Trinidad Hindus celebrate Janmashtami with fanfare

October 15th, 2009 NEVADA - Hindus have applauded US President Barack Obama for celebrating Diwali in White House in Washington DC on Wednesday. Acclaimed Hindu statesman Rajan Zed, in a statement in Nevada (USA), commended Obama for becoming the first US President to personally grace the occasion, which was held in the historic East Room.

September 30th, 2009 NEVADA - Hindus and Jews have asked for thorough enquiry into the reportedly last minute withdrawal of the permission by officials to celebrate Durgapuja festival in a public park in Rome. Rajan Zed, acclaimed Hindu statesman; and Rabbi Jonathan B.

September 24th, 2009 KARACHI - With the beginning of the Indian festive season, Hindus in Pakistan have started preparations for the festivals of Navratri, Dushhera and Diwali, The Daily Times reports. "The nine nights are sanctified in the Hindu religion, during which Saraswati and Durga are worshipped," said Narain Maharaj, a Hindu cleric belonging to the Maheshwari Meghwar community.

September 14th, 2009 NEVADA - Hindus have urged New South Wales (NSW) government in Australia to add "Diwali" and "Holi" on the list of restricted trading days in the new law. Acclaimed Hindu statesman Rajan Zed, in a statement in Nevada (USA), said that Hindu workers in NSW would like to be home on these days to celebrate the festivals with their families, friends, and the community.

August 24th, 2009 LAHORE - Pakistani journalist and Chairman Nazria Pakistan Trust (NPT) Majid Nizami has urged teachers in Pakistan to indoctrinate the new generation with the idea that Hindus and Muslims belong to two separate nations. Nizam said the practice could only be defended by the two-nation theory.

August 22nd, 2009 Port-of-SPAIN - Indian High Commissioner to Trinidad and Tobago Malay Mishra has announced that state-owned Caribbean Airlines and Air India are working on a project to reduce air fares between the two countries. He told a meeting that when the programme become operational "an airline ticket purchased in Trinidad and Tobago will connect a Caribbean Airlines flight with Air India in New York." Travel for trade, cultural and religious reasons between both countries continues to escalate, but there could be a higher number of visits if the air fares are reduced.

August 14th, 2009 Port-of-SPAIN - A Festival of India, showcasing Indian art, craft and culture, is being held in Trinidad and Tobago for the first time and is proving a big draw for people of all ethnic groups in the island where over 40 percent of its 1.3 milllion population is of Indian origin. Indian High Commissioner Malay Mishra said that the event, which commenced last Saturday and marks India's 62nd Independence anniversary, will continue for a month.

August 13th, 2009 DHAKA - Bangladesh's Hindu community Thursday celebrated Janmashtami, marking the birth of Lord Krishna, with functions organised in the national capital and other parts of the country. It is a public holiday and President Zillur Rahman will host a reception for leaders of the community at the president's house Banga Bhaban.

July 7th, 2009 NEVADA - Hindus urged US President Barack Obama to put a Hindu temple also on his list, if possible, in case he decided to attend a number of different churches in rotation. Hindu statesman Rajan Zed, in a statement in Nevada (USA) today, said that President Obama was most welcome to visit any Hindu temple he selected in/around Washington DC.

July 5th, 2009 KARACHI - Hundreds of Hindus based in Sindh province would now be able to travel to India to immerse the ashes of their ancestors in the holy River Ganga, as they have been granted visas after decades of denial by the Pakistani authorities. Now, that the authorities have allowed Hindus to travel to India, it is expected that several people of the community would be visiting India to perform the last rights of their ancestors and immerse the ashes in the holy water of the River Ganga for eternal transformation the body in accordance with the Hindu mythology.

July 2nd, 2009 ASTANA - Tensions exist between India's Muslims and Hindus because the two communities do not know enough about each other, an Indian delegate at the global faith conference here contended Thursday. "Yes, tensions do exist but they exist because Muslims and Hindus don't know about each other," Zafar Yunus Sareshwala, the CEO of Mumbai Stock Exchange-listed financial services provider Parsoli Corporation, maintained during the plenary on "Solidarity specially in the period of crisis", on the concluding day of the third Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions here.

June 28th, 2009 ISLAMABAD - The Taliban has demanded six million rupees as 'Jaziya' from Hindus residing in the Battagram district of the North West Frontier Province (NWFP). According to sources, an unidentified Taliban insurgent called a Hindu leader of the region, Dr.

April 18th, 2009 Port-of-SPAIN - With two broad grins on their faces, the presidents of Venezuela and the US greeted each other with a traditional 'solidarity' handshake Friday. Hugo Chavez and Barack Obama were seen in an informal, animated exchange and sideways handshake in a series of photographs released just as the Summit of the Americas got underway in Trinidad.

April 16th, 2009 Port-of-SPAIN - Thieves have again broken into a Hindu temple in Trinidad and Tobago. This is one in a series of raids which have affected the Hindu places of worship in this Caribbean nation over the years.

March 17th, 2009 Port-of-SPAIN - India can help to build ships in Trinidad and Tobago, which has retained a 'strong economy' despite the global slowdown, as it looks to widen ties with this Caribbean nation, nearly half of whose people are of Indian origin. Malay Mishra, the new Indian high commissioner to Trinidad and Tobago, said there was ample scope for the two countries to deepen bilateral collaboration in diverse areas like agriculture, shipbuilding, IT and pharmacology.