Sydney, Australia, Rejects New Religious Temples

www.news.com.au SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA, February 2, 2008: First Sydney communities opposed an Islamic School, then people wouldn’t stand for a Hillsong stadium and now a sleepy rural suburb is campaigning against a Hindu temple. All denominations have felt the wrath of local groups opposing religious development in Sydney, with the Hindu temple being the third pious building delayed on resident objections.…

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Leader Wants Precedence for Hindus in Trinidad and Tobago

www.newsday.co.tt TRINIDAD, TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO, January 29, 2008: Satnarayan Maharaj, secretary general of the Santan Dharma Maha Sabha of Trinidad and Tobago, wants to change the hierarquical order of the government’s offices. The Table of Precedence, a protocol list used to determine who holds what position in terms of governmental high offices, was not initially an official list but was…

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Over Ten Thousand Villagers Throng Palani Pemple

www.hindu.com PALANI, INDIA, January 28, 2008: Even as the 10-day Thai Pusam festival was officially over, it would actually come to an end only after the visit of thousands of pilgrims from Edapadi and nearby villages to Palani hill. Over ten thousand pilgrims reached the Dhandayuthapaniswamy temple on Sunday afternoon to stay on the hill overnight, a rare and special…

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Discovering India’s Crafts

timesofindia.indiatimes.com NEW DELHI, INDIA, January 31, 2008: The 22nd Surajkund Crafts Mela, slated to begin on February 1 and carry on till February 15, will feature West Bengal as its theme state after 18 years. This time, the mela will also include international participants from Afghanistan, Thailand, Nepal and other countries. The secretary for tourism, S. Banerjee, said: “The fair…

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US Organization Hesitant to Part with Gandhi’s Ashes

sify.com NEW YORK, USA, January 31, 2008: An religious group in Los Angeles that has had an urn of Mahatma Gandhi’s ashes for over 50 years and has set up a much-venerated memorial is hesitant to part with it — for now. Tushar Gandhi, Mahatma Gandhi’s great grandson, had asked the Self Realization Fellowship (SRF) to immerse the ashes in…

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Hinduism A De Facto Supporter of Ecology

edition.cnn.com NEW YORK, USA, January 27, 2008: Whether we are actively religious or not, religious belief permeates the very fabric of our existence. Namely, it influences our legal systems; and therefore our constitutions; and therefore our nations’ policy choices, both at home and abroad. It also shapes role with regards to protecting the environment. American thinker Lynn White wrote, ”…

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Giving a Soft-Spoken Faith a Louder Voice

www.columbiaspectator.com COLUMBIA, NEW YOURK, USA, January 28, 2008: (HPI NOTE: This article was published on the internal newspaper of the University of Columbia, written by Vedant Misra, a young student of physics.) Hindus are a lot of things. There are Hindu monotheists, panentheists, and even atheists. There are Hindu monists, dualists, non-dualists, and qualified non-dualists. One thing Hindus aren’t, however,…

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All India Institute of Ayurveda To Be Created

www.hindu.com NEW DELHI, INDIA, USA, January 25, 2008: The Indian government approved the setting up of an All India Institute of Ayurveda in New Delhi, on the lines of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences. It will focus on fundamental research, drug safety evaluation, standardisation, quality control, and scientific validation of Ayurvedic medicines. The meeting was chaired by Prime…

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Mahatma Gandhi’s Ashes To Be Immersed

www.ndtv.com MUMBAI, INDIA, January 28, 2008: “The light that has illumined this country for these many years will illumine this country for many more years, and a thousand years later, that light will be seen in this country and the world will see it and it will give solace to innumerable hearts,” Said Jawahar Lal Nehru during Gandhi’s funeral, knowing…

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