GRAND-BASSIN, MAURITIUS, September 15, 2017 (Defi Media, translated from French): Many saw construction work taking place next to the Mangal Mahadev (statue of the God Shiva) at Ganga Talao in Grand Bassin. The mystery has been lifted: it is a statue of the Hindu Goddess Durga that is being erected. It will be the largest statue of a female deity in the world according to Anil Bachoo, president of the Mangal Mahadev Shakti Swaroopa Association (MMSSA) and project initiator, at a press briefing on Friday, September 15. He said the statue is 108 feet high (33 meters) and explains that 108 is an important symbolic number in Hindu mythology.
”We started the construction work in 2011 with Mauritian and Indian craftsmen. The project was entirely financed by donations. ”We also sent a correspondence to the Guinness Book of Records and its Indian counterpart, the Limca Book of Records, after multiple verifications. We would like to know if there is a specific category for the Durga statue. It will be unveiled at a consecration ceremony on September 30 and October 1 in Grand-Bassin, added the project’s initiator, who invites the entire population to this national event.
Video of project at ”source” above.
RAPALLO, ITALY, September 10, 2017 (Il Secolo XIX, translated from Italian): The rainy weather warning doesn’t stop the Genoese Tamil Hindus who for the sixth of the seven days of annual celebrations moved to Rapallo on Saturday. The reason? ”Because there is a large community here that can’t reach Genoa because of work problems and so we came here,” says Kuru Suppiah Kurupharanthas, 55, who lives in Genoa; he is the spokesperson of the Sri Sithi Vinayagar Temple in Genoa. Today’s ceremony involves a procession to the sea where a murti of Ganesha will be immersed in the sea. It’s also being performed ”in memory of all the victims of the sea, especially those among the immigrants that are now trying to reach Italy to escape war zones like we did 30 years ago,” Kuru concludes.
The president of the Sri Lankan Hindu community of Rapallo is Chadis Kanagaratnam Satheeskumar. For 11 years he has lived in Tigullio and tells us his story: ”Thirty years ago, because of the civil war, we had to leave our homes. In Rapallo we are doing well: most of the Sri Lankan community who came here are Hindus but there are also Buddhists and Catholics. We are all united. We are happy to be able to attend the ceremony today in Rapallo because it is not easy for all of us to go to the temple of Genoa. ”
INDIA, September 18, 2017 (First Post): Baba Ramdev’s Patanjali Ayurved Ltd is all set to win a multi-million dollar contract to manage mid-day meals in Uttar Pradesh schools, according to people in the know. Ramdev and his men have been actively lobbying for the US$109 million contract in New Delhi, reaching out to influential cabinet ministers and making representations as to why the group is best placed to execute the project, the sources said. The contract is currently being managed by 10 entities, including some NGOs. It involves offering Panjiri (a mixture of sugar, ghee and wheat), fruits and milk to a little over 100 million students in India’s most populous state.
Ramdev’s meteoric transformation from the guru of good health to a business magnate has surprised some of the top multinationals operating in India. His business empire has been rapidly expanding. Only in July, the company had won an exclusive, mega contract to develop Ayurvedic plants in Uttarakhand and fix their prices. Patanjali Ayurved is now considered the fastest-growing consumer product company in India. However, there have been controversies too.
Much more at ”source” above.
About many things in Hinduism I had once been inclined to believe that there was much of dream in it, much that was delusion and maya. But now day after day I realized in the mind, I realized in the heart, I realized in the body the truths of the Hindu religion. They became living experiences to me, and things were opened to me which no material science could explain.
— Sri Aurobindo (1879-1950)
