Daily Inspiration
Source Free will is not free–it is a phenomenon bound by cause and effect–but there is something behind the will which is free.— Swami Vivekananda (1863-1902)
Uptick In Indian Weddings A Boon For Hawaii Visitor Industry
Source HAWAII, U.S., February 10, 2013 (Star Advertiser): The recent union of Gitika Ahuja and Rajeev Kaul was a love match that holds promise for the state of Hawaii. The New York couple brought about 150 guests from their native India and all over the world to their destination wedding on Oahu Island. The main event was a sacred Hindu…
Increased Security for Fifth Bathing Day At Kumbh Mela
Press Release ALLAHABAD, INDIA, February 13,2013 (Press Release): The Kumbh Mela administration said today that a foolproof comprehensive planning is in place for the fifth bathing festival of Maha Kumbh of Basant Panchmi. Allahabad Divisional Commissioner Devesh Chaturvedi today held a marathon meeting with all stake holders including railways, UP State Road Transport Corporation, Allahabad district administration, police and security…
Daily Inspiration
Source I have nothing new to teach the world, Truth and nonviolence are as old as the hills.— Mahatma Gandhi (1869-1948)
India’s Growing Appetite For Meat Challenges Traditional Values
Source NEW YORK, February 5, 2013 (NY Daily News): With German sausages, French duck and homegrown chicken, Francis Menezes is cashing in on the growing appetite for meat among Indians — even in one of Mumbai’s most strictly vegetarian areas. But Menezes, co-manager of the Cafe Ridge food store, says he does a brisk trade in “non-veg”, especially with those…
Two Killed In Kumbha Mela Stampede
Source ALLAHABAD, INDIA, February 10, 2013 (India Times): In a separate incident from the railway station disaster, two pilgrims were killed in a stampede at the Maha Kumbha Mela here on Sunday as over thirty million people converged for a holy dip on the occasion of Mauni Amavasya, considered the most auspicious day during the 12-yearly congregation. The stampede broke…
Sadhvis Rise Among Male-Dominated Ranks
Source ALLAHABAD, INDIA, February 9, 2013 (Express India): Allahabad Sadhvis at Kumbh 2013 are gradually and surely going up the hierarchy in a predominantly male-dominated system. Sai Maa Laxmi Devi, who was born in Mauritius and is a French citizen, was the first woman from outside India to be given the title “Jagat Guru” of the Vaishnavite Nirmohi akhara in…
Daily Inspiration
Source There is no true path that leads away from religion.— Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami (1927-2001), founder of Hinduism Today
Can Big Data From Epic Indian Pilgrimage Help Save Lives?
Source ALLAHABAD, INDIA, February 8, 2013 (NY Times): The South Asia Institute at Harvard has sent a team of public health specialists to one of the largest gatherings in the world, the Kumbh Mela in India, with a goal of assembling the largest public health data set ever among a transient population. The pilgrims are there to bathe. The epidemiologists…
Many Kumbh Pilgrimes Die in Stampede at Allahabad Railway Station
Source ALLAHABAD, India, February 12, 2013 (Times of India): HPI note: There are dozens of stories on the tragic events at the Kumbha Mela yesterday. This Times of India story is as complete as any. Hinduism Today reporter Rajiv Malik tells us by phone that the disaster has cast a gloom over all the pilgrims still at the Mela. The…