“Shiva Shiva Shiva Shiva Sambho, Mahadeva sambho.” This mantra was chanted by more than 500 people from various ethnic groups in Times Square, New York City on the morning of June 21, 2008. The summer solstice was a day of yoga in the heart of Manhattan, one of the largest and busiest cities in America. Read the rest of this entry »
In 1963 a Buddhist monk sat down on a busy street intersection in Saigon and then burned himself to death protesting the lack of religious freedom under a US-backed regime. In 1998 when Delhi police tried to break up a hunger strike against China’s human rights abuses, a 60 year old Tibetan immolated himself. In March 2008 two monks committed suicide in response to raids of monasteries by Chinese police.
Why do people resort to such drastic measures in response to suppression of religion? And why should Hindus be upset that the Indian and Nepali governments are jailing, and in some cases physically beating, non-violent Tibetan protestors? Read the rest of this entry »
On the occasion of Ram Navami, would like to flash the light on the Divine RaamSetu which was built by Lord Sree Rama to reach Lanka. Many Hindus start their day with reciting shloka of Ramraksha and pray to Lord Rama. The Ramayana is not only our divine holy scripture but also shows us Dharma and guides us on how we should lead our lives and live with others in the family and society. It is very sad that the current government in India is trying to demolish our cultural heritage and divine symbol Raam Setu, saying that it’s not built by Lord Rama and it is nothing to do with the Ramayana. On the other hand the Sri Lanka government has found evidences of Ramayana in Sri Lanka and is challenging our Indian government.
Read the rest of this entry »
The recent Hindu-Christian clashes in Orissa during Christmas where many churches were burnt again shed light on the complexity of religious conditions in India. As usual Hindus and Hindu organizations are being blamed. But, before getting into these blame games, it’s important to state the facts.
The second annual offering of salutes to the Sun, known as “Surya Namaskar Yagna” successfully achieved its objective of promoting “Health for Humanity.” Surya Namaskar is a 10-step body conditioning method that uses the ancient Indian Yoga techniques. Each year Hindus worldwide celebrate January 14th as Makar Samkranti - the day the sun enters the sign of Capricorn or Makar, resulting in a change of season. Makar Samkranti brings in longer days, thus the festivity symbolizes sunshine in the life. During this auspicious time, Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh, USA (HSS) local centers, along with several Yoga groups and community organizations, actively participated at over 140 locations all across the U.S. in this unique public health awareness campaign that started on January 12th, 2008 and concluded on January 27th, 2008.
National Hindu Students Forum (United Kingdom) host their anniversary event, ‘Dynamic Spirit 2007: A Meeting With Yourself’ to inspire a new generation of the Hindu community.
By, Shivani Pala and Vibhuti Patel
In modern society we are so used to hearing about the disillusionment of youth, the struggles of living between two cultures, and young people’s separation from the community at large.
From Friday 2nd to Sunday 4th November, National Hindu Students Forum (NHSF) went some way towards proving all of this wrong. NHSF celebrated their 15th anniversary by hosting an innovative conference: “Dynamic Spirit 2007: A Meeting With Yourself,” held at Imperial College in their prestigious centenary venue.
Bharat, an Indian student group at the University of Minnesota, hosted an evening with Nandini Ghosal, a world renowned Orissa dancer and actress, in November. Bharat’s goal is foster awereness about India and enhance the understanding of India’s culture and way of life to students at the University of Minnesota.
Here are excerpts from an interview with Nandini Ghosal:
The Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh Speaker On Campus (SOC) series is steadily becoming a well-recognized event on college and university campuses across the United States of America. The Speaker On Campus series is a unique project which exposes the university students and faculty to different aspects of Hinduism through acclaimed experts on the subjects. While the universities in the United States provide the encouraging environment for awareness and practice of various cultures and traditions, rarely do we see events held specifically about Hindu Culture on the campuses. Speaker On Campus series is one step taken in this direction. The SOC 2007 covered more than 30 university campuses in 15 states with the help of 6 speakers.
Read the rest of this entry »
Most of us must have heard about the government of India’s statement on September 12, 2007, to the Supreme Court, claiming that there was no historical evidence to establish the existence of Lord Rama or the other characters in Ramayana. The affidavit was filed before the court by the Archaeological Survey of India, an Indian government agency. The affidavit declared that there is no “historical record” to prove the existence of the characters or the occurrences of the events depicted in the Ramayana. Read the rest of this entry »
History, ecology are at stake
From The Pioneer Edit Desk on June 12th
When the Taliban destroyed the Bamiyan statues, the world reacted with shocked horror at this act of barbarism. What the UPA Government in India proposes to do to Ram Setu, also known as Adam’s Bridge, is no less horrifying. As may be recalled, the Setusamudram Ship Channel Project aims to create a navigable sea route, between the Gulf of Mannar and Palk Bay, by slicing the Ram Setu in order to reduce the sailing distance between India’s coasts. Read the rest of this entry »
You are currently browsing the articles from the Current Events category.
Loading ...
