Hindus have applauded South Brunswick School District (New Jersey, USA) for declaring Diwali as a school holiday, calling it “a step in the right direction”.
According to 2011-2012 school calendar, District schools will stay closed on October 26 for Diwali/Deepavali. Only other religious closing days mentioned on 2011-12 calendar are Jewish New Year Rosh …

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UNITED STATES, October 3, 2011 (by Sona Gajiwala): It’s rare that you feel good about paying a wedding vendor. There are, however, a few vendors to whom I feel OK paying a premium, for they have identified specific needs for a demanding demographic, and have stepped outside their comfort zones …

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UNITED KINGDOM, October 9, 2011 (BBC): A new US$1.6 million Hindu temple has opened in Leicester after a special procession down the city’s Belgrave Road. The Shri Swaminarayan Mandir in Belgrave is one of the biggest in the Midlands. Located on the corner of Catherine Street and Gypsy Lane, it …

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INDIA, SEPTEMBER 23, 2011 In India, wine was traditionally used to bring back health. Ayurvedic wines used as medicine is documented in the ancient Indian healing system of Ayurveda. Draksharishtha, the oldest Indian wine, is made of grape juice and herbs, but minus the micro-filtration process that modern wineries use, …

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HYDERABAD, INDIA, September 26, 2011 (thehindu.com): The Andhra Pradesh Pollution Control Board has initiated a year-long effort to promote eco-friendly Ganesha murtis for next year’s festivities, thus protecting water bodies from the immersion of murtis made from harmful substances.
A strategy session met Saturday to chalk out out the modalities. Seeking …

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CHENNAI, INDIA, September 25, 2011 (Bernama): The world-famous Tirumala Tirupati Venkateswara Temple in south India has auctioned human hair donated by devotees for a whopping US$ 22.2 million.
The Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD), the temple’s custodian, sold 466 tons of hair in its maiden e-auction last Thursday, where 49 bidders, including …

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INDIA, September 2011 (groudreport.com): India is celebrating one of its most colorful festivals – Navaratri. During the 9-day period, the Bengali community all across the globe will also celebrate Durga Puja. According to ancient lore, Durga the mother Goddess will slay the demon king Mahishasura after fighting him for nine …

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UNITED KINGDOM, September 28, 2011 (Harrow Observer): Community leaders took part in a colorful Pothi Yatra procession through Wealdstone to mark the start of the nine-day long Hindu festival of Navaratri.
The crowd, accompanied by musicians, left the International Siddhashram Shakti Centre in Palmerston Road before passing through High Street and …

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USA, September 28, 2011 (Religion News Services): Entrepreneurs are significantly more likely to pray several times a day or to meditate than most Americans, according to the Baylor Religion Survey, released September 20.
Sociologist Kevin Dougherty, co-author of the survey, noted the survey can’t answer whether prayerful, peaceful folks are more …

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ISLAMABAD, PAKISTAN, September 18, 2011 (dna India): Pakistan’s four million Hindus, the country’s largest minority, are unable to register their marriages, due to continued delays in passing the draft bill for the Hindu Marriage Act that was proposed in 2008.
There is currently no system in Pakistan for registering the marriages of …