• India: Shah urges Uttarakhand farmers to move towards organic farming
• India: NCOL-UOCB partnership aims to promote organic farming and increase farmers' income
• India, Taiwan pact to facilitate trade of organic agri goods comes into force

• Transcendental Meditation India celebrates International Yoga Day
• 'Veda for World Peace' - Live International Webinar 10 September - Dr Tony Nader to give keynote address
• India: Prime Minister Modi releases commemorative stamp honouring Maharishi Mahesh Yogi

• As India ages, a secret shame emerges: Elders abandoned by their children
• How decline of Indian vultures led to 500,000 human deaths
• 'My body can't take it': Brutal nighttime temperatures give Delhi residents little respite from India's searing heatwave

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Positive Trends
Short Summaries of Top Stories

India: Shah urges Uttarakhand farmers to move towards organic farming
4 September 2024 - Union Minister of Home and Cooperation Amit Shah Friday [30 August] urged Uttarakhand farmers to adopt organic farming. He was speaking on the occasion of signing of an MoU between National Co-operative Organics Ltd (NCOL) and Uttarakhand Jaivik Utpad Parishad for procurement of organic cereals to provide better rates to farmers for their produce. (more)

India: NCOL-UOCB partnership aims to promote organic farming and increase farmers' income
1 September 2024 - National Co-operative Organics Limited (NCOL) and Uttarakhand Organic Commodity Board (UOCB) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in New Delhi in the presence of Union Minister of Cooperation Amit Shah. Shah said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had set a target to prepare the vast cultivable land of this country for organic farming. Today the movement for organic farming has reached an important stage. (more)

India, Taiwan pact to facilitate trade of organic agri goods comes into force
14 July 2024 - An agreement between India and Taiwan to facilitate trade in organically-produced goods, including tea and medicinal plants, has come into force from July 8, the commerce ministry said on Wednesday [July 10]. (more)

India: Campaign to promote organic farming launched in Karumalloor
9 July 2024 - 'Jaiva Gramam' campaign, a program to encourage people keen to take up organic farming but are constrained by problems including marketing of products, has been launched in Karumalloor panchayat. It was launched as part of 'Njattuvela' observance with the support of the grama panchayat and Lions Club of North Paravur to encourage households to take up organic farming. (more)

India: He frolicked in forests as a child. Now he's saving them from a coal mine plan
30 May 2024 - Alok Shukla has led a decade-long grassroots campaign against some companies seeking to develop coal mines in forested areas in Central India. Shukla became an environmental activist and in 2011 confronted big mining companies planning to raze forests to mine coal. In May, 43-year-old Shukla was declared as one of the six winners of the 2024 Goldman Environmental award for his successes. (more)

India's new solar installations hit 6.2 GW in March
26 April 2024 - Rystad Energy's latest figures show that India's monthly renewable energy installations surged to a record 7.1 GW in March 2024, from the previous record of 3.5 GW, set in March 2022. More than 6.2 GW of the March 2024 total was new solar capacity -- a significant amount, given that the January-December 2023 period saw 7.5 GW of new solar installations. (more)

Colossal prehistoric snake discovered in India
19 April 2024 - A giant prehistoric snake longer than a school bus slithered around what is now India 47 million years ago, according to new research. The extinct snake may have been one of the largest to have ever lived, dwarfing present-day anacondas and pythons that can grow to about 6 meters (20 feet). The colossal creature's scientific name is Vasuki indicus, after the mythical serpent around the neck of Hindu deity Lord Shiva and the country of its discovery. (more)

This ancient snake in India might have been longer than a school bus and weighed a ton
18 April 2024 - A ancient giant snake in India might have been longer than a school bus and weighed a ton, researchers reported Thursday [18 April]. ...The newly discovered behemoth lived 47 million years ago in western India's swampy evergreen forests. ...They gave it the name Vasuki indicus after 'the mythical snake king Vasuki, who wraps around the neck of the Hindu deity Shiva,' said Debajit Datta, a study co-author at the Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee. (more)

It takes a village: the Indian farmers who built a wall against drought
30 March 2024 - The villagers of Surajpura have built a wall: a 15ft (4.5 metre) mud bulwark that snakes through barren land for nearly a mile, with an equally long trench dug beneath it. ...The wall passed its strength test last year when it stopped rainwater runoffs, and the trench channelled the water to parched farms in the drought-prone region of Rajasthan in north-west India, reviving them for the first time in more than two decades. (more)

World Wildlife Day: Prime Minister Modi hails those supporting wildlife conservation efforts
3 March 2024 - On the occasion of World Wildlife Day on March 3, Prime Minister Narendra Modi lauded those at the forefront of sustainable practices and supporting wildlife conservation efforts. United Nations World Wildlife Day (WWD) is celebrated every year on March 3. Every year on this day, the unique roles and contributions of wildlife to people's lives and the planet are recognized. (more)

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Success of Maharishi's Programmes
Short Summaries of Top Stories

Transcendental Meditation India celebrates International Yoga Day
21 June 2022 - Every year people across the globe observe International Yoga Day in June to celebrate the benefits of yoga. The Sanskrit word yoga means 'union'. This year's theme is 'Yoga for Humanity'. Maharishi Mahesh Yogi has brought to light that the process of unifying starts from the field of Unity, which is our own Self, silent and blissful, deep inside every one of us, and which is directly experienced during Transcendental Meditation practice. 'Only a new seed will yield a new crop': It is time for the seed of unity, Yoga, to be sown in every heart to bring peace to the world. (more)

'Veda for World Peace' - Live International Webinar 10 September - Dr Tony Nader to give keynote address
9 September 2020 - A live international webinar on 'Veda for World Peace' will be held Thursday, 10 September on Facebook and YouTube among other online platforms. The event will be held in the auspicious presence of Hon. Education Minister, Government of India, Dr Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank, and Tony Nader, MD, PhD, MARR - International President of Maharishi Universities worldwide, and head of the international Transcendental Meditation organisations in over 100 countries. Dr Nader will give the keynote address. The event will be attended by vice-chancellors, scientists, professors, Vedic scholars, students and representatives from more than 35 countries. (more)

India: Prime Minister Modi releases commemorative stamp honouring Maharishi Mahesh Yogi
31 August 2019 - On 30 August, His Excellency the Honourable Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi, released a commemorative stamp honouring the founder of the Transcendental Meditation programme, His Holiness Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, as one of the 12 'Master Healers of the modern era'. The Indian government's Ministry of AYUSH (Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha, and Homoeopathy) announced the presentations, and AYUSH Minister H.E. Shripad Yesso Naik participated with the Prime Minister. Commenting on the event, Tony Nader, MD, PhD, MARR, said, 'Maharishi dedicated his life to reviving effortless experience of transcending as the basis of 40 areas of Vedic knowledge. His world tours were instrumental in globally popularising Transcendental Meditation - the essence of Yoga - and Ayurveda [health care], two key areas of Vedic knowledge.' As Maharishi's successor, Dr Nader is head of the international Transcendental Meditation organizations in over 100 countries. (more)

Indian Medical University invites collaboration with Maharishi University of Management
18 August 2018 - India is increasingly showing an interest in Maharishi AyurVeda, including the country's Minister for Ayurveda and Yoga and the chancellor of a leading medical university, who is eager to collaborate with Maharishi University of Management (MUM) in the USA. Professor Robert Schneider, MD, FACC, Dean of the College of Integrative Medicine at MUM, was invited to give a keynote presentation at an international Ayurveda congress at D.Y. Patil University in Pune, India earlier this year. While there, in addition to university officials, he met with His Excellency Shripad Naik, India's Minister for traditional systems of health (AYUSH), who pledged his support for MUM's programme of Maharishi AyurVeda research and clinical practice. (more)

India: Maharishi University of Management faculty speak to 2,000 professors at conference
8 April 2018 - College professors in India recently heard presentations by Maharishi University of Management (MUM) Professors Anil Maheshwari and Scott Herriott at the Second National Teachers' Congress, hosted by Maharashtra Institute of Technology-World Peace University (MIT-WPU) in Pune, India. The MUM faculty were invited to give plenary addresses, along with the Dalai Lama and about 30 other eminent educators and political leaders. Over 2,000 teachers took part in the Congress. (more)

Maharishi Effect featured in The Times of India
23 February 2018 - The practice of Transcendental Meditation brings coherence and harmony to create a healing effect, writes Aditi Shrivastava in The Times of India: Research by scientists across the world has shown that when a specific number of people in an area practise Transcendental Meditation (TM) and its advanced techniques together, the influence of coherence and positivity generated is so phenomenal, that it can improve the quality of life of the area, improving the collective consciousness of the people. This leads to an invincible state for society, that is, a state of progressive growth, of stability where no negative influences will disrupt societies and they will be able to rise to true sovereignty and harmony amongst themselves. This phenomenon of increased social coherence was termed the Maharishi Effect in honour of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, Founder of the Transcendental Meditation programme, who predicted it in 1960. (more)

Building a business for peace: Maharishi University of Management alumnus
6 September 2017 - Amit Hooda is the co-founder and CEO of Heavenly Organics, an Iowa, USA-based business that imports raw honey made by wild bees in the remote forests of northern and central India. This unique business model helps sustain the economic and cultural survival of indigenous people. In 2005, while Amit was earning his MS in computer science at Maharishi University of Management, he and his father, a renowned agronomist in northern India, founded Heavenly Organics. 'I wanted to create an economic model that created ethical jobs in conflict areas,' said Amit. 'That is the only way to have long-term sustainable peace.' (more)

India: Widespread press coverage of Second International Ayurveda Congress in London
27 May 2017 - The recent Second International Ayurveda Congress, held last month in London, received widespread press coverage in India. Press Trust of India reported in the Financial Express: 'Researchers from across the world have vowed to work with India to promote Ayurveda globally, saying the ancient Indian system of natural and holistic medicine can help address major health problems.' The Congress was also featured in many British publications for the Asian and South Asian community. The International Maharishi AyurVeda Foundation, Netherlands, was one of the organizers of the Congress, whose theme was 'Ayurveda - the Pursuit of Health, Happiness and Long Life through Prevention-Oriented Health Care.' (more)

Maharishi University of Management: Dr. Robert Schneider gives keynote at India conference
15 March 2017 - India continues to show interest in Maharishi University of Management's science-based approach to traditional systems of prevention-oriented health-care. Most recently Dr Robert Schneider, dean of Maharishi College of Perfect Health, was invited to deliver the keynote address at an international conference of the World Association of Vedic Studies. He described how Maharishi AyurVeda programmes may slow or reverse ageing in Western and Indian populations. His audience included scholars, officials, and leaders who are integrating Vedic science and technologies into modern society. (more)

India: International Maharishi AyurVeda Foundation participates in 7th World Ayurveda Congress and Arogya Expo
31 January 2017 - The International Maharishi AyurVeda Foundation (IMAVF) participated with three presentations at the 7th World Ayurveda Congress, which was held last month in Kolkata, India. Over 3,500 delegates, mainly from various Asian countries, participated in the Congress. About 150,000 visitors came to the accompanying Arogya Expo, a trade show of many companies and institutions offering products and services in the field of Ayurveda. IMAVF was also present at the Arogya Expo, at the booth of Maharishi AyurVeda Products India, with an exhibition for the next International Ayurveda Congress, to be held in London, 1-2 April 2017. (more)

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Flops
Short Summaries of Top Stories

As India ages, a secret shame emerges: Elders abandoned by their children
2 August 2024 - In its traditions, in its religious tenets, and in its laws, India has long cemented the belief that it is a child's duty to care for his aging parents. But in a land known for revering its elderly, a secret shame has emerged: A burgeoning population of older people abandoned by their own families. (more)

How decline of Indian vultures led to 500,000 human deaths
30 July 2024 - More than two decades ago, India's vultures began dying because of a drug used to treat sick cows. By the mid-1990s, the 50 million-strong vulture population had plummeted to near zero because of diclofenac, a cheap non-steroidal painkiller for cattle that is fatal to vultures. Birds that fed on carcasses of livestock treated with the drug suffered from kidney failure and died. (more)

'My body can't take it': Brutal nighttime temperatures give Delhi residents little respite from India's searing heatwave
25 June 2024 - Nights are getting uncomfortably and dangerously hotter in India's capital as people in the world's most populous nation feel little respite from unrelenting temperatures. Northern India has endured a scorching summer, with one part of Delhi reaching 49.9 degrees Celsius (121.8 degrees Fahrenheit) in late May -- the capital's highest temperature on record. But the stifling heat persists even after the blazing sun has set. (more)

Climate change makes India's monsoons erratic. Can farmers still find a way to prosper?
24 June 2024 - Each year from June to September, a heavy band of rain makes its way from India's southwest coast to its northeastern borders, quenching farmers' thirsty fields. India's monsoon season is arguably the single most important weather phenomenon for the country, and a good monsoon can noticeably boost the nation's economy and the livelihoods of its 120 million farmers. But human-caused climate change is making the rainfall more erratic, making it difficult for farmers to plant, grow, and harvest crops on their rain-fed fields. (more)

Heat stress: how soaring temperatures are taking their toll on migrant workers in India's garden city
22 May 2024 - With heatwaves becoming more frequent in Bengaluru and other cities across India, climate planning must look to people on the margins, experts say. In a country known for its scorching heat, Bengalureans have, until recently, enjoyed summers that were comfortable and short, running from March to May, with temperatures peaking at an average of 34.1C (93F) in April. But now it is getting warmer. (more)

India's Bengaluru is fast running out of water, and a long, scorching summer still looms
16 March 2024 - Bengaluru in southern India is witnessing an unusually hot February and March, and in the last few years, it has received little rainfall in part due to human-caused climate change. Water levels are running desperately low, particularly in poorer areas, resulting in sky-high costs for water and a quickly dwindling supply. (more)

More rain, less snow are making Himalayas dangerous
19 August 2023 - Torrential rains and unabated construction are frequently triggering disasters in India's Himalayan region. But an unusual increase in rainfall is making the terrain even more dangerous. ...A new study has found that mountains across the globe, including the Himalayas, are now seeing more rainfall at elevations where it has mostly snowed in the past. (more)

Himalayan glaciers are melting faster than ever, and scientists say it's 'going to affect us' all
22 June 2023 - Glaciers in the Hindu Kush region of the Himalaya mountains are melting at the fastest rate ever and could shed as much as 80 percent of their ice by the end of this century if global warming continues unchecked, a group of international scientists warned in an alarming new report. (more)

Himalayan glaciers could lose 80 percent of their volume if global warming isn't controlled, study finds
21 June 2023 - Glaciers are melting at unprecedented rates across the Hindu Kush Himalayan mountain ranges and could lose up to 80 percent of their volume this century if greenhouse gas emissions aren't sharply reduced, according to a report. The report Tuesday [20 June] from Kathmandu-based International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development warned that flash floods and avalanches would grow more likely in coming years, and that the availability of fresh water could be curtailed for nearly 2 billion people who live downstream of 12 rivers that originate in the mountains. (more)

India struggles with a sweltering heat wave in 2 most populous states
19 June 2023 - At least 96 people died in two of India's most populous states over the last several days, officials said Sunday, with swaths of the country reeling from a sweltering heat wave. The deaths happened in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh and eastern Bihar where authorities warned residents over 60 and others suffering various maladies to stay indoors during the daytime. (more)