Source UNITED STATES, August 28, 2015 (Daily O by Vamsee Juluri): Whatever extreme imagination the 2011 census might inspire in ideologues in India, reports about Indians in America only seem to affirm the idea of an endlessly cheerful Indian American Dream. Hindu Americans in particular have acquired a reputation as a wealthy community. News reports in India and abroad admiringly…
Source KERALA, INDIA, August 30, 2015 (Lassi With Lavina by Lavina Melwani): Monkeys are especially beloved because of Lord Hanuman, the monkey God and diehard devotee of Sri Rama. In any Indian town or city, monkeys can do a lot of mischief but get away without punishment due to this divine connection. During the festival season of Onam, there is…
Source MADABA, JORDAN, August 22, 2015 (US News): The “new mantra” of the U.N. Population Fund is to keep girls in school until age 18 “in every nook and cranny of the world” to protect their rights and slow population growth, the head of the agency said. Last month, the U.N. said it expects the world’s population to reach 8.5…
Source PALESTINE, August 27, 2015 (The Guardian): A lack of yoga teachers, and a social stigma from the belief that the practice had something to do with a foreign religion, meant that until recently not many Palestinians had had exposure to yoga or meditation. But in 2010 Farashe opened a volunteer-based nonprofit community yoga centre in Ramallah that focuses on…
Source UNITED STATES, August 28, 2015 (Trak.in): The Google Cultural Institute is increasingly helping the Indian culture flourish on a global platform, bringing the best of Indian art and culture online. Google announced that it has added ten new partner institutions to digitize and share their content via its platform. The U.S.-based tech giant is surely doing much to promote…
Source NASHIK, INDIA, August 26, 2015 (Indian Express): Today marked the first day of bathing for those attending this year’s Kumbh Mela festival on the banks of the Godavari River in Maharashtra state. For colorful photos see source above.
Source KAUAI, HAWAII, August 28, 2015 (HPI): The Hinduism Today app, rolled out August 12 for the iPhone, is now available for all Android smart phones. You can get it on Google Play: Click here and install! Apple iOS users: go here: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/hinduism-today/id1023295974?mt=8Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=air.com.HinduismToday.android For many months now the monks have been working among themselves and with experts to…
Source WASHINGTON D.C., August 24, 2015 (Hindu American Foundation): Teachers from around the Washington, DC region took part in the three-day Teach India! teacher training workshop organized by the Hindu American Foundation (HAF), California State University-Long Beach, and the Sri Siva Vishnu Temple (SSVT), the first ever program featuring a partnership of this kind. The workshop was held from Aug.…
Source UNITED STATES, August 26, 2015 (Vedanet by Vamadeva Shastri): Western academia has had an almost uncritical control of Hindu studies, unlike that of any other religion. There are few practicing Hindus in academic positions in the West, and those that exist rarely challenge the dominant discourse openly in front of their peers. Indians seem to be encouraged if they…
Source JAIPUR, INDIA, August 25, 2015 (Nation): Thousands of members of the austere Jain religion protested across India on Monday for the legal right to take part in an ancient ritual of starving themselves to death. Dressed in traditional white kurtas and trousers and holding banners that read “Suicide is crime, Santhara is religion”, they marched silently through the city…