HINDU TEMPLE SOCIETY of Lehigh Valley

Transcription

1 HINDU TEMPLE SOCIETY of Lehigh Valley 4200 Airport Road, Allentown, PA Ph: (484) NEWSLETTER May 2018 Volume 31 Issue 5 Om asato maa sadgamaya, tamaso maa jyotirgamaya, mrtyormaa amrtam gamaya...om Saantih,Saantih,Saantih* TEMPLE PROGRAMS Every Tuesday 11:00 AM Jain Samuhik Samayik Every Tuesday Every Friday Every Sunday 4:15 PM 7:00 PM 7:30 PM - 9:30 PM Last Thursday 3:00 PM Sundarkand May 1, Tuesday May 4, Friday 3:00 PM - 9:00 PM Hanuman Chalisa & Sri Ram Amritvani Recitation Vishnu Sahasranamam chanting Bhagavad Gita Vichar Group (details on page 3) Swami Anubhavananda Talk (details on page 7) May 3, Thursday 6:30 PM - 7:30 PM Sankat Haran Chaturthi Puja ALMANAC (Panchang) May 03: Chaturthi May 11: Ekadasi May 13: Pradosham May 13: Maha Sivaratri May 25: Ekadashi May 26: Pradosham May 27: Vaikasi Visakam FORTHCOMING PROGRAMS June 3rd BalVihar Annual Day June 24th Jain Puja May 5, Saturday May 6, Sunday May 13, Sunday May 11, Friday May 25, Friday May 13, Sunday May 26, Saturday May 19, Saturday 8:00 AM - 3:00 PM 10:00 AM - 1:00 PM Balvihar Tyagaraj Aradhana (details on page 4) 6:30 PM - 7:30 PM Ekadashi Puja 6:30 PM - 7:30 PM Pradosha Puja 3:30 PM - 8:30 PM Holi Celebration (details on page 5) May 20, Sunday 10:00 AM - 2:00 PM Jain Puja May 27, Sunday 10:00 AM - 2:00 PM Jain Puja May 29, Tuesday 6:30 PM - 7:30 PM Poonam Satynarayan Pooja To obtain electronic copy or paper copy of the newsletter, please send your id or postal address to htseditor@gmail.com TEMPLE TIMINGS Monday - Friday : 10:00 AM - 12:05 PM 6:00 PM - 9:00 PM Saturday & Sunday: 10:00 AM - 9:00 PM Daily Aarti Timings: AM & 7:30 PM For questions and information, please call (484) Please send to htseditor@gmail.com by the 19th of each month to publish in the following newsletter. Any information received after the 20th cannot be published in the following month For further details, please see next page. 1

2 TEMPLE ADMINISTRATION Executive Council An Important Announcement In order to reduce expenses, The Hindu Temple Society has decided NOT to mail Annual Reports. If you are a paid member of HTS, and would like to receive an electronic copy of the annual reports, please Mr. Raman Malhotra at raman@rcn.com!!no PARKING ON THE CURB!! Note the yellow no parking lines next to the curbside of the temple. Violations will be strictly enforced by the local police. **No Eating in the Temple Sanctorum** Only small quantity of dry Prasad is allowed in the temple sanctorum. No plates and cutlery allowed. Please exit out of the temple sanctorum into the main lobby area to eat more Prasad. Please refrain from bringing unused items from your home and leaving it at the temple in boxes President: Shaila Shah Vice-President: Surender Dayal Secretary: Sunil Gupta Treasurer: Shankar Nataraj Asst. Treasurer: Venkata Balabhadra Program Director: Vandana Negandhi Asst Program Director: Editor: Amita Pallod Asst Editor: Balvihar Director: Pratibha Purani Balvihar Asst. Dir: Purvi Bhojani Comm. Relations Dir: Jitesh Rohatgi Webmaster: Padmasri Mokkapati Members-at-large Rajul Shah Monica Chibber Shyam Sunder Program Committee Rasna Patel Rimmi Dawar Sridhar Venkatanarayanan Rakesh Shroff Editorial Committee Aditi Pallod Treasurer Committee Maintenance Committee Kamlesh Ashar Sudesh Singh Advertisement in the News Letter Full Page(7.5 x 10 ) $ 70 Half Page (7.5 x 5 ) $ 50 Quarter Page (3.5 x 5 ) $ 30 Temple Tax ID # Please your ad (in WORD / PUBLISHER ONLY) AS PER THE ABOVE GUIDELINES to the editor htseditor@gmail.com, and send the check payment (made out to Hindu Temple Society) directly to the temple address. Please enter the RENTAL DONATIONS FOR THE TEMPLE (EFFECTIVE FROM AUGUST 2014) MEMBERS NON-MEMBERS Main Level, Lower Level & Kitchen (6 hrs.): $500 $600 Main Temple Hall (up to 4 hrs.) $200 $300 Lower Level & Kitchen (6 hrs.): $350 $450 Lower Level without kitchen (6 hrs.): (Fri,Sat,Sun) $250 $350 Lower Level without kitchen (6 hrs..): (Mon-Thu) (Except Holidays) $150 $250 Kitchen only ( 6hrs): $150 $250 Upper Level, Krishna Room (2 hrs or less) $15 $25 Upper Level, Yamuna Room (2 hrs or less) $15 $25 Upper Level, Ganga Room (2hrs or less) $25 $35 Lower Level, Stage Only (2 hrs or less) $25 $35 A refundable deposit of $100 is required. Each additional hour is $50/hour. Use of the audio system in the temple: $50 $75 *** Audio system must be operated by a qualified person only. *** Chair - Each $0.50 $0.60 Table - Each $5 $6 Visit for CURRENT newsletter, donation and other information 2 Board of Trustees Chairman: Pattabi Neelakantan Vice Chairman: Chetan Pandya Secretary: Vikas Joshi Audit Committee: Chetan Pandya - Chair Bhailal Shah Education Committee: Vindya Ragavachari - Chair Gayatri Ray Finance Committee: Chandra Swaminathan Vikas Joshi Chatargy Kaza Membership and Community Relations: Chatargy Kaza Pratima Patel Vindya Ragavachari Kripa Sngh Projects & Planning Committee: Kripa Singh Chair Pratima Patel Vikas Joshi Members-at-Large: Ex-Officio Member: Shaila Shah Publication Identification Title: HTS News Letter Issue Date: Monthly / May 2018 Issue No: Volume: 31; Issue # 5 Published by: Hindu Temple Society, 4200 Airport Road, Allentown, PA 18109

3 TEMPLE BULLETIN BOARD BHAGAVAD GITA VICHAR GROUP TEMPLE BULLETIN BOARD Bhagavad Gita and Vedanta Studies Group Sessions are held every Sunday, 7:30 PM to 09:00 PM in the Krishna Room of the Temple, since Text : Bhagavad Gita Home Study by Swami Dayanandaji For detailed information, please go to: -gita-study Vishnu Sahasranamam chanting Every Friday 7:00PM NEW!! Every month Pujas on occasions will be performed by Pundit Sri Anandji Sastrigal Everybody with background and interest in these studies is welcome to join any time. For additional questions, please contact : Dipak Choudhuri, Tel choudhuridipak@yahoo.com Sundarkand Last Thurs day of every month at 3:00 PM PUJA PROGRAM Pandit Sri Anandji Sastrigal will be performing the following Pujas this month May 3, Thursday May 11, Friday May 25, Friday May 13, Sunday May 26, Saturday May 29, Tuesday 6:30-7:30 PM Sankat Haran Chathurthi Pooja (Ganesh Pooja and Arathi) Sponsorship open 6:30-7:30 PM Ekadashi Pooja (Vishnu Sahasranama Archana followed by Arathi) Sponsors are solicited 6:30-7:30 PM Pradosh Pooja (Abhisheka to Lord Shiva followed by Arathi) Sponsors are welcome 6:30-7:30 PM Pournami Pooja (Satyanarayna Pooja and Katha: story telling of Lord Satyanarayna in Hindi or English followed by Aarathi) Devotees are welcome to sponsor the pooja 3

4 alehigh VALLEY ARADHANA On May 5, 2018 Program 08:00 AM Puja to Tyagarāja Swamy 08:30 AM Utsava Sampradāya and Divya Nāma Kriti-s by children 09:00 AM Individual Participation AM 10:45 AM Pañcaratna and other selected kriti-s by Adults 12:15 PM Lunch 01:00 PM Featured Concert 03:00 PM Individual Participation THIS YEAR S FEATURED PERFORMANCE IS VIOLIN SOLO BY SIDDHARTH ASHOKKUMAR VENUE: HINDU TEMPLE SOCIETY, 4200 Airport Road, Allentown, PA DAY/ DATE: SATURDAY/ MAY 5, 2018 (MARK YOUR CALENDAR) For individual participation, and Utsava Sampradāya Kriti-s, please contact For Adult choir, contact or htsaradhana@gmail.com Senior Corner/Goldie Meet & Greet January-May, 2018 Senior group s regular monthly meeting was held on Saturday, 14th May, Goldie Meet and Greet Held on 18 th May. Senior News: Three new ideas we will pursue coming months. The Consulate General of India, proposes to conduct a Consular Facilitation Camp in Allentown, PA on 23 rd June, Senior Group will work with HTS and IAALV to held this camp. Other issues we are working on : A, Provide Ride to Seniors- Can sign register request through HTS Web page or call / Dipak Choudhuri( , choudhuridipak@yahoo.com) Bereavement Counselling: We are looking in this issue and will communicat Goldie News: 1. We paid our respect to very beloved friend Late Naraindas Sajnani, with prayer and silence 2. Had our usual activities of Chair Yogo, Laughing Club, stories,jokes and Food. 3. Future plan (a) Visit to Akshaydham, NJ, (b) Picnic during summer month. Dipak Choudhuri ( Cell ) 4

5 Tickets can be bought at: 5

6 Hindu Temple Presents Community Bhajans Followed by lunch Time: 11:00 AM When: Saturday May 12th, 2018 Cost: FREE Spend some quality time your family and friends at the mandir for an hour of beautiful devotional music followed by delicious lunch Music will be presented by Lehigh Valley's own talented artists. They will present a program of bhajans and other devotional songs. It will be led by Smt. Joita Bhattacharyya, who specializes in singing bhajans and film songs. They will be accompanied by other local talented singers, Tabla & Dholak players. For Sponsorship: Please contact Surender Dayal Sushir Gandotra

7 Hindu Temple Society Welcomes Swami Anubhavananda 4200 Airport Road Allentown, PA on May 1st thru May 3 rd, 2018 SWAMI ANUBHAVANANDA, the "Be Happy" Swami, is a karma yogi of the current information revolution. Suave, witty, and a Master of Vedanta, he is a multi-faceted personality. His name echoes his personality; he is the Experience of Happiness. He comes across both as a simple being and an erudite scholar. He is equally at home with people of all ages kids or teenagers, middle-aged or old reaching out to them in no time and making them smile. After hearing one of his lectures in Boston University, a student remarked, "I never knew spirituality is such fun and interesting; I thought it was serious business"; He communicates the most difficult of the philosophy in a simple and witty manner touching the hearts of people around him. Morning Workshop: Art of Meditation Wed, May 2 nd Thu. May 3 rd 11:30 AM to 12:30 PM Swamiji will explain and guide us through the meditation Evening Talks: Bhaja Govindam Tue, May 1 tst Thurs. May 3 rd 6:30 to 8:00 PM The art of living is revealed in a lighthearted manner. Adi Sankarcharya, the leading exponent of Advaita Vedanta A.D, composed this simple but deep text. It dissects life and shows us the path to self-knowledge and happiness. For any questions, please contact Gopal Kris Kapoor at 61O or kapoor14@aol.com or Chandra Swaminathan at or cupas2@aol.com To order talks (CD's and DVD's) by Swami Anubhavananda visit Why Hindu Temple Needs YOU? Dear Friends, Greetings. Please spare a few minutes to know your temple. Thanks to the efforts of a handful of founding members, the Hindu Temple started in the seventies but could only meet in people s basement or in a Bethlehem Church; with commitment, hard work and financial support from many others, the temple was built in the eighties; a decade ago, the temple was expanded to meet the ever growing Indian American population in the Lehigh Valley. How does the temple evolve in the future, is in (Y)OUR hands. We just finished the 2017 financial report. Do you know that it costs over $11,000 to maintain the temple for a month? Utilities alone comes to $2,000/month! Temple cleaning, another $1,000/month; add another $1,000 for lawn care/ snow removal. You get the point. Any time, the temple approaches the local/state/federal government for any clearance or approval, the first question they ask is how many paid members are part of the temple? The reason is simple; they want to know if the temple has broader community support. According to latest figures, there are close to 1,500 Indian American families in the Lehigh Valley. Whereas, less than 300 are paid members during Yes, more than 80% are NOT contributing the bare minimum $151/year to become a paid temple member. Ironically, Indians are the richest ethnic group in U.S. I am thankful to all those who donate their precious time and money. The purpose of this letter is to urge you to do your share. In particular, may I request your support in two ways? Like before any puja, please make a sankalpa to become a paid member by contributing at least $151 every year. To help you remember, make it a practice to do it on your marriage anniversary day or any special day in your life. Second, please consider volunteering your time. Please come 30 minutes early or stay 30 minutes late after any puja or program. That is when we need the most help either to prepare before the event or clean up after the event. An average American household donates 2-3% of their income; in some religions, people are encouraged to donate up to 10% of their income. Just imagine, if we all donate just ½% of our household income, we can grow the temple not just to serve us but also the next generation, for whom the Lehigh Valley Hindu Temple is the family deity in this country! Thanks for your time. Pattabi Neelakantan, Temple Management 7

8 a HTS THE INDIAN-AMERICAN SENIORS GROUP OF LEHIGH VALLEY SUPPORTED BY HINDU TEMPLE SOCIETY (HTS) and INDIAN-AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF LEHIGH VALLEY (IAALV) WANTS TO ORGANIZE A CONSULAR FACILITATION CAMP CONDUCTED BY THE CONSULATR GENERAL OF INDIA, NEW YORK. Purpose: At this camp, applicants can get OCI/Indian Passport/Visa applications pre-approved prior to lodging the application with CKGS. Proposed Date:Saturday, June 23 rd, 2018 Venue: Hindu Temple Society, 4200Airport Rd, Allentown, pa Time: 1:30PM-4:30PM To all interested people, please note: To hold this camp, we would need 50 or more interested people. Please pre-register by May 12 th, 2018 by contacting one of the following people: Dipak Choudhuri choudhuridipak@yahoo.com; Balakrishna Rao balarao37@gmail.com; Ananda Bhat anandabhat2002@yahoo.com; Rashmi Sheth rsheth33@gmail.com; Note: Please disseminate the announcement to whomever may benefit from the camp. 8

9 Senior Corner/Goldie Meet & Greet January-February, 2018) Senior group s regular monthly meeting was held on Saturday, 3 rd February, Goldie Meet and Greet Held on 24 th January and 21 st February Wednesdays in2018. Senior News: Three new ideas we will pursue coming months: 1. We have made some progress regarding providing ride to our senior members of the community. Program is ready to roll now. a. Temple website, one can go to senior corner and sign requesting a ride. Ride is limited to Senior Indian Community members only. b. We have a volunteer list who are willing to provide ride. 2. Senior group is requested by Temple management to help providing Bereavement Counseling to community members, as needed. We will be working with Temple management during coming months. 3. Indian Consular General from New York: We are reviving this idea again to invite Consular General to visit Lehigh Valley and meet local Indian residents. It seems there is interest within the community about this. This may happen May-July timeframe. Goldie Meet and Greet: 1. Goldie Group met for the first time this year on 24 th January, Wednesday, 30 plus in attendance. 2. We all had fun time doing Chair Yoga, Laughing Club, Vegan Food Discussion, Lots of laughter and fun. 3. We talked about future activities like : picnic, travelling nearby temples, going together to flower show, movies, dinners etc. 4. Goldie meet on 24 th February, we did Yoga, Laughter Club, talk about India s social changes and our individual views, future planning. Both meet had food and tea, some homemade. The main theme is to meet casual manner, no specific agenda, any idea is good idea and have three hours of fun. Dipak Choudhuri ( Cell) Senior Group Coordinator Senior Volunteers Cleaning Temple Windows. Join us and have fun. 9

10 The Hindu Temple Society 4200 Airport Road, Allentown, PA (610) RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED... Non-Profit Org. U.S. Postage PAID Lehigh Valley, PA Permit No HTS Upcoming Events June 3rd BalVihar Annual Day June 24th Jain Puja Mark your calendar for these grand HTS events and look out for further updates in the HTS blasts and the newsletter. To obtain electronic copy of the newsletter, please send your address to We encourage the community members to sign up for electronic copy. Please help save the environment. GO GREEN Temple: (484)