KATHMANDU, NEPAL, September 15, 2018 (Kathmandu Post): Authorities have completed the reconstruction of Manakamana Temple damaged during the earthquake that struck Nepal on April 25, 2015. The four-story temple of Manakamana, the wish-fulfilling Hindu Goddess popular among Hindu pilgrims, was tilted 9 to 12 inches towards northeast by the earthquake and developed cracks on its pagoda style roofs. Reconstruction crew removed the damaged structure and started renovating the temple from a new foundation in June 2015. The renovated temple has gold-plated roof. Renovation Committee Coordinator Narendrababu Shrestha said, ”We used 40lbs. of the precious metal to gold-plate the temple’s roof.”
The committee spent around US$785,000 to buy the gold, and around $1.13 million to reconstruct the temple, the official said. ”We purchased gold for plating the temple’s steeple and roof after obtain permission from the Department of Archaeology (DoA),” said Shrestha. DoA engineers guided the reconstruction of the temple, committee members said. They used limestone, surkhi, bricks and wood to reconstruct various structures. ”We shall open the temple for devotees for the Dashain festival,” said Shrestha. The committee estimates an additional $349,000 to construct other infrastructure in the temple.
INDIA, September 12, 2018 (India Herald): Hindus worldwide should become more visible as positive change makers in their respective countries they call home, wherever they may be today, is the main consensus emerging from World Hindu Congress 2018, Dr. Abhaya Asthana, convener of the conference said at the concluding session in Sunday. The Hindu Political Conference, a subset of the World Hindu Congress 2018, has suggested the need for a permanent secretariat in the US or UK for the cause of Hindu rights around the globe. To accomplish this task, a group of eminent persons will be recruited. The political conference highlighted the importance of asserting a strong political voice especially in countries like the Caribbean, Fiji and the African countries, and developing young political leaders. A dynamic digital database of all political leaders by country is to be developed.
To create awareness about atrocities committed against Hindus around the world, Hindu youth should leverage their social media skills, speak out against biased portrayals of Hindus, educate emerging politicians on the effective use of media and identify the key roadblock to Hindu youth in embracing their Hindu identity proudly. Freeing temples from the control of the government and an operational mechanism to reach out to unreached areas as well as how Hindu activism in the US can be replicated elsewhere were the outcomes of the Hindu organizational conference.
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INDIA, September 12, 2018 (Daily O by Makarand Paranjape): I have just returned from the World Hindu Congress (WHC), September 7-9, Chicago, to discover that the event has been poorly, even unfairly, covered. This Congress, second in the series after its inaugural in November 2014, attracted over 2,500 delegates and participants from over 60 countries. It was superbly organised by a team of over 200 volunteers under the able leadership of an organising committee. A star-studded galaxy of speakers addressed the gathering, including vice-president M. Venkaiah Naidu, who delivered an inspiring valedictory, and thespian Anupum Kher, who offered a moving inaugural keynote.
To go beyond deliberate distortions and misrepresentations, it is important to understand that the WHC is not a political caucus, but a global congregation of Hindus ”to connect, share ideas, inspire one another, and impact the common good.” Held once in four years, WHC’s guiding vision is the quotation from the Bhagavad Gita: ”Yato Dharmastato Jaya” (Where there is dharma, there is victory). Each WHC consists of seven parallel conferences, one each on economics, education, media, organisation, politics, women and youth. It was surprising and dismaying, therefore, to see the event being demonized as violent, fascist or minority-hating by motivated critics, supported by a section of the media. After attending several sessions and being both speaker and moderator in one, I can vouch that there was little negativity, aggression, or anger in the Congress. Instead, the mood was positive, optimistic and constructive.
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Seek the Infinite, for that alone is Joy unlimited, imperishable, unfailing, self-sustaining, unconditioned, timeless. When you have this joy, human life becomes a paradise; the light, the grace, the power, the perfections of that which is highest in your inner consciousness, appear in your everyday life.
— Swami Omkarananda. founder of Omkarananda Ashram, Rishikesh
