Bias at the BBC

 This lady is Samira Hussain, South Asia correspondent to the BBC. She recently gave a report on “false” videos on the plight of Bangladeshi Hindus.

Here's the email that I sent to Ms. Hussain. 

Hello from the United States of America. My local radio station WAMU 88.5 broadcasts the BBC World Service overnight and the BBC Newshour in the mornings.

I listened to your report on “false” videos on the plight of Bangladeshi Hindus with interest and ultimately concern. Your report was intended to minimize the plight of Bangladeshi Hindus. While you did have a throwaway line that Bangladeshi Hindus were being persecuted, that is not enough. You should give a report on what Hindus are suffering in Bangladesh, rather than a report on “false” videos.

I have copied the BBC World Service on this email. I have also copied organizations and individuals that might help you put together a report on the plight of Bangladeshi Hindus.

Those copied on the email were:

• Hindu Human Rights: not to be confused with the deceptively named Hindus for Human Rights
• Hindu Existence
• Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council, USA
• Coalition of Hindus of North America (CoHNA) 
• Richard Benkin
• Hindu Students Council
• Amnesty International USA

Not surprisingly, Ms. Hussain did not respond to my email. Of those who were copied on this email, only Richard Benkin, a longtime advocate for Bangladeshi Hindus, replied. He wrote:

I'm heading out to Bengal soon. Things are horrible there for Hindus who are facing an existential threat.

Happy Ugadi

Ugadi is New Year's Day according to the lunisolar Hindu calendar.  In 2024, it was celebrated on Tuesday, April 9, according to the Gregorian calendar.

Hindus in Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka and Goa celebrate Ugadi. They celebrate Ugadi with colorful patterns on the floor called Muggulu/Rangoli, mango leaf decorations on doors, buying and gifts such as new clothes, charity to the poor, oil massages followed by special baths, and visits to Hindu temples. Mango leaves and coconuts are considered auspicious in the Hindu tradition.

Pachadi

A special food prepared on Ugadi called pachadi combines sweet, sour, salty, bitter, astringent and piquant flavors. In Telugu and Kannada Hindu traditions, it reminds one to that the upcoming year will consist of not just sweet experiences, but also unpleasant episodes. Just as the different flavors are mixed together, no event or episode is wholly good or bad.

Ugadi is celebrated on the first day of the Hindu lunisolar calendar month of Chaitra.  This typically falls in late March or early April of the Gregorian calendar. Ugadi is New Year according to the lunisolar calendar, which considers both the position of the Moon and the position of the Sun to divide the year into months and days.

The counterpart of the lunisolar calendar is the solar calendar, which considers only the position of the Sun to divide the year into months and days. Because of that, Hindu New Year is celebrated twice in the year at two different times. In 2024, Hindu New Year based on the solar calendar is April 13, according to the Gregorian calendar.

Sources:

2024 Hindu Festivals Calendar, Hindu Tyohar Calendar  for Manassas, Virginia, United States. (n.d.). Drikpanchang. Retrieved April 9, 2024, from https://www.drikpanchang.com/calendars/hindu/hinducalendar.html

Wikipedia contributors. (2024, April 10). Ugadi. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ugadi

 

 

Mosque being built on land of Kantajew Temple in Dinajpur, Bangladesh

 News about a terracotta temple in Bangladesh that I visited:

Hossain, M. F. (2024, March 23). Mosque being built on land of Kantajew Temple in Dinajpur. Dhaka Tribune. https://www.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/nation/342502/minority-rights-group-urges-pm-s-intervention-to

HT

Spencer, R. (2024, March 25). Bangladesh: Mosque being built on land of historic Hindu temple. Jihad Watch. https://www.jihadwatch.org/2024/03/bangladesh-mosque-being-built-on-land-of-the-historic-hindu-temple

Mt. Kailash: origin of the rivers of India

I've posted about Tibet several times on this blog. I found this interesting post via Facebook:

Shubh Mahashivaratri

An unforgettable imagery of Shiva is of him swallowing the poison that came out of Samundra Manthana. So much good came from that churning but only because someone swallowed the bad. Wish you all a Shubh Mahashivaratri! This installation is from the grand Mahakaal corridor. pic.twitter.com/HWiUIEwr9o

— Sahana Singh (@singhsahana) March 8, 2024

HT Sahana Singh

The naga Vasuki served as the churning rope. The asuras held his head and the gods held his tail. When Vasuki vomited poison that threatened to fall into the ocean and contaminate the amrita, Shiva took it and held it in his throat, which turned his throat blue.