SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA, October 19, 2018 (Hindu Council AU): A Hindu Temple situated at Regents Park in Sydney Australia has been set on fire and all statues and icons of Indian Godheads have been smashed and left in ruin. They do not know who has done it but it has caused lot of pain and anguish to devotees celebrating the festival NavRatri or nine nights dedicated to worship of God in female form. The temple has been there for about twenty years and but for an incident of stone throwing ten years ago, the Fiji Hindu community has not had any problems until now.
When devotees came at 6pm to open the temple on Sunday evening 14th October 2018, they found smoke coming from inside their temple. Upon investigation, they found some people inside and when challenged, the miscreants jumped out of the window and vanished. The head priest of the temple Pandit Paras Ram Maharaj was in tears on seeing his Gods broken and strewn all over the floor. The Vandals had not only desecrated the God statues and icons but had also shamelessly thrown prayer material around. They had even set the altar on fire. Luckily the fire was quickly brought under control before it could do any further damage to the temple and the building.The big worry we have now, said the temple president is to restore the temple building back to its earlier glory. The temple is visited regularly by about 250 devotees who come from all over Sydney.
Mexico Gets a Taste of Indian Unity in Diversity: Bollywood, Puppets and Music Enthrall the Audience
NEW DELHI, INDIA, October 13, 2018 (Financial Express): For the first time ever, India participated as Guest of Honour at the 46th Cervantino International Festival in 2018 in Mexico City from October 10- 28. Talking to FE Online, Muktesh Pardeshi, ambassador of India to Mexico said that, ”Almost 125 artists will travel from Tijuana to Yucatan, making the largest ever participation from an Asian country in the Latin American Region. This is an honor which no country has ever received before and this will help us in building our soft power footprint in the region.” At the inauguration (with an 8.000 plus audience) ”A passage to Bollywood” by Ashley Lobo was performed to promote Bollywood in the region. India is participating in 110 cultural events, covering almost 33 cities in Mexico.
According to Pardeshi, there is unity and diversity as the groups participating are from the south, east, west and north of India. Sponsored by ICCR, ten groups from India including dance, music, theatre and puppets, focussing on classic, folkloric and contemporary styles are participating. The general director of Promotion and Cultural Festivals and the International Cervantino Festival, Marcela Diez Martinez, said that working with India has been ”a huge discovery, to find a country that has many things in common with ours, with a strong tradition and a deep rooted in their thinking and in their original peoples.” In the commercial complex located in Plaza del Baratillo, in the middle of the city House of India will be set up where visitors can buy food, clothing, handicrafts and furniture.
The learned have prescribed penance for the murderer of a pious man, a drunkard, a thief or for one who has violated a solemn vow. But there is no pardon for the ungrateful.
— The Panchatantra
