Hindu Press International

Source: http://in.reuters.com/article/lifestyleMolt/idINTRE4963DM20081007
KATHMANDU, NEPAL, October 7, 2008:  (HPI note: the appointment was widely covered in the press, with Google News given 345 articles.) Authorities in Nepal enthroned a three-year-old girl as a new Kumari, or the main “living goddess,” on Tuesday, in a centuries-old ritual the country’s new Maoist-led coalition has allowed to continue. Traditionally, different cities in the Kathmandu Valley have separate “living goddesses.” But the most powerful one lives in an ornate 15th century temple in an old part of Kathmandu. On Tuesday, Matina Shakya, her eyelashes blackened thick with mascara and wearing a red and gold costume, was installed in the divine role she is expected to keep for the next 7-8 years. “I am proud of her selection as the Kumari,” said Pratapman Shakya, the father of the girl picked by a panel of cultural experts. “I’m also a bit sorry because she will not stay with the family. But that does not matter because she is going to become the goddess. We can visit her whenever we want.” She replaced the 11-year-old Preeti Shakya, who is approaching puberty and must retire. Kumaris are a major tourist attraction and are considered by many as incarnations of the goddess Kali and are revered until they menstruate, after which they return to the family and a new one is chosen.

Source: http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/holnus/004200810051232.htm

MADURAI, INDIA, October 5, 2008: A seventh-century sculpture of Lord Bhairava, 125 cm tall and 52 cm broad, has been unearthed from the Pachaiyaru river bed at Azhagapuri near Palani in the district, officials said.

Narayanamurthy, the archaeological expert who unearthed the granite stone sculpture of the Lord, said that a Shiva temple once stood where the river now runs, but it has been either washed away or partly submerged by floods and sand over the years. An elephant chain has also been recovered from the spot, he said.

Source: http://www.hindu.com/2008/10/04/stories/2008100455200700.htm

NEW DELHI, INDIA, October 4, 2008: The Asian Development Bank (ADB) is lending $150 million to India to help revitalize the khadi industry, which has suffered from poor production and marketing techniques. A $2 million grant will also be provided by the Japan Special Fund to support the implementation and monitor the progress of the loan-funded reform package.

Increased production of the widely-revered handspun and handwoven cloth is expected to bolster employment opportunities in India, particularly in the rural areas which account for 73 per cent of the country’s poor. The 11th Plan document has laid great stress on khadi production, mainly due to its employment prospects for women and minorities.

Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/04/nyregion/04cremate.html?_r=1&oref=slogin&pagewanted=print

NEW YORK, USA, October 4, 2008: A decision of parents to cremate their deceased son has sparked religious turmoil.

Shafayet Reja, the son of a a Muslim father and a mother who was raised Hindu, died September 10 in a car accident; and his parents decided to follow the Hindu tradition of cremation rather than burying the body in a shroud as Islam prescribes.

The couple, Mina and Farhad Reja, say that some Muslims are now trying to intimidate them because of their choice–that they were accosted at their son’s funeral and have received threats to boycott their business.

Source: http://www.hinduismtoday.com/hpi/2008/10/8.shtml

At this supremely dangerous moment in human history, the only way of salvation is the ancient Hindu way. Here we have the attitude and spirit that can make it possible for the human race to grow together into a single family.
   British historian Arnold Joseph Toynbee (1889-1975)