SourceKOLKATA, INDIA, November 5, 2004: Schools in West Bengal have joined the bandwagon by encouraging school children to celebrate Deepavali without using fire crackers. School Education minister, Kanti Biswas, explains, “We want teachers to counsel students about the ban and the fact that flouting the order entails punishment. But more than the fear factor, we will ask teachers to highlight…
News ReportHYDERABAD, INDIA, November 7, 2004: Swami Jayendra Saraswati of Kanchi Kamakothi Peetham has asked for the construction of more temples in Dalit (“untouchable”) colonies to promote Hindu dharma. He said this while taking part in a meeting on governance of temples at the Endowments Commissionerate on Sunday. A number of Hindu seers took part in the meet organized by…
SourceMYSORE, INDIA, November 9, 2004: In May this year, the persitent pressure of envangelist instructors at the Mysore Medical College drove a student to attempt suicide in Mysore, India. Earlier this year, third-year nursing student, Manjula, consumed poison, unable to bear harassment by her instructor to convert to Christianity. Mrs.Velangani, the Principal of KR Hospital Nurse Training College attempted to…
SourceUNITED KINGDOM, November 4, 2004: “Study after study appears to prove that people are increasingly losing faith in the Church and the Bible and turning instead to mysticism in guises ranging from astrology to reiki and holistic healing,” begins this lengthy article. More and more people describe themselves as “spiritual,” fewer as “religious” and, as they do so, they are…
SourceNEW DELHI, INDIA, October 31, 2004: Across northern India every year, Indian women participate in a husband’s day festival right before the grand festival of lights, Deepavali. This year is no exception, and 50-year-old Nirmal Sharma says, “The day is an expression of my feelings for my husband, when I can show to him that in spite of our differences…
HPIFLUSHING, NEW YORK, November 9, 2004: The court-ordered elections for the Hindu Temple Society of North America are in process, with the last date for submission of membership applications set for November 15. Once complete, a new board of trustees will be elected by this membership. Presently the board has been self-appointed. According to a letter of November 3 circulated…
SourceDHARAMSALA, INDIA, November 5, 2004: Although the Buddhists and scientists who met for five days last month in the Dalai Lama’s home in Dharamsala, India, had different views on the matters of reincarnation and the relationship of mind to brain, they set them aside in the interest of a shared goal. They had come together to discuss one of the…
SourceHYDERABAD, INDIA, November 4, 2004: Farmers in the state of Andhra Pradesh from the village of Punukula have tried a different approach to farming in an effort to make a living. The article explains, “They have raised crops like chilli, pigeon pea and paddy spread over 600 acres minus agri-chemicals, helping the village become pesticide-free and save a lot on…
SourceISLAMABAD, PAKISTAN, November 6, 2004: Wedding guests in Pakistan can be served only soft drinks or tea, coffee and other hot drinks, the Supreme Court has ruled. No meals or any other edibles can be served, a three-judge bench of the court ruled, Dawn reported Saturday. The order came on a petition challenging various sections of an act passed by…
SourceLONDON, ENGLAND, November 8, 2004: Back home, the festival may still be a few days away but thousands of Indians living in Britain poured into Trafalgar Square here on Sunday evening to celebrate Deepavali with fun, fireworks and food. As the actual festival day falls on a weekday, Indians living here celebrated the occasion Sunday at an open air function…