever to medal at the Olympics, after Mohini Bhardwaj and Alexi Grewal."Hindus of Greater Houston would like to congratulate our own Raj Bhavsar of Houston on his accomplishment at the Olympics. Hindus are great leaders in many fields in the US, but were lacking in sports. Today Bhavsar has filled the void. He is someone our youth can look up to," Girish Naik, president of Hindus of Greater Houston, said.

To speak or not to speak--when that is the question, silence should take the place of speech.    Mahatma Gandhi (1869-1948)

MUMBAI, INDIA, August 2008: Prof. K. Ramasubramanian of IIT-Bombay has recently released a two-volume translation of the Ganita-Yukti-Bhasa by Jyesthdeva pointing to the fact that some subsets of calculus existed in Indian manuscripts almost two centuries before Isaac Newton published his work. And that an Indian mathematician and astronomer Nilakantha Somayaji spoke, in parts, about a planetary model, credited to Tycho Brahe almost a century later.The Ganita-Yukti-Bhasa is divided into 15 chapters. Seven chapters are devoted to mathematics, and eight to astronomy. It was published some time between 1530 and 1540. "However, what's important," says Ramasubramanian, "is that the material in this book is far older. For, the author makes it clear that his manuscript only explains in detail the work described in the Tantra Sangraha by Nilakantha Somayaji. So the work spoken about is actually much older, as Nilakantha in the 15th century.""The Ganita-Yukti-Bhasa attributes its mathematical models work to Madhava, who lived from 1340 to 1420. That's way ahead of Newton. But it would be too sweeping a statement to say that this was the first work on calculus," added the professor.Another Hindu Temple Burns in Fijihttp://fijidailypost.com/news.php?section=1&fijidailynews=18119FIJI, August 11, 2008: A Hindu mandir in Vutuni, Fiji, was completed destroyed by fire on Friday night. Fiji's National Fire Authority received the emergency call at about 10.50pm but were unable to respond immediately as fire crew were committed to another fire at the same time.The Fire authority has completed its investigations into the cause of the fire and will submit a report to the police for further investigations. Fijian Hindus are routinely subject to arson and violence. In September, 2004, during Dipavali celebrations, the Naga Baba Kutti temple of Raralevu, was burnt to the ground. Several Hindu temples have been similarly raized over the years.

SINGAPORE, August 3, 2008: A mini version of the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) will be held in Singapore, October 10 - 11, 2008. "PBD Singapore" is the second such convention of Indian Diaspora to be held outside India. The theme for the event is "Towards a Dynamic Diaspora". The first Mini-PBD was organized in New York in September last year. The concept of mini PBD is based on requests received over the years from various quarters to organize it outside India to let the Indian Diaspora in the region benefit from the deliberations. This is particularly helpful to those large numbers of Indians in several regions who are not able to make it to the annual PBDs held in India. Last year's mini PBD in New York was attended by over 400 delegates belonging to the Indian American community and others in the region. The Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs will jointly host the mini PBD in partnership with the Singapore Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Confederation of Indian Industry. It will be a regional event with participation mainly from ASEAN, Asia Pacific and East Asian countries, though speakers from other parts of the world are also invited.Toronto Holds Hindu Heritage Day This Weekendhttp://www.southasianfocus.ca/community/article/53977TORONTO, CANADA, August 6, 2008: Toronto's yearly Hindu Heritage Festival will be held Sunday, Aug. 10, at Toronto's Black Creek Pioneer Village (1000 Murray Ross Parkway), according to the Hindu Federation. The Hindu Heritage Festival will engage the young and old as it celebrates Hindu culture inside Canada and will provide a perspective on how our Canadian forefathers experienced life in Canada."The festival will see Hindus come together from the numerous temples located across the GTA. The central Toronto location of Black Creek Pioneer Village makes this event an attractive opportunity for all to enjoy many hours of relaxation, fun and cultural entertainment," said Pandit Roopnauth Sharma, President, Hindu Federation. It will include live cultural shows, music, dance, shopping, mouth-watering food and more.The theme of this year's festival is Culture, Charity and Conservation, which are three fundamental beliefs of Hindu culture.The Hindu Federation will also leverage the event to highlight the importance of everyday conservation, and the impact everyone can have to improve Planet Earth's current environmental situation.For more information call 905-670-8439 or 1-866-827-8439, or visit www.federationofhindutemples.ca Asia A Fertile Ground For The Catholic Church's Future Priests Catholic World ReportVATICAN, August 4, 20087: Asia, in particular India, is the most vocation-rich region of the world in producing Catholic priests according to a statistical analysis in the Catholic World Report (July).While it has been well known that Asia and Africa have shown the highest enrollment of Catholic semnarians in the world, the magazine calculated the ratio of seminarians to Catholics in each of the worlds nations and territories based on 2005 data from the Annuarium Statisticum Ecclasiae, a Vatican-based overview of church statistics published in 2007. The ratio of seminarians presents a more accurate picture of how vocation rich a nation is rather than the total number of semnarians in each nation. Worldwide there is one seminarian for 9,743 Catholics. In Asia, the most vocation-rich continent, there is one seminarian for every 3,877 Catholics, three ties as much. Fifteen of the worlds three dozen most vocation-rich nations are located in Asia. Over 45 percent of Asian seminarians are Indian. Although India ranks only 16th in the world in Catholic population, it has more seminarians than any nation in the world. The strongly devotional nature of family life in India and Catholic schools are among the reasons given for Indias top rank. Africa and Oceania also rank high as vocation-rich continents.

Once a person has faith, he has achieved everything.    Sri Ramakrishna

NEW DELHI, INDIA, August 3, 2008: The extract of a herb used for centuries in traditional Indian Ayurvedic medicine can reduce symptoms of osteoarthritis, the most common inflammatory joint disease, a group of Indian and American scientists has claimed. A clinical trial conducted by Siba Raychaudhuri from the University of California, Davis, and her co-workers in India has shown that the extract of the plant,Boswellia serrata, can reduce pain and significantly improve knee joint function.Raychaudhuri and her colleagues have described their study as the first to evaluate the efficacy of the extract enriched with a form of boswellic acid on osteaoarthritis. They conducted a double-blind, placebo-controlled study, a rigorous clinical trial in which neither doctors nor patients know whos receiving the drug and whos receiving a placebo on 70 patients with mild and moderate arthritis.The extract led to statistically significant improvements in pain and joint function, in some cases providing relief within seven days, the researchers said, describing their results in the journal Arthritis Research & Therapy.The high incidence of adverse effects associated with currently available medications (for arthritis) has created great interest in the search for an effective and safe alternative treatment, Raychaudhuri said.

PREAH VIHEAR, CAMBODIA, August 3, 2008: Buddhist monks and government officials held a peace vigil Friday at an ancient temple near disputed border land, lighting incense and praying in the shadow of armed troops from Cambodia and Thailand. Mist hovered over the mountaintop Preah Vihear temple as some 1,000 people prayed for an end to the tense standoff that started July 15 and has fueled nationalist passions in both countries. "We are gathering here to pray to the souls of our ancestors asking for peace," said Cambodian Tourism Minister Thong Khon, referring to Khmer kings who built the temple from the 9th to 11th centuries. "We also pray for success in our defense of our territory."

NEW DELHI, INDIA, August 3, 2008: Shri S. Banerjee, Tourism Secretary, along with Shri E.K. Bharat Bhushan, Joint Secretary & Financial Advisor and Smt. Leena Nandan, Joint Secretary made a site visit on July, 24 & 25, 2008 to review the progress of Ajanta Ellora Conservation & Tourism Development Project. The second phase of the project covers restoration of Ajanta Ellora Caves and other monuments in Aurangabad city which include Bibi Ka Maqbara, Pitalkhora Caves, Aurangabad Caves, Daulatabad Fort, Patnadevi Temple etc. The works to be carried out at these places include structural reinforcement, chemical conservation of the paintings, upgrading the environment and improvement of visitor management systems.As part of the project, construction of Visitor Management Centers at Ajanta and Ellora are also being undertaken. Apart from the construction of buildings, the Visitor Centers would include multi-media exhibition works and facilities for the tourists visiting Ajanta Ellora Caves. These visitor Centers have been designed to give the tourists a unique experience and information about historical, cultural importance of the Ajanta Ellora Cave Complexes which have been accorded World Heritage Site status by UNESCO.

After receiving grace of a God, the devotee can never be the same again, never look at life again in the old way. By grace we are directed deeper into spiritual life, pointed in the right direction, carefully guided on the San Marga, the straight path to our supreme God. After grace has been received, our thoughts are enlivened, our life is inspired with enthusiasm and energy, and we live daily in the joyous knowledge that everything is all right, everything is happening around us in accord with our karma, our dharma and God's gracious will.    Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami (1927-2001), founder of Hinduism Today

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, August 3, 2008: Amid the noise and bustle of downtown Chicago, the groom rode a white horse with traditional Indian drums beat to aide the procession to the Palmer House Hilton hotel. Inside, the bride and groom took seats under the red mandap, or wedding canopy, and the priest began chanting in a high, melodic voice. For some, the chants heard at the service last month sounded like a break from Hindu custom. Priests are traditionally men, but the presiding priest at this wedding was Shashi Tandon, a respected female elder in the Hindu community and the groom's grandmother.Since emigrating from New Delhi in 1982, Tandon has presided over countless religious ceremonies for Hindu families in Chicago, Michigan, Wisconsin and elsewhere, filling a void that has emerged because of a shortage of Hindu priests. As more Hindu men enter more lucrative, secular professions, Tandon and a handful of Hindu women in America have begun performing priestly duties as a way of passing their faith to the next generation. There is nothing in Hindu scripture that bars women from becoming priests, also known as pandits.But in some parts of India and the United States, women priests face resistance from conservative Hindus clinging to tradition. Tandon, 68, a retired teacher with a feisty attitude, recalled a group of men mocking her at one wedding she performed. They asked, How can a woman be a priest? "I said to them, I have a question for you. Can you tell me who gave birth to you? The mother is the true priest. She is the true teacher, the first teacher of the child."Neelima Shukla-Bhatt, a South Asian studies professor at Wellesley College in Massachusetts, said more Hindu women are learning priestly functions not necessarily because they feel drawn to religious life. Rather, women, including Shukla-Bhatt, are stepping forward to meet the growing Hindu community's needs. According to the American Religious Identification Survey, there were about 227,000 Hindus in the United States in 1990, composed mainly of Asian Indians. Today there are more than 1 million Hindus in the nation and more than 700 Hindu mandirs, or temples. "At one time, it (the priesthood) was considered prestigious, but now it is not considered prestigious at all," she said. "If you are educated, you do something more secular. It is considered to be a sign of less educated, less sophisticated, so not many educated people are interested in becoming priests."