Som Patidar

Jan 16, 2025 | indianpolitics.co.in | Meghna Bali |Som Patidar

By Meghna Bali and Som PatidarDigambar Naga Baba has kept his arm up in this position for five years as an extreme act of penance. (ABC News: Meghna Bali)Digambar Naga Baba has kept his hand raised for the last five years — a symbolic act of devotion and sacrifice. He claims this extreme penance is to protect Sanatan Dharma, or “eternal dharma”, a Sanskrit term often used to describe the ancient spiritual and moral foundation of Hinduism.

Jan 13, 2025 | abc.net.au | Meghna Bali |Som Patidar

Digambar Naga Baba has kept his right hand raised for the last five years — a symbolic act of devotion and sacrifice. He claims this extreme penance is to protect Sanatan Dharma, or "eternal dharma", a Sanskrit term often used to describe the ancient spiritual and moral foundation of Hinduism. As a Naga Sadhu — a member of an ascetic sect dedicated to Lord Shiva — he embraces a life of severe austerity, celibacy, and meditation.

Sep 20, 2024 | abc.net.au | Ellie Grounds |Som Patidar

At the height of Sri Lanka's economic crisis in 2022, after months at a protest camp calling for the resignation of the country's president, Nixon Chandrenthan finally had a good night's sleep. The bed he slept in was in the presidential palace. "We enjoyed that really well, because we were so tired," he told the ABC. "We'd been at the [protest camp] for more than 90 days.

Jan 22, 2024 | fijivillage.com | Meghna Bali |Som Patidar

How a Hindu temple built on the remains of an ancient mosque at Ayodhya could help Narendra Modi win this year's election India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi officially opened the temple.(India's Press Information Bureau via Reuters) Decades after a sacred mosque was violently demolished by Hindu nationalists, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has unveiled a brand new temple on the site at the centre of a centuries-long religious rift. Hindu holy men and pilgrims dressed in saffron robes...

Jan 18, 2024 | abc.net.au | Avani Dias |Som Patidar

Since their nine-year-old daughter was killed, Rajaa and Chandni have faced unimaginable horrors. The couple's daughter first went missing in December, after a neighbour told them she had disappeared from the family home. "No parents should face what we have faced," says Rajaa, the girl's father. WARNING: Some readers might find the details in this story distressing. When they turned to police for help in the search for her, Chandni said they failed to do anything.