I’m not surprised

SATNARAYAN Maharaj, head of the nation’s largest Hindu organisation, the Sanatan Dharma Maha Sabha (SDMS) — yesterday said he was not surprised at Archbishop of Port-of-Spain Joseph Harris’ observation that Carnival was an exhibition of vulgarity. Maharaj was responding to statements by Archbishop Harris during his Ash Wednesday homily at Our Lady of Perpetual Help RC Church, Harris Promenade in San Fernando. Harris attacked the behaviour...

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Bharat Nivas celebrates the relevance of Sanskrit

The Hindu Lt. Governor of Puducherry Virendra Kataria looking at an exhibit on Sanskrit language, after inaugurating an exhibition at Bharat Nivas in Auroville on Thursday. Photo: S.S. Kumar In most people’s perception, Sanskrit is a dead language, and there is very little correlation between the language and the modern world. The newer generation knows very little of the language and it is thought to be an extremely difficult language....

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Indian Hindus barred from entering Nankana Sahib on visa issue in Lahore

Five Indian Hindus including two women have been barred from entering the Gurdwara Nankana Sahib near here as they had no visa to enter the district, where the Sikh shrine is located. A source in Evacuee Trust Property Board told PTI that the Hindus - Vaneet Gupta, Neelam Gupta, Narindar Kumar, Hari Om and Vijay Lakhshami - reached Gurdwara Janamasthan, the birthplace of Guru Nanak, by a car from Lahore yesterday. The Gurdwara authorities,...

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Successful 3rd Hindu Youth Conference: The Power of Youth

3 March, 2014 Successful 3rd Hindu Youth Conference: Dynamic You – The Power of Youth Hindu Youth New Zealand (HYNZ) and New Zealand Hindu Students forum jointly organized a very successful 3rd New Zealand Hindu Youth Conference on Saturday 1st March at Aotea Centre in Auckland. The theme of the conference was Dynamic You – the power of youth. It was a conference calling for young people to realise the power within through being inspired. The conference was attended by 150 participants. The conference was a step towards bringing together...

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Raleigh show celebrates 19th century Hindu ambassador

RALEIGH — The life of a monk credited with introducing yoga and the Hindu religion to the west in the late 19th century will be the subject of a show in Raleigh on Saturday. The show was created to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the birth of Swami Vivekananda, who died in 1902 at the age of 39. It combines live performance with laser animation by laser artist Manick Sorcar. The show, Swamiji, begins at the Columbian Exposition in Chicago in 1893, where Swami Vivekananda spoke of religious tolerance...

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Residents march against mounting of Hindu statue

Kisumu, Kenya: Kisumu residents engaged police in running battles in the city centre to protest the construction of a statue by members of the Hindu religion along Nyerere Road. Police were forced to lobby teargas canisters at the protestors who had set the statue ablaze. The incident affected traffic on the busy road, as the angry mob converged on different corners playing hide and seek with the security officers. The protesters, Muslims and Christians, argued that erecting a religious statue in the heart of the town portrayed Kisumu as a city...

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Sibal condemns Hindu Sena protest against Caravan magazine over Aseemanand's interview

New Delhi, Feb.7 (ANI): Minister of Communication and Information Technology Kapil Sibal on Friday criticized Hindu Sena workers for protesting outside the office of Caravan Magazine, for running the interview of Swami Aseemanand, in which he allegedly implicated Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat for his involvement in the 2007 terror attacks. Sibal asserted that the mindset of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is anti-freedom of expression. "This is a violent attack on the freedom of expression, and the experience of...

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Hindu prayer services raise money for Bangladeshi victims of attacks

  Young children joined in the prayers for victims in Bangladesh Hindu prayer services were held in Bromley-by-Bow to raise money for victims of attacks on Bangladesh’s Hindu minority following the country’s recent election. Children as young as three added their voices...

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No Decision on Declaring Diwali School Holiday: NYC Mayor

The City of New York is still undecided on declaring school holidays for Diwali festival, a longstanding demand of the Indian community, the largest South Asian group here. However, for Eid and the Chinese New Year, the city's Mayor said, "The goal is to get there." "Have not spoken about Diwali yet. On the other two (festivals), goal is to get there (declare school holidays)," Mayor Bill de Blasio said. "It will take time. It is complicated in terms of logistics and school calendar and budget. But it is something I want to get done in...

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Kalaghoda axes play after Hindu groups call it 'anti-national'; producers move it to YouTube

The art festival drops the play loosely based on Mohammad Ali Jinnah after right wing group Hindu Janajagruti Samiti protests by calling it anti-national Mumbai's iconic art festival known for its rich portrayal of contemporary art and culture took little consideration...

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Robert Village Hindu School—An Example

The Robert Village Hindu School, in the Tableland catchment, Southeast Trinidad, was established 50 years ago. The first principal was Chandreika Maharaj, a wellknown teacher and religious activist. When he retired as principal, Robert Village Hindu was recognised in the educational sector as a most successful primary school. Maharaj was credited with training a group of young teachers who became committed educators. The Maha Sabha...

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Eight dead after holy Indian cave at Hindu temple collapses

  Dated 4th feb The wall of a cave leading to a popular Hindu temple in central India collapsed on Tuesday killing eight worshippers, including three young girls, police said. State Home Minister Ram Sewak Pekra said the accident at Bildwar Cave in Chhattisgarh may have been triggered by blasts in nearby coal mines. “Frequent blasts are carried out in the nearby coal mines and that could be the reason for the cave-in. We have asked...

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Devout Hindus celebrate Basant Panchmi in Allahabad

Allahabad, Feb.4 (ANI): Thousands of devout Hindus took a holy bath and dip in the sacred waters of 'Sangam', the confluence of River Ganges, Yamuna and mythical Saraswati, on Tuesday in Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh, on the occasion of Basant Panchmi, a festival that marks the onset of spring. The festival glorifies Hindu Goddess Saraswati, patron of knowledge, music and the arts. The devotees offered prayers and performed religious rituals on the banks of the river early on Tuesday. Security has also been tightened in and around the city,...

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The Hindus are the sons of Bangladesh soil

By Muhammad Shafiqur Rahman It seems be came the fate of religious minority, especially the members of Hindu community, who take birth in the soil of Bangladesh and are living here from generation to generation that Hindus fell prey to casualties. When the country faces hard time of a political crisis or a change, the the Hindu community, becomes the target of minority persecution by the...

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Ten Hindu pilgrims killed in bus accident in Nepal

Kathmandu:  A bus carrying Hindu pilgrims skidded off a mountain road and fell down more than 300-metre in eastern Nepal, killing at least 10 people, police said today.The bus, carrying 66 passengers to Haleshi Mahadev of Khotang from Sindhuli district, skidded off the road and plunged some 300-meter down in Suklatar village of Okhaldhunga district on Friday, a police officer told PTI.Three people died on the spot, while seven others succumbed to their injuries in different hospitals yesterday, the officer said.Fifty-six...

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Necessary protection: Hindu community demands adequate security

Health Minister Shaukat Yousafzai. PHOTO: PPI PESHAWAR: The Hindu community has voiced strong disapproval over Health Minister Shaukat Yousafzai’s order to remove the security gate from Pir Ratan Nath Temple which was constructed after a police constable was shot dead outside the place of worship last week. In a press statement, All Pakistan Hindu Rights...

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Demanding rights: ‘No security for Hindu community’

Hindu Panchayat president Mukhi Eshwar Lal Makheja laments string of violent incidents. PHOTO: FILE   SUKKUR:  Minorities’ rights and their safety are guaranteed under the Constitution of Pakistan but the Hindu community laments that they are deprived of their basic right.  Speaking to The Express Tribune, Hindu Panchayat president Mukhi Eshwar Lal Makheja reported that a string of violent incidents, including...

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Cherukolppuzha Hindu Meet Begins

  Swami Kashikananda Giri Maharaj inaugurating the 102nd Ayroor-Cherukolppuzha Hindu religious convention on Sunday    The eight-day long 102nd Ayroor-Cherukolppuzha Hindu religious convention, organised under the auspices of Hindu Maha Mandalam,  began on the sand-bed of Pampa at Ayroor Vidyadhiraja Nagar near Kozhenchery on Sunday. Delivering the inaugural address, Swami Kashikananda Giri Maharaj of Kandivli Anandabhavan...

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Universities urged to designate prayer spaces for Hindu

Michael Sergel, Newstalk ZB February 1, 2014, 1:19 pm   Universities are being urged to provide designated prayer spaces for Hindu students. A growing number of students identify as Hindu, especially in the Auckland region. Rajen Zed, spokesman for the Universal Society of Hinduism, says universities should set aside halls for Hindu spiritual exercise. He says the halls should include statues of popular deities, and be equipped with a traditional bell and drum. He says Hindu students should have their spiritual needs met, in the...

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Meeting to give update on £12 million Northampton Hindu temple plans

People in Northampton are being invited to an ‘open forum’ next Friday where an update on plans to build a new £12 million Hindu temple in the town will be revealed. The Indian Hindu Welfare Association (IHWO) were given planning permission to build a new temple on land off Lings Way in Lumbertubs in 2012, after plans were revealed in 2008. The new facility, which will be known as the Northampton Kutumb Centre, will...

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HC Acquits Muslim Youth Accused of Raping Hindu Girl

A Muslim youth, accused of raping a teenaged Hindu girl he married nine years ago after eloping, has got reprieve from the Delhi High Court which upheld his acquittal, observing that religion was the "biggest hurdle" in their matrimonial alliance. Hasim, a hairdresser in southeast Delhi, and the 14-year- old schoolgirl were in love with each other and had twice ran away from home to be together. In 2005, the couple apprehending trouble from their respective families, left for Moradabad after their 'nikah' (marriage) in Delhi and applying...

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Multicultural festival to celebrate Hindu deity

      Members of the Swindon Puja Committee. PEOPLE across Swindon will gather to honour the Hindu goddess of knowledge and wisdom next week. The Swindon Puja Committee has organised the second annual Hindu festival on Tuesday to celebrate Saraswati Puja, an event devoted to the ...

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Indian Consulate looking into ‘Vedic pandits’ disappearance

Consul General Ausaf Sayeed said none of the pandits had sought any assistance from the Consulate for their repatriation to India. The Indian Consul General in Chicago has said that no complaints or information has been received from either the Iowa-based Maharishi Vedic City, or from any one of the 130 “Vedic pandits,” or religious scholars brought here from India for studies and training, who have said to have gone “missing” in the last seven months. In an email to The Hindu Consul General Ausaf Sayeed said none of the...

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Only 5% Vedic Pandits Missing in US, Claims Vedic Univ

The Iowa-based institutions of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi have said about only five per cent of the 2,600 Vedic pandits, who were brought to the US from north Indian villages, have gone missing in recent years. "Each of these cases the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) have been informed about Vedic pandits leaving their United States Citizenship and Immigration Services and State Department approved programme at its Iowa campus," said William Goldstein, Dean of Global Development and General Counsel...

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5-year-old Hindu girl raped in Sibi

Rapist is said to be drug addict and is being interrogated, Sibi police says. PHOTO: FILE QUETTA: A five-year-old Hindu girl was abducted and raped before she was left unconscious near the Railway Colony in Sibi district on Wednesday. The police traced the accused, with the help of sniffer dogs, and arrested him. The rapist is said to be drug addict and...

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UGC suggests courses in spoken Sanskrit in varsities

The idea is to impart basic knowledge about the language All universities in the country may soon have centres offering certificate courses in spoken Sanskrit, if the University Grants Commission (UGC) has its way. The UGC has suggested this idea to impart basic knowledge about the language among students, teachers, and the public. Shrinivasa Varakhedi, Dean, Karnataka Samskrit University, who has been appointed to a three-member...

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Hindu bodies blame Pak of discrimination

Various Hindu organisations have blamed Pakistan of discrimination against Hindu pilgrims aspiring to visit Pakistan on religious occasions and have urged the Indian government to take up the issue with the neighbouring country on priority. “Pakistan High Commission had rejected visas to young Hindu boys during Katasraj pilgrimage in 2013,” said Sri Durgiana Temple Committee General Secretary Ramesh Sharma. He said not only were Hindus discriminated...

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Vedic Pandits go 'missing' in US: report

  A Kashmiri pandit (Hindu) devotee lights oil lamps during the annual Hindu festival at the Kheer Bhawani temple in Ganderbal. (Representational pic) Chicago:  In a shocking revelation, as many as 163 Indians, most of them brought to the US as teenagers from villages in northern India to be trained into Vedic Pandits by two institutions set up by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi of transcendental meditation fame, appear to have...

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Guard shot-dead outside Hindu temple in Peshawar

Unidentified motorcycle-borne gunmen fatally shot-dead a constable guarding a Hindu temple in Jhanda Bazar area in Peshawar on Sunday morning. Local police told The Hindu over the phone that the constable's name was Ghulam Mohammed and the incident took place after 8 a.m. However, even the first information report (FIR) did not name the Hindu temple and merely referred to it as the one in the Jhanda Bazar area, police said. There...

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Magh Mela in Allahabad

Hindu devotees take holy dips at the Sangam, the confluence of the Ganges and Yamuna river, during the annual month-long Hindu religious fair of Magh Mela in Allahabad. (AP Photo) Hindus serve blessed sweets during the annual month-long Hindu religious fair of Magh Mela at the Sangam. (AP Photo) A man serves food to Sadhus, or Hindu holy men, at a community feast during the annual month-long Hindu religious fair of Magh...

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Tough Times: Reds Cite Vedas to Win Hearts

Its mythology over ideology for the Communist party of India as a survival strategy. Left staring at a rapidly shrinking support base, and unable to attract the new generation of voters, the Communist Party of India (CPI) is turning to the power of Hinduism to stay relevant. Today, a three-day seminar begins in one of the last red bastions in the country which will focus on the “power of the past”. The Kannur meet—aptly called Bharateeyam—will...

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Dharma school students on Buddhist path to knowledge

Calming the mind: Students at Daylesford's Dharma School begin their day with 15 minutes of meditation. Photo: Angela Wylie   The dawn of a new day at the Daylesford Dharma School begins not with the bark of an automated bell, nor with a loudspeaker, but with gentle reverberations of a Tibetan singing bowl. For the past five years, this traditional harmonic gong has acted as the sign for children to line up outside, to quiet themselves,...

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Whole town invited to join Hindu celebrations at Swindon Puja

Members of the Saraswati Puja festival committee. Back, from left Rita Dey, Kakoli Saha, Suzana Saha, Noyon Sarkar, Labony Roy,Front, from left, Priyonti Dey, Pollob Dey     PEOPLE from across the town will come together to honour the Hindu goddess of knowledge and wisdom next month. The Swindon Puja Committee has organised the second annual Hindu festival on February 4 to celebrate Saraswati...

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