Times News NetworkCHANDIGARH, INDIA, September 2, 2004: Respected as rakshaks (protectors) of the entire country, many of them did not sport a rakhi on Raksha Bandhan (festival in which sisters give their brothers a colored thread to wear around their wrist, symbolizing protection and the bond between them), fearing it would damage the secular fabric of the Indian Army. In…
SourceMUMBAI, INDIA, August 30, 2004: With just over a month to go before polling day in Maharashtra, the Shiv Sena has found another issue to attack the Congress party- this time it is the alleged harassment of Bhajan mandals on Mumbai’s local trains by the city’s railway police. Shiv Sainiks sang the state song on a packed Goregaon-Churchgate local in…
SourceNEW DELHI, INDIA, August 29, 2004: Some 180 young Hindus from around the world will meet in the Indonesian resort of Bali in November to set up a global secretariat that will seek to spread the virtues of the Hindu religion. The organizers include two young Balinese Hindus who are now here meeting community leaders in India to canvass support…
SourceJAMMU, INDIA, August 30, 2004: The 45-day annual Amarnath pilgrimage concluded on Monday with saints carrying the holy mace of Lord Siva reaching the cave shrine in south Kashmir Himalayas. The charri mubarak, carried by around 500 saints led by its custodian, Mahant Deepinder Giri, reached the shrine, 143 km from Srinagar, around 0845 IST. A record 400,000 pilgrims undertook…
SourceHYDERABAD, INDIA, August 29, 2004: Eight suspected militants belonging to the Muslim group Lashkar-e-Toiba have been arrested in Hyderabad. The police claim they were plotting to blast the famous Ganesh Temple near the Secunderabad railway station during the Ganesh festival next month. Those arrested belong to the old city in Hyderabad and nearby districts. Police said they have links with…
SourceUSA, August 2004: It all started a few years ago with socially responsible investing. SRI became the catch word for investors looking into investing in mutual funds or the stocks and bonds of select companies. Expounding criteria such as we only invest in companies that do not derive any profit or a minute amount of profit from the tobacco industry,…
Religion News ServiceUSA, September 1, 2004: (RNS) Most Protestant ministers expressed little familiarity with the key beliefs of a number of non-Protestant religious groups, a survey has found. The findings by Ellison Research, a marketing research company in Phoenix, were first reported in the September/October edition of Facts & Trends, a magazine published by LifeWay Christian Resources of the Southern…
SourceVIJAYAWADA, INDIA, August 28, 2004: Four people were killed and 11 injured in a stampede on the first day of the Krishna Pushkar mela at Vijaywada. Thousands of pilgrims had come to take the holy dip today at the beginning of 12-day mela. According to reports, an iron railing along the footbridge leading to the bathing area collapsed and this…
SourceKOCHI, INDIA, August 28, 2004: Kochi Markets are witnessing a boom in Kerala with Onam celebrations picking up across the state. With people on a shopping spree ahead of the harvest festival, the whole of Kerala has turned into a customer-friendly market worth US$681 million. The salaried section is richer by $454 million by way of two months’ salary, bonus,…
International Sri Deep Madhavananda Ashram Fellowship, Vienna, AustriaAUSTRIA, August 28, 2004: His Holiness, Mahamandaleshwar Paramhas Swami Maheswarananda issued the following message on the occassion of Raksha Bandhan: Blessed Selves. On the 30th of August we are celebrating the holy festival of Raksha Bandhan, the day of brothers and sisters. On this day sisters tie sacred threads around their brothers’ wrists…