Starting with Daytona Beach on Memorial Day May 30, this annual parade will be held on the streets of its largest city Jacksonville (June 18), Tampa (July 10), and Clearwater (August six).

According to reports, these processions, featuring huge decorated chariot with colorful canopy, will be carrying statues of the Hindu deities Lord Jagannatha (a form of Krishna), Balabhadra (Krishna’s elder brother) and Subhadra (Krishna’s younger sister), wearing silk outfits and decorated with flowers.

Pulled by devotees with about 100 feet long thick ropes, it will also carry the image of Hindu deity Hanuman. Devotional Hindu music and dancing, backed by double-headed mrdanga drums kharatala hand cymbals, will accompany the procession.

Free vegetarian feast will be served to the participants at the launching point of the parade. Most of the parade participants usually attend in traditional Hindu attire. It is like getting a taste of India and Hinduism without leaving Florida.

Meanwhile, Hindu statesman Rajan Zed, in a statement in Nevada (USA) applauded efforts of the organizers and Florida community to realize these wonderful festivals, exhibiting the richness of Hinduism.

Rajan Zed, who is President of Universal Society of Hinduism, said that it was important to pass on Hindu spirituality, concepts and traditions to coming generations amidst so many distractions in the consumerist society.

Zed stressed that instead of running after materialism; we should focus on inner search and realization of self and work towards achieving moksh (liberation), which was the goal of Hinduism.

Besides the above four, five more cities in the state of Florida reportedly celebrate this annual Ratha Yatra: Miami (March five), St. Augustine (March 26), capital Tallahassee (April two), Gainesville and Orlando.

Florida parades are reportedly sponsored by International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON).

Rath Yatra is said to be the oldest known parade in the world and it is believed that pullers of this Lord Jagannatha’s chariot receive immense spiritual benefit.

Popularized outside India by ISKCON founder A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, this annual parade festival has reportedly been held annually in over 50 major cities in USA, Canada, Europe, etc., since 1960s.

The original Ratha Jatra is held on a grand scale in Puri (Orissa, India), where the presiding deities of Sri Mandira—Jagannatha, Balabhadra and Subhadra—with celestial wheel Sudarshana are driven on the chariots to about two miles north Gundicha temple in an elaborate ritual procession, where the huge colorfully decorated chariots are drawn by thousands of devotees.

After a stay for seven days, the deities return to their abode in Sri Mandira. A glimpse of Lord Jagannatha on the chariot is considered to be highly auspicious and even a touch of the chariot is believed to yield benefits equivalent to several pious deeds. Many poets have written its glories. This year, it will be held on July 3.

Rajan Zed points out that ancient Hindu scripture Katha Upanishad talks about the concept of chariot, where soul is the deity, body is the chariot, and intellect the charioteer.
 

It is a great day for America and the democratic principles we’ve sworn to defend as service members. The Department of Defense has recently established the first Hindu Military Chaplain program in American history. Army Captain Pratima Dharm, who currently works as a Chaplain Clinician at Walter Reed Medical Center Hospital, took on her new role as the Army’s first Hindu Chaplain as of May 16.

“It is an honor to take on this incredible role supporting military members and their families serving in our Nation’s Armed forces,” says Chaplain Dharm, who holds degrees in Psychology and Theology.

Chaplain Dharm earned her commission in the U.S. Army in 2006 and in 2008 was selected for the Army’s Clinical Pastoral Education Program (CPE) while serving in Iraq. Her awards include the Bronze Star Medal, Army Commendation Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal and Global War On Terrorism Service Medal. No stranger to achieving “firsts,” Chaplain Dharm is also the first female Chaplain of Indian descent in the United States Army.

Launching the Program

Chaplain Dharm learned of this program after reading a flyer developed through the Office of the Secretary of Defense’s (OSD) Chief of Chaplains office. As an Air Force officer stationed at the Pentagon, I had the distinct pleasure of serving as the action officer for this effort. I came across the opportunity after reading about three individuals who led Hindu services at the Pentagon. The three lay leaders leading the services, Mr. Bhuj Gidwani, Hitul Thakur and Dr. Ram Bhat, informed me there was an official DoD endorsement for a chaplain, however a candidate had yet to come forward.

Unsure of the collective interest in such an effort, I teamed with the lay leaders to develop a flyer to find out what the need was. We circulated the flyer throughout the Hindu community. A few months later, Chaplain Dharm contacted me and indicated she was interested.

Throughout the process, OSD’s Chief of Chaplain’s office was extremely supportive. Once Chaplain Dharm conveyed her interest, the Army moved out quickly to establish the program. Chinmaya Mission West and the three lay leaders served as the endorsing agents for the effort (every military chaplain requires an endorsing agency).

Pentagon Action Team shown from From Left to Right: Mrs. Gidwani, Mr. Gidwani, Dr. Sadananda [Chinmaya West Priest], Lt Col Ravi Chaudhary, Chaplain Pratima Dharm, Dr. Bhat

Among the many tasks of establishing a new chaplaincy program was the task of establishing a new badge for future Hindu Chaplains to wear. We consulted a broad range of spiritual leaders across the nation to design the badge, including members of the White House Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships. The symbol “Om,” which denotes truth and peace, was unanimously chosen as the new badge. Chaplain Dharm will be the first to wear this badge when approved.

Unique Fit to the Chaplain Corps

Since 2000, the number of South Asians in America has grown significantly. According to the 2010 Census the numbers have nearly doubled in some states. As such, thousands of Indian Americans have pursued careers of service in America’s Armed Forces. With this growth comes the associated requirement to meet the spiritual needs of military members and their families. Chaplain Dharm has already reached out to members serving in SWA looking for spiritual guidance while serving high priority missions in support of national defense.

Military chaplains have supported American troops since the 1700s. In 1775, the Continental Congress agreed to pay chaplains a salary of $20 a month to provide spiritual guidance for those serving in uniform. General of the Army, George Washington, directed his commanders to find chaplains of good character and exemplary lives to care for the souls of their troops. The first chaplains served a mostly Protestant military. Today’s military chaplains serve in a far more diverse role.

“Our motto is priest to some, chaplain to all,” states Chaplain Dharm. She acknowledges her cultural background makes her uniquely qualified to take on the challenge of being the first Hindu Chaplain. She was born and raised in India, and can read and write Sanskrit, the language ancient Hindu scriptures were written in. “The basic principles of Hinduism make being a ‘chaplain to all’ an ideal endeavor. Hinduism by its very nature teaches tolerance, acceptance and respect for all religions, a key characteristic of successful military chaplains.”

While there are thousands of practicing Hindus serving in the U.S. Military, locating dense populations could prove to be a challenging task. This doesn’t seem to bother Chaplain Dharm. “That’s where social media comes into play.” She has already made contact with Hindus currently serving in overseas locations. “I intend to utilize social media to develop a broad congregation.”

Chaplain Dharm will start her career as a Hindu chaplain by providing Hindu services at Walter Reed and the Pentagon. She also remains committed to educating America on the principals Indic religions. “For starters, Hinduism has brought the many benefits of yoga to America, and is even being used to treat some symptoms of PTSD.”

Chaplain Dharm offers a final word, “When service members take their initial oath, we swear to support and defend the Constitution of the United States. I can’t think of a more American endeavor than supporting the free exercise of religion for all military members. That’s why we serve, and I’m humbled to take on this duty to support my fellow service members and their families.”

Amen Padre! America is proud of you.
 

Press Release

California, Apr 23: Prestigious Norton Simon Museum in Pasadena (California, USA) is currently exhibiting 11th century sandstone Vishnu in its Ancient Sculpture from the Hindu-Buddhist World exhibition, which will continue till August one.
 
This exhibition examines the connoisseurship and conservation involved in identifying and preserving these ancient objects. It explores how the place of origin and date of an object can be determined by the rendering of drapery pleats, hairstyles and ornaments of iconic statuary from South and Southeast Asia dating from the 3rd through 13th centuries, according to Museum announcement. These works include study objects from India, Thailand, Cambodia and Afghanistan.
 
Applauding Norton Simon Museum for exhibiting Hindu focused art, Hindu statesman Rajan Zed, in a statement in Nevada (USA) today, said that art had a long and rich tradition in Hinduism and ancient Sanskrit literature talked about religious paintings of deities on wood or cloth.
 
Rajan Zed, who is President of Universal Society of Hinduism, urged major art museums of the world, including Musee du Louvre and Musee d’Orsay of Paris, Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, Los Angeles Getty Center, Uffizi Gallery of Florence (Italy), Art Institute of Chicago, Tate Modern of London, Prado Museum of Madrid, National Gallery of Art in Washington DC, etc., to frequently organize Hindu art focused exhibitions, thus sharing the rich Hindu art heritage with the rest of the world.
 
The Norton Simon Museum, with history going back to 1922, is known around the world as one of the most remarkable private art collections ever assembled, including a stellar collection of South and Southeast Asian art spanning 2,000 years. The Museum houses over 12,000 objects.

^{After the Earth Day invocation, from left: Roya Galata, Jim Meiklejohn, Rajan Zed, Kaitlin Weeks}

Reno, Nevada, May 1, 2011 (Washington Bangla Radio)  Nevada Earth Day 2011 celebrations here today opened with prayers from ancient Sanskrit scriptures and Baha’i prayer in Farsi.

After lighting incense before Lord Ganesha statue and sprinkling holy water from river Ganga, Hindu statesman Rajan Zed read Shanti Mantra in Sanskrit from the Earth Day stage, followed by “Prithvi Sukta� (hymn to earth) from Atharva-Veda, invoking the Goddess Earth.

Zed, who is President of Universal Society of Hinduism, also prayed from Bhagavad-Gita (Song of the Lord), where Lord Krishna is quoted as saying, “The brightness of the sun, which lights up the world, the brightness of the moon and of fire—these are my glory. With a drop of my energy I enter the earth and support all creatures. Through the moon, the vessel of life-giving fluid, I nourish all plants.�

“We may believe in different religions, yet we share the same home—our Earth. We must learn to happily progress or miserably perish together. For man can live individually but can only survive collectively�, Rajan Zed said quoting ancient Hindu scriptures.

Roya Galata, a Baha’i elder, recited the Baha’i prayer in Farsi after Zed. Jim Meiklejohn, Treasurer of Nevada EcoNet, the organizers of the Earth Day, thanked Zed and Galata for the prayers.

According to Kaitlin Weeks, Nevada EcoNet Executive Director, estimated 10,000 people attended Earth Day to celebrate our planet and raise environmental awareness; which included live entertainment, crafts, display booths by various non-profit and other organizations/agencies/businesses offering energy conserving and sustainable living products, children’s activities, vendors selling eco-friendly products, etc. Local food, science, technology, policy and the arts were interwoven throughout the event with many experts on hand to address questions and issues.

Jo Simpson and Megan Gibson are President and Secretary respectively of Nevada EcoNet, whose mission is “to raise environmental awareness�.

Picture by: Debbie McCarthy

A Hindu temple housing Lord Venkateswara will offer Seva (worship) beginning Friday-Sunday with three days of grand-opening celebrations at 1495 S. Ridge Road in Castle Rock.

The Sri Venkateswara Swamy Temple, an 11,500-square-foot building that officials say is unique in the Rocky Mountain Region, is built in the ancient tradition of Agama and Vasthu Sastras (ancient Hindu architectural principles and science).

The temple is on an 8-acre lot with mountain views.

Muhoortam, inauguration of the temple, is to be held at the auspicious time of 7:19-8:21 p.m. For a complete schedule of events, visit svtempleco.org.

City Council of Las Vegas (USA), world’s entertainment capital, reverberated with Sanskrit mantras from ancient Hindu scriptures on January 19.

Distinguished Hindu statesman Rajan Zed delivered invocation from Sanskrit scriptures before Las Vegas City Council on January 19. After Sanskrit delivery, he then read the English translation of the prayer. Sanskrit is considered a sacred language in Hinduism and root language of Indo-European languages.

Zed, who is the president of Universal Society of Hinduism, recited from Rig-Veda, the oldest scripture of the world still in common use, besides lines from Upanishads and Bhagavad-Gita (Song of the Lord), both ancient Hindu scriptures. He started and ended the prayer with “Om”, the mystical syllable containing the universe, which in Hinduism is used to introduce and conclude religious work.

City Council members, City employees and public stood quietly in prayer mode with heads bowed down during the prayer. Wearing saffron colored attire, a ruddraksh mala (rosary), and traditional sandalpaste tilak (religious mark) on the forehead, Rajan Zed sprinkled few drops of sacred water from river Ganga in India around the podium before the prayer. He presented a copy of Bhagavad-Gita to Las Vegas Mayor Oscar B. Goodman and Las Vegas Fire Chief Mike Myers.

Reciting from Brahadaranyakopanishad, Zed said “Asato ma sad gamaya, Tamaso ma jyotir gamaya, Mrtyor mamrtam gamaya”, which he then translated as “Lead me from the unreal to the Real, Lead me from darkness to Light, and Lead me from death to Immortality.” Reciting from Bhagavad-Gita, he urged Councilmembers and others to keep the welfare of others always in mind.

Zed is one of the panelists for “On Faith”, a prestigious interactive conversation on religion produced by The Washington Post. He has been awarded “World Interfaith Leader Award” and is Senior Fellow and Religious Advisor to New York headquartered Foundation for Interreligious Diplomacy, Director of Interfaith Relations of Nevada Clergy Association, Spiritual Advisor to National Association of Interchurch and Interfaith Families, etc.

Zed will read the opening invocation at Sparks City Council in northern Nevada (USA) on January 24.

Hinduism, oldest and third largest religion of the world, has about one billion adherents and moksh (liberation) is its ultimate goal.

Home of 17 of the 20 biggest hotels in USA, Las Vegas reportedly hosts about 38 million visitors and over 19,000 conventions annually and its Strip is designated as a “National Scenic Byway”. Also known as “ultimate escape”, its tagline is “What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas” and its temperature sometimes can go as high as 117 degrees Fahrenheit. Famous Las Vegans include tennis player Andre Agassi, wrestler Rico Constatino, adult-entertainer Jenna Jameson, singer Toni Braxton, etc. Oscar Goodman, self-proclaimed “happiest mayor in the universe,” is in his third term, while Elizabeth N. Fretwell is the City Manager of City of Las Vegas. (ANI)

Internationally renowned 10th annual UNESCO Brugge Snow and Ice Sculpture Festival in Belgium, which ended on January 16, displayed sculptures of Lord Ganesh and Lord Shiv.istinguished Hindu statesman Rajan Zed has commended the organizers for carrying sculptures of Hindu deities in this world-level exhibition.

Rajan Zed, who is President of Universal Society of Hinduism, suggested that the next Festival should include depiction from ancient Hindu scriptures Mahabharat and Ramayan.

With “Around the World” theme, Festival opened on November 26 where everything was built from a mass of snow and combined with captivating lighting.

Besides Lord Shiv and Ganesh, its 74 ice sculptures from about 400 tons of crystal-clear ice blocks by selected 30 artists, also contained figures of Mozart, Strauss, Bach, Madonna, Michael Jackson; works of Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci; statues from Greek mythology; etc., each weighing 4-8 tons. (ANI)

By Margherita Stancati

If a new edition of a book that’s been around for centuries is creating a buzz, there must be something pretty special about it.

An upcoming version of the ancient Hindu epic “Ramayan,” put together by French publisher Diane de Selliers, seems to be doing just that. In Delhi, academics have been talking about it for months.

Courtesy photo An early 17th century miniature painting depicting Lord Ram, his wife Sita and his brother Lakshman, the protagonists of the epic.

Its secret? Great pictures and lots of them.

Ms. de Sellier’s edition of the ancient Hindu epic is illustrated with Indian miniature paintings dating from the 16^th to the 19^th century.

The idea behind it is both to display this unparalleled collection of miniature paintings—each of which comes with a small commentary—as well as to makes a dense literary work easier to look at. “A text like that for 900 pages can be boring, with pictures it’s more fun,” said Ms. de Sellier on the fringes of the Jaipur Literature Festival on Saturday.

She says it took her 10 years of research to select the pictures she needed. She gathered 5,000 and then settled for 700 for publication. The miniature paintings were gathered from private collections and museums around the world, mostly from India in cities that include Kolkata, Chandigarh, Delhi and Shimla. But some came from over the border in Pakistan, across Europe and as far as California.

Courtesy photo An 18th century miniature painting depicting Lord Ram and Sita.

This is not the first time Ms. de Selliers pulls this trick: She has actually set up a publishing house dedicated entirely to publishing many of literature’s seminal texts accompanied by the paintings and drawings they inspired. Other titles include Virgil’s “Aeneid,” illustrated with frescoes, mosaics and miniatures;  Charles Baudelaire’s “Les Fleurs du Mal” (The Flowers of Evil), accompanied with the works of 19^th century French Symbolist and Decadent painters, and “The Decameron,” Boccaccio’s sexually-explicit 14^th century novellas.

When asked why the “Ramayan,” Ms. de Sellier said her love for India came first. She wanted to put together something on India and looked into the fundamental texts of Indian literature. She said it “soon seemed obvious that it would be the ‘Ramayan’.” For some time a possible contender was the “Mahabharat,” India’s other seminal ancient epic.

But the edition is something that will appeal only to the biggest enthusiasts of the “Ramayan”or miniature paintings: It will come with a $800 price tag. The six-volume edition is due to come out in a French translation in September and in a new English one in early 2012.

Hindus in Bangladesh are in shock following the suspension of worship at the capital’s Dhakeshwari National Temple, the most important place of worship for the minority community in the country, after a theft today.

Gold and silver ornaments and Taka 4.5 lakh have been stolen from the temple, said Tapan Bhattacharya, the in-charge of the state-owned Dhakeshwari Temple.

Worship at the ancient Dhakeswari National Temple has been suspended for an indefinite period following the theft, the private bdnews24 online reported today.

Known as the ‘National Temple’, Dhakeshwari means “Goddess of Dhaka”.

Babul Devnath, the Secretary of Dhaka Metropolitan Worship Committee, expressed deep concern over the incident as it was the third major temple where theft has taken place in less than a month. The Hindus in the country are in shock.

“A theft took place at Baradeswari Kali Temple on December 12 and another at Jaykali Temple on December 22. We demand proper investigations into all these incidents,” he was quoted as saying in the report.

Bhattacharya said Ratan Chakrawarty and Nitya Gopal Chakrawarty, the priets at Dhakeswari, had locked the temple around 9 p.m. on Saturday.

Around 6 a.m. today they found three of the four locks missing, while the remaining one was broken.

Mohammad Khurshid Alam, the Deputy commissioner of Dhaka Metropolitan Police, said they had launched a probe into the theft.

Hinduism is the second largest religion in the country, constituting nearly 10 per cent of the population.

There are over 12 lakh Hindus in Bangladesh.

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