Kuala Lumpur, Oct. 8 : The Malay Indian community is enthusiastically celebrating the nine-day festival of Navratri.

Navratri, which literally means nine (nav) days (ratri), is a festival of worship and dance for the goddess Durga or Durga Maa.

The North Indian community of Kuala Lumpur congregates at the Shree Lakshmi Narayan Temple in Jalan Kasipillay, off Jalan Ipoh, the venue for the celebration of Durga Maa and three of her reincarnations -- Kali (goddess of purity), Lakshmi (goddess of wealth) and Saraswati (goddess of knowledge).

Ipoh (Malaysia), Oct. 8 : There is land, but no funds for constructing a crematorium for Hindus in the Malaysian state of Ipoh.

According to a report in the New Strait Times, a sum of RM 1.5 million is required for the project. According to Buntong state assemblyman A. Sivasubramaniam, the state government has finally located a site in his constituency for the crematorium.

The project has been pending since April 7, 2004.

Kuala Lumpur  - A Malaysian man was believed to have burnt down his own home in a fit of rage after his father told him to stop watching videos, a news report said Wednesday.

The suspect, in his 30s, was watching Video Compact Discs (VCDs) at home when his 71-year-old father told him to cut down on his favourite pastime.

After a quarrel, the son allegedly ran to the kitchen and tried to stab his father with a knife, The Star daily newspaper reported.

As his sister broke up the fight, the family left the suspect at home alone.

Kuala Lumpur, Oct 4 : Indian tribal women are being trafficked into Malaysia and Singapore for flesh trade.

The latest case was uncovered when five young women from Manipur and Assam escaped from the clutches of the traffickers recently.

Lured to Singapore with promises of well-paid maid jobs, the five women escaped when they were sent to Malaysia.

The Indian High Commission here is making arrangements to send them home, the NST Online reported.

Kuala Lumpur, Oct 4: The Malaysian Indian Congress will continue to monitor the development of Tamil schools in the country and extend its help in their growth.

Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department S. K. Devamany said about this after making a surprise visit to the Ulu Remis Estate Tamil School in Layang Layang, Johor.

He said the MIC, through its president S. Samy Vellu, was looking into the development of all Tamil schools in the country and also ensuring speedier action in rebuilding them.

Devamany said the MIC president was also working hard to ensure that Tamil school pupils were given the best facilities to help them achieve academic excellence.

Kuala Lumpur, Oct. 3: Malay Indian youth may soon get a chance to explore India under the “Know India Programme (KIP)”.

According to a report in the New Strait Times, applications have been invited for a three-week stay in Madhya Pradesh and Haryana.

Under the programme, students and young professionals of Indian origin from all over the world, will be able to share views, expectations and experiences with their Indian counterparts in a move to promote better understanding of contemporary India.

Although the Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs (MOIA) covers the cost of the stay in India, the applicants themselves will fund air travel on economy class to India initially.