Today's Stories: 1. Berlin Museum Ganesha Exhibit Ends Soon 2. Nepal's King Honored 3. Singapore Hindus Object to Hijacking of pongal by Christians 4. Programs Try Down-To-Earth Aid For Marriages  1. Berlin Museum Ganesha Exhibit Ends Soon http://www.fr-aktuell.de/ressorts/kultur_und_medien/feuilleton/?  cnt=367325  BERLIN, GERMANY, January 27, 2004: The four-month run of the Ganesha   exhibit at Berlin's Ethnology Museum at Dahlem will come to a close   next week on January 31st. The final day will culminate with a puja to   Ganesha performed by Berlin Hindus in the museum itself. The exhibition   outlines different aspects of Ganesh worship using centuries-old stone   sculptures, bronze and modern clay figures, miniature paintings,   textile pictures and a modern family altar. The creation of clay   Ganeshas for the annual Visarjana worship, procession and immersion is   displayed on photo walls. How the ceremony with its processions are   performed outside of India, in Paris and in Berlin, is also pictured.   This highly positive and animated report from the German newspaper at   "source" (in German) makes a good attempt to describe India's love for   Ganesha and tells the familiar stories of his "birth" and how he broke   his tusk.  2. Nepal's King Honored Agence France Press  KATHMANDU, NEPAL, January 23, 2004: The World Hindu Federation Friday   extended formal Dharmik Avinandan (Hindu religious felicitation) to   King Gyanendra as the world's only Hindu monarch, a WHF source said.   According to Nepalese tradition, a Hindu monarch is revered as the   incarnation of Lord Vishnu, the God of protection. Hindu leaders and   delegates from 17 countries, including India, the United States,   Brazil, Germany and Italy, as well as Buddhist, Jain and Sikh religious   representatives attended the function. Prime Minister Surya Bahadur   Thapa and his cabinet ministers, along with heads of Kathmandu-based   diplomatic missions were also present. The felicitation comes at a time   when seven Nepalese student unions backed by mainstream political   parties are holding debates on whether it is appropriate to continue   the monarchy in Nepal in the 21st century.  3. Singapore Hindus Object to Hijacking of Pongal by Christians New Straits Times  SINGAPORE, January 19, 2004: (This appeared as a letter to the editor)   I refer to your report "Churches celebrate Pongal festival" (NST, Jan   12) where church coordinator S. Vythilingam was quoted as saying   "Pongal is not a religious festival but a traditional festival   celebrated by the Tamils." Pongal is celebrated on the first day of the   month of Thai by offering thanksgiving to the Lord as manifested in the   Sun, the source of all life-supporting energy. It is also celebrated as   Makara Sankranthi, that is, the day when the world changes its   six-month southern journey and starts to move north. It is celebrated   by all Hindu temples all over the world. Another important religious   significance is that the preceding month of Margali (mid-December to   mid-January) is reserved solely for spiritual activities because we   believe one year on this physical plane is equal to one day in the   heavenly region. There are more than enough reasons to call Pongal a   Hindu religious festival. If the churches want to celebrate, they are   welcome. However, this being a Hindu festival, I would advise them to   celebrate it in the month of Thai for it to be meaningful.  HPI adds: The adoption of Pongal by the Christians is part of their   tactic of "inculturation," including various aspects of the local   religion in the hopes of getting Christianity to appear less foreign.  4. Programs Try Down-To-Earth Aid For Marriages Http://www.nytimes.com/2004/01/25/national/25MARR.html  PHOENIX, ARIZONA, January 22, 2004: Leo Godzich tells the couples in   his premarital education class at the Phoenix First Assembly of God,   how important it is to enter into marriage knowing each other's   finances, sharing assets and agreeing on their budget priorities, says   this New York Times article. Such classes would be useful for Hindu   temples to conduct for about-to-be married Hindus.  Some in Dr. Godzich's class are members of the church but most are not.   Most are middle class, but some are eligible for a subsidy through the   state welfare program, which has budgeted $1 million for initiatives to   promote marriage -- much as President Bush proposes to do, to the tune   of $1.5 billion, in the welfare re-authorization bill. Many such   programs already exist, without government backing. Over the last   decade, marriage education has mushroomed, in churches, community   centers, colleges and high schools. The Bush administration's plan to   use federal money to foster healthy marriages among low-income families   has drawn considerable fire. While there is consensus among family   experts that two-parent households give children the strongest start,   there is sharp disagreement about government involvement in promoting   marriage. In evaluations from 1,115 participants subsidized by the   state, Dr. Godzich said, an overwhelming majority said they had learned   tools to resolve conflict in their marriage, and their marriage would   be better as a result. But, he conceded, whether the programs actually   produce more stable marriages is unknown. In Dr. Godzich's class,   religion was not much in evidence. Almost everything in the two-hour   class was straightforward advice that would make sense in any setting:   Don't blame a spouse for financial decisions. Don't hide money from   your spouse. Don't hide from your creditors. Concentrate on giving   rather than taking. And above all, be sure this is the right partner.   -----------  HINDU PRESS INTERNATIONAL  A daily news summary for breaking news sent via e-mail and posted on   the web for media, educators, researchers, writers,  religious leaders   worldwide and Hinduism Today magazine subscribers, courtesy of Hinduism   Today editorial staff  Visit our archives at http://www.HinduismToday.com/hpi/ Please subscribe to our beautiful print edition at   http://www.hinduismtoday/subscribe.html    Some source URLs cited in HPI articles are only valid on the date the   article was issued. Most are invalid a week to a few months later. When   a URL fails to work, go to the top level of the source's website and   search for the article. 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