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Hindu Temple opened in New York’s East VillageA Hindu temple opened amidst the picturesque area of the East Village in New York City. This temple is operated by the Ramakrishnananda Yoga Vedanta Mission, funded by His Holiness Swami Ramakrishnananda. This magnificent temple is attended by expert pujaris and the disciples of Swami Ramakrishnananda. The Mandir, in 96 Avenue B. (Between 6th and 7th Sts.), East Village, New York, was opened for the purpose of serving the Hindu community. Pujas and vedic ceremonies are performed daily, and the hindu holidays are celebrated in a classical way, as well as Satsangs and classes given personally by Swami Ramakrishnananda. Numerous members of the Hindu community expressed their greetings and well-wishes for the opening of the Mandir. The public that follows Santana-Dharma enthusiastically attend the daily ceremonies. There are free lectures, classes about Hinduism, Ayurveda, classical Hindu music, Vedanta, and hatha yoga classes. www.ramakrishnananda.com |
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'Save Ganga' campaign |
350,000 take holy dip at Gangasagar, heart attacks claim four |
Madhya Pradesh Govt makes yoga integral part of school curriculum
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Hoping to rally its various factions and supporters for the first time on an environmental platform,
the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) will launch a 99-day 'Save Ganga'
campaign as it held 'rampant corruption' responsible for 'unabated pollution'
of the country's most sacred river.
The rally will start from Gangasagar where the river merges into the sea and go all the
way up to the river's source at Gangotri.
One of the high points of the campaign will be Feb 17 when Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)
leader L.K. Advani and RSS chief K.S. Sudarshan will participate in a special yagna, or fire ritual, in Varanasi.
Advani is also expected to address a rally on the banks of the river that day.
Hindu clerics, including the four Shankaracharyas, yoga guru Swami Ramdev,
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar as well as Ramjanmbhoomi Trust president Mahant Nritya Gopal Das
will join what the RSS has billed as the Ganga Sanskriti Pravah Yatra.
'The yatra is a part of the Ganga Mukti Abhiyan taken up by us as a mission to
save the Ganga from further degradation,' Acharya Vishnu, national secretary of the
RSS outfit Ganga Mahasabha, told IANS by phone from Varanasi.
He said 'gross neglect and rampant corruption' at all levels in different state
governments was largely responsible for the unabated pollution of the country's most sacred river.
'We have reason to believe that billions of rupees have been pilfered in the name
of ridding Ganga of pollution; this campaign is aimed at exposing this as well,' he added.
From Varanasi, the yatra will proceed to Allahabad, Kanpur, Muzaffarnagar,
Rishikesh and move upstream to Devprayag, Tehri, Uttarkashi and finally Gangotri.
An estimated 350,000 people took a holy dip at the confluence of the river Ganga and the Bay of Bengal here on the occasion of Makar Sankranti Tuesday while wandering Hindu monks prayed for an end to the Kolkata fire and peace in Nandigram.
Pilgrims from various parts of the country and abroad performed their morning ablutions at the five ghats (staircases) in Gangasagar in West Bengal's South 24-Parganas district and offered prayers at the famous Kapil Muni temple.
The pilgrimage to this holy spot was also the end of life's journey for some as police confirmed the death of at least four pilgrims. They are suspected to have died of heart attacks.
Makar Sankranti is one of the most auspicious days in the Hindu calendar and is celebrated in almost all parts of the country in myriad ways with devotion, fervour and gaiety.
Tight security arrangements have been made on the Sagar Island for the festival. A temporary police station with a control room manned by senior police officers has been set up in the area.
Around 200 fireproof huts have been erected for pilgrims.
The huts, made from the 'hogla' (Typha elephantiana) plant, which had been dipped in a fire-resistant chemical, dried and then used for making the huts.
The Shankaracharya of Puri, Swami Nischalananda Saraswati, arrived here for the festival accompanied by 300 devotees. About 500 Naga Sadhus are also present in the town.
Gangasagar is famous for the various babas or Hindu monks who arrive here every year on the occasion of Makar Sankranti.
If 'mobile baba' was an attraction on an earlier occasion after mobile phones became popular, this year a 'cycle baba' drew special attention.
'I am praying for world peace. I am also praying to Ganga maiya (Mother Ganges) to put out the ongoing blaze in Kolkata's Burrabazar and prevalence of peace in Nandigram,' said Cycle Baba, who hails from Nepal.
Foreign tourists also thronged the ghats of Gangasagar.
'What amazes me here is the sharing of piety by thousands. It is mind-boggling,' said a tourist from Europe.
Bhopal, Jan 12 (ANI): The Madhya Pradesh government has made yoga and 'Surya Namaskar,' the "sun-salutation," an integral part of school curriculum, despite political opposition.
To mark the birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in Madhya Pradesh issued guidelines to schools on the Sun salutation.
Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said that Yoga is one aspect that should ideally not attract opposition from any quarter.
He insisted that yoga and such health programs should be encouraged.
"A sound body and a sound mind are pre-requisites for all successful activities. Yoga is a healthy way of living. Nothing can be better than introducing yoga amongst the students," said Chouhan.
He said that yoga would be made compulsory in schools from the next session.
Chouhan said that even if a few hundreds vowed to practise yoga regularly, it would be a great achievement.
While the government says the move is to bring about a healthy lifestyle among the youth, the opposition parties have condemned the move bringing to notice the pathetic state of schools and the increasing dropout rate.
Authorities contend that for the first time hundreds of thousands of students participated in a mass health campaign.
"I am very happy that I am practicing yoga. It helps keep fit with a sound mind and body," said Chanchal, a participant at the health camp.
Yoga comprises the practice of asanas or postures and includes disciplines of asceticism and meditation, which are thought to lead to spiritual experience and profound understanding or insight into the nature of existence.