sify.com NEW DELHI, INDIA, February 24, 2007: A packet of samosas she carried with her to space having already made news, astronaut Sunita Williams on Saturday said she would like to have more Indian food aboard the International Space Station. Interacting with students of a Delhi school in a “tele-bridge talk,” Sunita, who is half-Indian, said she was having Indian…
www.timesofindia.com PURI, INDIA, March 3, 2007: After more than 18 hours of debate, the food cooked for approximately 7,000 devotees at Puri’s Jagannath Temple was thrown away on Friday. A number of priests had insisted the prasadam (food blessed by the Deity) be discarded because it had been defiled by the entry of an American non-Hindu into the temple. The…
www.hindustantimes.com INDIA, February 16, 2007: Sri Sri Ravi Shankar addresses the plight of the Dalits in India. Some of the highlights expressed by Ravi Shankar are, “Dalits allowed inside temples in Bhilwara and Jagannath Temple in Orissa is a welcome development. Places of worship should be open to all communities and religions. Moving away from Hinduism and converting to other…
www.zeenews.com LONDON, ENGLAND, February 19, 2007: A survey conducted by BBC World Service where approximately 1,000 people in 27 countries were asked three questions about the world they live in produced optimistic results. The news release explains, “Most of the people surveyed in 27 countries do not accept that the world is locked in a ‘clash of civilizations’ that will…
www.hindustantimes.com NEW YORK, U.S.A., March 3, 2007: Holi is one festival Indians love to celebrate wherever they are. Those in the United States are all set to have a great time on Sunday to mark the festival of colors. The Gujarati Society of central Florida will organize a Holi get-together at a park in Orlando on Sunday. The event will…
www.indiaenews.com KATHMANDU, NEPAL, March 4, 2007: Thieves broke into the Pashupatinath temple here, one of the most revered Hindu shrines in the world, stealing a Deity and other valuables. By Sunday the Kathmandu police had arrested 10 people over Friday night’s theft at the temple, designated as a world heritage site by the Unesco. “We are holding a meeting today…
www.hinduamericanfoundation.org FREMONT, CALIFORNIA, March 4, 2007: (HPI note: the following is a press release from the Hindu American Foundation. Hindus who have followed the California textbook controversy should take an interest in this issue. Although the change in regulations is rather technical in nature, it will dramatically impact how the next round of textbook reviews is handled by the California…
specials.washingtonpost.com WASHINGTON, D.C., March 5, 2007: The Washington Post has inaugarated a new series of short video interviews with people of the community. One of the first is of Maragatham Ramaswamy, a carnatic music singer and teacher. The introduction reads, “She sings to teach, she sings to heal, she sings to feel happy and commune with God. Singing is her…
www.indiaenews.com HIMACHAL, INDIA, March 1, 2007: As many as 151 Dalits who had once converted to Christianity have returned to the Hindu fold after a religious ritual in a temple here. “One hundred and fifty-one Christians have become Hindus again after an elaborate Hindu ceremony carried out in a Shimla temple on Wednesday,” said Tarsem Bharti, chairman of the All…
www.askasia.org USA, March 1, 2007: HPI Note: We came across this fascinating essay on the history of India with regard to world trade. It is on an educational website called AskAsia. Following are some excerpts from this one resource on the site: “Consumers in most major cities of the world can buy Indian jewelry and clothing. This statement is true…