Scotland Celebrates Indian Festival of Dusherra

Source: Source: Press RElease EDINBURG, September 12, 2009:The Scottish Indian Arts Forum will celebrate the famous Indian Festival of Dusherra on Sunday, October 4, at Calton Hill, Edinburgh. The Ram Lila Parade will consist of horse-drawn chariots with Rama, Lakshman and Hanuman on one and Ravana on the other. There will also be colorful floats of Sita in Ashok, Vatika,…

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Moksha Could Cost A Lot In Varanasi

Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com VARANASI, INDIA, September 6, 2009: Satyanarain Chowdhary supervises his family’s business: running the world-famous cremation ground Manikarnika ghat. The businesslike Chowdhary seems miffed at allegations of extortion at the ghat, where victim’s families have to cough up anywhere between US$20 to US$2,000, depending on their financial status, for last rites. “It is merely a tax people have been…

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We Are Born To Believe in God

Source: www.timesonline.co.uk UK, September 6, 2009: Humans may have been hardwired by evolutionary forces to believe in God, some scientists are suggesting. Far from being the result of poor education and childhood “indoctrination,” religious tendencies may have provided an evolutionary benefit by increasing the tendency of people to work together well, thus enhancing their ability to survive. Bruce Hood, a…

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Daily Inspiration

Source: www.hinduismtoday.com In life, to handle yourself, use your head, but to handle others, use your heart.    Swami Chinmayananda (1917-1993), writer, lecturer and Hindu renaissance founder of Chinmaya Mission International

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Daily Inspiration

Source: www.hinduismtoday.com After receiving grace of a God, the devotee can never be the same again, never look at life again in the old way. By grace we are directed deeper into spiritual life, pointed in the right direction, carefully guided on the San Marga, the straight path to our supreme God. After grace has been received, our thoughts are…

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Shortage of Priests Affects Hindu Last Rites

Source: www.thaindian.com AGRA, INDIA, September 2, 2009: Few of the younger generation are entering the priesthood, and the number of “karamkandi” pandits is declining sharply in Agra, Mathura and Vrindavan. Despite an influx of pandits from other areas, there is a severe shortage of properly trained people to perform the rituals of Pitra Paksh, when Hindu families pray for peace…

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Teen Divers Help in Ganesh Immersion

Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com NAGPUR, INDIA, August 29, 2009: For the last four years in Nagpur, teenaged divers have been assisting devotees at Telagkhedi Lake by immersing their Ganeshas. By performing this service, a teenager may earn some US $40 during the festival. The young divers charge between $0.20 and $10 depending on the size of the murti. Some of the boys…

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Placebo Effect Stronger Than Previously Realized

Source: www.wired.com USA, August 24, 2009: Drug developers say the placebo effect seems to be getting stronger: half of all drugs that fail in late-stage trials could not even outperform sugar pills. Despite historic levels of industry investment in R&D, the US Food and Drug Administration approved only 19 first-of-their-kind remedies in 2007–the fewest since 1983–and just 24 last year.…

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Daily Inspiration

Source: www.hinduismtoday.com After receiving grace of a God, the devotee can never be the same again, never look at life again in the old way. By grace we are directed deeper into spiritual life, pointed in the right direction, carefully guided on the San Marga, the straight path to our supreme God. After grace has been received, our thoughts are…

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