Source FIJI, September 6, 2012 (Radio Australia): Calls for Fiji to become an officially Christian state have been rejected by one of the country’s main Hindu groups. It comes after the president of Fiji’s Methodist Church yesterday said the country was ceded to God by the chiefs and was therefore a Christian nation. Vijendra Prakash, general secretary of Sanatan Dharam,…
Source Sectarianism, bigotry and its horrible descendant, fanaticism, have long possessed this beautiful Earth. They have filled the Earth with violence, drenched it often with human blood, destroyed civilizations and sent whole nations to despair. Had it not been for these horrible demons, human society would be far more advanced than it is now.— Swami Vivekananda (1863-1902), disciple of Sri…
Source MUMBAI, Sep 4, 2012 (TNN): Playgrounds and street corners are transforming into oases of beauty as Ganeshotsav approaches on September 19. Palace and temple architecture remain the favourite decor of most mandals that have the resources to indulge their patrons. The muddy ground at Azad Nagar, Andheri, is giving way to a replica of the fabled Dilwara temple of…
Source WASHINGTON, D.C. September 5, 2012 (BBC): HPI note: We don’t report on national politics, but for those interested, BBC correspondent Seema Dirohi has produced a insightful story on the political affiliation of Indian-Americans, available at “source” above. A related report with a more religious slant is here.
Source INDIA, September 5, 2012 (theprovince.com): HPI Note: Our readers have expressed interest in the proposed McDonalds at two sacred spots in India, so we are running a few more news items on the subject. McDonald’s, home of the Big Mac, is facing Hindu protests over plans to open restaurants in two of India’s most revered religious centers and pilgrimage…
Source USA, September 5, 2012 (Forbes): McDonald’s plans to open vegetarian outlets in two holy cities in India. Why is the company that perfected burger flipping delving into the likes of McVeggie, McAloo Tikki and McSpicy Paneer, after more than 16 years in India? Here’s one possibility — global comparable sales were flat in July. The U.S. was down 0.1%,…
Source MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN, September 4, 2012 (jsonline.com): The leader of a Hindu sect in Milwaukee who was convicted of bringing sham priests to the United States under a religious worker visa program will be sitting behind bars as he awaits sentencing. Sagarsen Haldar was ordered detained last week by U.S. District Judge Rudolph Randa, who cited the risk that Haldar…
Source KASHMIR, September 4, 2012 (presstv.com): HPI Note: The following report comes from a pro-Pakistan website favoring Kashmir “independence” and should be taken accordingly. After four years of relative calm, the issue related to a Hindu shrine in Indian-controlled Kashmir seems to pop up again. This comes as the Supreme Court of India issued orders to build permanent roads and…
Source INDIA, September 4, 2012 (The Telegraph): McDonald’s will open its first vegetarian-only restaurants in India next year to cater for pilgrims to sacred sites. Burgers and fries have proved a winning formula since the McDonald brothers created their eponymous fast food franchise in 1955. But now meat will be struck from the menu for the first time in an…
Source Do you want God to be yours? Then you must first become His!— Dada J.P. Vaswani, spiritual head of Sadhu Vaswani Mission