Ati-Uttam Magnifique Magnificent Shaandaar

October 1995 Volume 1 Issue 4 Ati-Uttam Magnifique Magnificent Shaandaar n any language, it was a magnificent event. The first annual convention of the BSNA was held at Allentown, PA on July 1, and 2, 1995. It was attended by about 350 people from the USA and Canada. The ages of the delegates ranged from a few months to several decades. That was precisely the objective of the convention--to bring the different generations together. According to Mr. Kailash Sharma, the Convention Chairman, the convention provided a -- wonderful opportunity to the younger generation to enjoy and comprehend a glimpse of our great heritage and traditions presented by those belonging to the older generation--. The convention started with Ganeshaprayers by Dr. Laxmi Chaturvedi, Ms. Preti Chaturvedi, Mr. Anand Chaturvedi. The first session consisted of thought provoking and informative lectures by Dr. Shyam Shukla (session chairman), Dr. Ram Chaudhari, Dr. Onkar Dwivedi, Ms. Rachana Choubey, Dr. Satya Pachori, Dr. Hans Upadhyaya, and Dr. L. Chaturvedi on diverse issues like value of service, growing up in America, and Karmyoga. The session after lunch started with a vandana in Hindi, set to music by DrPradeep Shukla, and sung by Dr. Anita Dubey, Dr. Pradeep Shukla, and Ms. Sharad Tewary. The session was then addressed by Mr. Nirmalendu Choubey, Dr. Satchidanand Mishra, and Mr. Bhaw Dutt Shukla. Mr. Choubey described the formation of the BSNA, and the role it would play in bringing the community together. The keynote speech was delivered by Prof. Ramanath Sharma, a reputed scholar and Professor of Linguistics at the University of Hawaii. In his speech, Prof. Sharma discussed the importance of samskara, Brahma-Bharati and the need to uphold the cultural values of the community. The post-lunch session ended with the presentation of a plaque Mr. Nirmalendu Choubey, in recognition of his contributions to the community. The keynote session was followed by four parallel breakout sessions. One, chaired by Dr. Ghanshyam Pandey, was devoted to questions by the audience and Prof. Ramanath Sharma (above, L) gave answers by a panel of experts. The issues a mesmerizing keynote address. Even after pertaining to youth were discussed in the his scheduled time was over, the audience sessions chaired by Ms. Natasha wanted him to continue his speech. Nidhi Tripathi, gr. 3, of Acton, MA, (above, R) charmed the audience as The President honored Mr Nirmalendu Choubey, the Founder Goddess Saraswati in the cultural program. President of the BSNA, was honored at the convention for his untiring efforts in A small question challenged big minds Juhi Dubey, gr. 7, from Boxborough, bringing the community together. This came as a complete surprise to him as well MA, asked a question that challenged the as the audience, since it was kept a secret experts and induced the keynote speaker to until it was announced at the session. change the theme of his prepared speech. Pict-ure below: Mr. Choubey (R) receiving She asked, in somewhat different words, the plaque from Mr. Kailash Sharama What is the relevance of the brahmanism (back towards the camera). Also in the to my generation, and what do you have to picture: Mr. Bhaw Shukla (2nd from R), offer us in the name of brahmanism? and Prof Ramanath Sharma (L) who Below: Juhi with Dr. Arvind Pathak and recited his specially written poem for Mr. Ms. Rajni Bhargava in the background. Publication of the BSNA The Convention special

Chaturvedi, Ms. Neelu (cont p2) (from p.1) Shukla, Mr. Ashok Tripathi, Ms. Deepti Choubey, Ms. Ruchi Misra, Ms. Richa Chaturvedi, and Ms. Sonia Sharma. Not that the convention was all work and no play. A beautiful cultural program was organized by Mr. Raga Misra and Dr. Anita Dubey, and conducted with wit and humor by Ms. Anuranjita Tewary and Mr. Rajesh Pandey. The program included a famous dance by Ms. Madhuri Dixit, but the brochure hastily clarified No, not what you are thinking. The highlight of the program was some very funny caricatures and parodies by Mr. Ramesh Pandey, the famous Hollywood Yogi from-- where else-- Hollywood. Finally, the eventful day ended with a western style dance with the excellent rocking music presented by a local DJ, and a well-attended Kavi-Sammelan. The Kavi-sammelan included, in addition to excellent poetry, beautiful songs and ghazals. Ms. Neeti Dubey set the mood with her inspiring Saraswativandana. Ms. Vasavdatta Vyas recited a beautiful Sanskrit poem. Other artists who instantaneously won the audience s applause were Mr. Anoop Bhargava, Ms. Kamlesh Misra, Mr. Jagar Sharma, Mr. Ramesh Pandey, and the keynote speaker. We discovered that Prof. Ramanath Sharma, in addition to being a great scholar and an orator, is an excellent poet. A picnic was organized on the day after in a scenic park. The picnic had fun games, quizzes, informal music program, a Yoga demonstration by Mr. Ramesh Pandey, and above all delicious food. The whole event was a grand success and very well organized. The programs were well planned and, by and large, the timings were maintained. OK, not quite, but why bother about timings. We had plenty of gyan-ganga, and the food was delicious, with generous helpings of sweets. What more could the brahmans want? The excellent organizational job was done by a coherent team that included Mr. Kailash Sharma, Mr. Anoop Bhargava, Mr. Bhaw Shukla, Mr. Dhirendra Shukla, Mr. Ramakant Chaturvedi, Mr. Pooran Tripathi, Dr. Satchidanand Mishra, Dr. Surendra Dwivedi, Dr. Sudhendu Choubey, and Dr. Ramendra From your President n July 1, history was made in North America. Brahmans from all walks of life assembled in Allentown, Pennsylvania to simply meet one another. They came from as far away as Hawaii, and about half of them were children. I recall, many of us had thought this to be impossibile only a year ago. The talks were thought provoking. The key note address was mesmerizing. The children asked the most penetrating questions. We are still searching for answers to some of their questions. I was amazed by the talent displayed by them during the cultural program and the enthusiasm they showed for the convention. Announcing the end of convention was very difficult indeed but felt redeemed when children told each other, see you next year. Well, the date and location for the 1996 convention is now finalized and hope many of you will take advantage of the early bird special. Our membership has nearly doubled from what it was in January. But we still have a long way to go. Our goal for the next year is to cross the ONE THOU- SAND mark. It is well within our reach if you lend us a hand. There are many who are already working very hard to make us realize this goal. How about you? The minimum that we ask is that you provide us a list of your friends and relatives who are not yet a member. We are confident about your support. On September 3, BSNA became one year old. We opened a Chapter in Michigan this year on that very day. The anniversary celebrations are planned in Boston on November 4. Please join us in the celebration. I take this opportunity to thank every one for a very successful year and look forward to seeing you next year at the convention. Happy Holidays. Sorry to hear Mr. Vir Bhan Salwan, the respected father of Mrs. Sita Sharma of Fremont, CA, passed away in Illinois on July 16, 1995. He is survived by his wife Smt Vidya Wati Salwan, three sons, two daughters, and thirteen grand children. Late Mr. Salwan was born in Punjab on Feb. 27, 1919. He was a successful Dr. S. Anand Mishra A word about your Directory by Satchidanand Mishra Editor, BSNA Directory The directory of BSNA is a very important instrument through which the members of this large family can keep in touch with each other and foster relationships. The effort of Dr. Shyam Narayan Shukla towards this goal in bringing out the first directory of BSNA is very praiseworthy. It was decided at the Allentown convention to bring out an updated directory and reformat it in a fashion that future updates could be made easily. A relational data base has now been established and all the information available to date has been entered. The data base contains all the information sought in the registration forms but the directory will include only a limited information to help foster the relationship among the members. A preliminary version of this was handed out to the participants at the convention. It is being proofread by a committee headed by Mr. Nirmal Choubey. The task is proving to be more difficult than anticipated since the updated information has been received only from the West and the South, and partially from the East through the efforts of regional coordinators, Dr. Shyam Narayan Shukla, Mr. Pooran Tripathi, and Mr. Kailash Chandra Sharma. We may be forced to draw a deadline and bring out the directory with the existing information. Please notify ASAP any changes of addresses and education levels of your family members. Thank you. businessman and farmer. He was a very respected member of the community of the Bay area, Chicago vicinity and Punjab. The Hindu temple, Southbay, is naming a library after this very respectable man for his efforts to provide the financing for the temple, when a major bank failed to do so. May the departed soul rest in peace and the bereaved families cope with this tragedy with courage and strength. Brahma-Bharati October 1995 Page 2

The Presidential speech by Nirmalendu Choubey We have made history today. For the first time in North America, Brahmans have met as Brahmans. Two weeks ago my children asked me what I wanted as a Father's Day gift. I said, this year was going to be different. I want your enthusiastic support in making this convention go smoothly. When they called me to wish me a happy father's day, I thanked them for their nice gesture and reminded them, politely of course, that my gifts were not due for another two weeks. I am happy to report to you that I got my gift today. I believe our children have given us all a great gift whether they are here or not. They have given it by being the best they can be, in the field of their choice. Their presence in many excellent schools and colleges, much more than the percentage of the population of our community, is a testimony to that. For us, today is Father's day, Mother's day and Thanks giving day, all rolled into one. Let us salute them. As first generation North Americans we have a lot to be proud of. We are one of the most successful immigrant communities. We have made substantial contributions in every field we chose to participate in. The most notable achievements are in the field of science, art, education, health, business and finance. Many of us who are present today have been already recognized by our peers both here and abroad. From time to time you will read about them in our newsletter Brahma Bharati. The January issue honored two such individuals and the July issue is proud to honor three more. Four of these individuals, I am honored to say, are here today. Let us salute them. We are proud of the achievements of all parents. We are proud of them as an American, Canadian, Indian, Hindu, and as a Brahman. Let us salute the parents. Let us particularly salute the working Brahma-Bharati October 1995 mothers who have the dual responsibility of juggling the demands of work and home. The fathers salute you. The children salute you. To those of you who are future fathers or mothers (or fathers and mothers in waiting), we salute you for your contribution. The friends salute you. And finally, we salute the residents of Allentown, Bethleham and Easton, Pennsylvania for making it possible that we could meet here today. There are about 100 families who are attending this convention. The total number is around 350. About half of them are children. About 15% have traveled 1000 miles or more to be here today. I ask, how is this possible for an organization which is less than a year old to hold such a convention which costs more than $200 per family, and has equal representation from the present generation and the next generation? I ask again, how is it possible for an organization which is still in its infancy to have already produced a directory and is about to issue another one; and has published three issues of Brahma Bharatia quarterly news letter specially catering to your needs? And for the last time I ask, how is it possible for us to have increased our membership three fold and opened seven chapters across this continent in such a short time? My fellow Brahmans, we must be doing something right. I salute you for this unparalleled achievement. I am often asked what are the aims and objectives of BSNA. My simple and only answer is, to serve humanity and God. It is service that Brahmans have performed for generations, and that is what BSNA stands for today. They have done it by mastering the language of gods, Sanskrit; protecting and preserving the Vedas and Upanishads. My fellow brahmans, we have protected and preserved the Hinduism. And here in America we have given our best and the brightest that American schools and colleges have ever witnessed. We do it because it is our duty and we ask nothing in return. The concept of service, respect for customs and traditions, preference for a healthy life style and no discrimination of any kind based on caste, religion, race, nationality or country of origin is what we stand for. We have a culture and traditions that is an envy of many communities and we cannot afford to lose it. (contd. next column) I want to thank you for your time. I particularly want to thank those who have From your editor The convention snippets If you were at the convention, did you notice a charming lady, bubbling with energy, moving about with a camera, photographing events, and generally checking the arrangements. She was our first lady, Muktimala Choubey, the driving force behind the President. Inspite of her heavy involvement in all the arrangements, she chose to remain away from the lime light. So much so that I do not have even her photo to print. However, we can keep in mind that she has been very much a part of the BSNA. Whenever, we think of the great contributions of Mr. Choubey to the BSNA, we should recall the famous saying that behind every great man is a woman. The picnic was fun. We met old friends and made new ones. There were pockets of crowds doing their own things. There was a Yoga demonstartion by Mr. Ramesh Pandey. You could also see Prof. Ramanath Sharma surrounded by his admirers eager to grasp his words of wisdom. There were quizz competitions in which adults as well as children participated with great zeal. There was a music program where we heard mature as well as budding artists. One such budding artist, who became a darling of the crowd was, Vedanta Misra, age 7, of Harriman NY. Vedanta was uninhibited, cute, skilled, and enthusiastic- all the ingredients of a successful artist. Keep it up Vedanta. Want to hear more? Turn to p6 col. 1. Page 3

From your treasurer by Bhaw Shukla Those of you who have paid yearly membership for this year, need to send their yearly membership dues ($25.00) for this coming year. Better yet, you should become a life member ($250.00). As you all have witnessed what a succesful and exciting convention we had in July, 95. It was a concerted effort of everyone involved and I thank you all for being a participent. Your financial and moral support is essential for BSNA to survive and grow. We will be sending a revised directory, and the newsletter to each member within the next few weeks. I am sure that you do not want to miss these interesting issues. Therefore, please mail us your check today. To refresh your memory, I am listing Membership dues (several categories) and the ways you can make donations: MEMBERSHIP: YEARLY: $25.00; LIFE: $250.00; CLUB: $1000.00; PATRON: $5000.00 DONATION: 1. SIMPLY DONATE, WITH NO STRINGS ATTACHED; 2. PLACE AN AD IN OUR DIRECTORY. THE COST IS AS FOLLOWS: OUTSIDE COVER(FULL PAGE): $200.00; INSIDE COVER(FULL PAGE): $150.00; ALL OTHER PAGES(FULL PAGE): $100.00; HALF PAGE $60.00 I stated during convention that our goal is to keep the membership money in a fixed deposit and let it grow. Well, it did not happen exactly because we lost money in staging the convention. But, I am happy to report that we did put $10,000.00 in a fixed deposit account. That s why I am encouraging everyone to contribute towards the fund. The financial statement of the BSNA is given in the next column. Thank you for believing in and supporting BSNA. Namaskar! Mr. Bhaw Shukla giving the Treasurer s report at the convention FINANCIAL STATEMENT (9/30/95) ASSETS: Membership $17,771.00 Convention(check) $17,167.00 Convention(cash) $330.00 TOTAL: $35,268.00 LIABILITIES: Convention: Hotel(Days Inn): $13,971.34 Food: $ 4,627.00 Misc: $625.00 Subtotal: $19223.34 Lawyer: $1,160.00 Membership Drive: $1,657.12 Printing Press: $1,075.36 Subtotal: $3,892.48 TOTAL: $23,115.82 BALANCE: $12,152.18 ESTIMATED EXPENSES: (Between 10/1/95-12/31/95) Directory: $2,000.00 Mailing Directory: $1,000.00 Mailing Newsletter: $200.00 TOTAL: $3,200.00 (from col 3) people who have had a similar upbringing and hearing their views on a variety of topics. In fact, I have made a few friends and I strongly encourage people to continue the educational discourse we began this summer. ****** Ms. Deepti Choubey is trying to establish an electronic circuit of the College going and younger members of the BSNA. If you are interested, please send an e-mail to Deepti at the following To our younger members Fuming? Angry? Something not right with the Brahma-Bharati or the BSNA? Well, don t just sit there. Tear off this issue, but before that, please let us know what is wrong with it. If you have the pen, and thoughts, Brahma-Bharati is the medium for you. Come-on, react. On the other hand if something is cool about us, please let us know that too. I f you have a good news about yourself or a friend, please share it with us. -Editor A 4-page convention supplement containing the keynote address and a picture gallery is enclosed with this issue of the Brahma-Bharati. Reflections by Deepti Choubey s a co-moderator with Ruchi Mishra, for the 18-20 year old age group Break-out session, I have been able to reflect on the conversations that I heard and participated in during the Brahman Samaj Conference this summer. There seem to be several themes prevalent throughtout our weekend in Allentown and for the people I spoke with, one of the most important concerns that needs addressing is education. Perhaps an example will help you to understand what I mean. We started the breakout session sitting in a circle and attempted to rearrange ourselves so that we would sit next to people we did not already know. A series of ice-breakers served to acquaint us with each other. For instance, I now know what some people think is the cheesiest Hindi film, although some stated that there were too many films that fit the category so a decision would be hard to reach. As we moved into more serious discussions, we constantly hit an obstacle as we tried to articulate our views on what it meant to be a Brahman. The obstacle was simply that we didn't all possess the same operational definitions when discussing this issue. Some members of the group conveyed the frustration they felt when they had asked scholars within the Indian community for guidance when searching for the Brahman identity. To me, this discourse over the meaning of being a Brahman evidences a need for greater education in the area of basic Brahman traditions and how that role has changed with the advent of more modern times. I believe that some of the speakers involved in the panel discussions attempted to address the pertinence of being a Brahman today. Obviously, the answer is multi-faceted, but still the need remains for people such as myself to hear all the different answers to the question. One of the best ways of educating is to offer a variety of answers and then to let one choose the answer one finds most plausible. For the next conference, I hope that these thoughts and reflections on the last conference will be taken into considerati-on. Overall, I cherish the thought that I will have an opportunity to meet (cont col. 2) Brahma-Bharati October 1995 Page 4

The morning session The session was chaired by Dr. Shyam Narayan Shukla. A summary of his presidential address is given below. "Brahman literally means the seeker of Brahman, the ultimate Truth. However the brahmans did not devote all their time in self realization, otherwise they would be selfish people. Our forefathers, the Rishis, were benevolent people and gained respect of the society because they worked hard for the betterment of the society, all the time. Their philosophy was, Sarve bhavantu sukhinah, sarve santu niraamayaah; Sarve bhadraani pashyantu, maa kashchit dukhamaapnuyaat (May all be happy, may all be free from fear, may all see pleasant things, and may none be subjected to sorrow). "We should also abide by this philosophy in our lives, in this new home land of ours. We can uplift ourselves only when we have, in our mind, the uplifting of the rest of the society, we live in. Otherwise we will see the same fate as our compatriots in Africa a couple of decades ago." In his talk on Value of Service Dr. Ram D. Chaudhari stressed that brahmanism stands for the universal brotherhood, the search for truth and knowledge, and sacrifice in the service to the community. Giving example of electric conduction in solids through free electrons, Dr. Chaudhari explained how a small contribution from a large number in a given direction can work miracles. Prof. Onkar P. Dwivedi talked about preserving and conserving the intellectual heritage of India. He described the brahmans as intellectuals, conscious collective of Hindus, and the patriots and sacrificers of their lives. He quoted historical examples of genocide of brahmans. Ms. Rachana Choubey gave a refreshingly authentic talk about growing up in America. Quoting her own example, she discussed the importance of inherited brahmanic values in growing up in the social and moral climate of the West. Dr. Satya Sheel Pachori enumerated and analyzed the BSNA s goals, objectives, and challenges. He proposed that the BSNA, in addition to the objectives given in the draft constitution, should (i) define and disseminate the brahmanic heritage, (ii) tackle the problem of cultural alienation, Brahma-Bharati October 1995 (iii) accentuate the value of (cont col 2) collectivism, (iv) establish a link between brahmanism and science and technology, and (v) transfer the brahmanic heritage and culture to the next generation. In his talk that was humorous as well as serious, Dr. Hans Upadhyay discussed the issues pertaining to growing up in two cultures: whether it is a boon or a curse. He emphasized that we identify ourselves as Americans while maintaining our own cultural and linguistic heritage. Dr. Laxmi Narayan Chaturvedi talked about Karma- Yoga in our life. He stressed that brahmans, indeed all human beings, must be devotees of Lord Krishna. Quoting extensively from Sanskrit literature, he explained that Karmyoga requires us to do The BSNA bulletin In a meeting of the Board of Trustees and Coordinators, held on July 2 at Allentown during the convention, it was decided to hold the next convention in the North East. The BSNA is a not-for-profit corporation registered in the state of New York. However, we have not yet received a clearence from the IRS. Please call us at 315-682- 5013 for details. We expect to issue the BSNA directory very soon. If your membership account is not current we urge you to do so immediately to ensure that you receive your copy of the directory. A constitution committee has been formed to review our original adhoc constitution. The committee consists of Dr. Shyam Narayan Shukla (Chairman), Mr. Nirmal Choubey, Prof. Onkar Dwivedi, Dr. Satya Sheel Pachori, Dr. Ghanshyam Pandey, and Dr. Vinod Tewary. The committee has suggested some changes. More details will be announced later. Thanks to Neetu and Sonia Sharma, a 4.5 hrs video covering parts of the convention is available. For your copy, please se-nd a check for $15 (payable BSNA) to Mr. Jagar Sharma, 77 Caroline Ave, Franklin Square, NY 11010 (Ph-516-292- 7633). If you want the original of your photo published in this issue, please send a stamped and self addressed envelope to the Veena-vadini var de by Anita Dubey eena-vadini var de.. marked the start of a memorable cultural program on the first evening of the BSNA convention. The Saraswati vandana was interpreted through a deepak nritya by Rachana Choubey, Juhi Dubey, Rashmi Pandey, Neha Shukla, Anuranjita Tewary, Anjali Tripathi, and Nidhi Tripathi, with musical accompaniment by Sharad Tewary, Pradeep Shukla, and, yours faithfully, Anita Dubey. The vandana, an excellent piece of poetry, is written by Mahakavi Surya Kant Tripathi Nirala. He is rightly regarded as one of the greatest Hindi poets of this century. The emcees Anuranjita Tewary and Rajesh Pandey devoted the cultural program to his memory. This made me and Sharad Tewary feel specially privileged as well as nostalgic since our parental home is close to Mahakavi s home in Allahabad. Due to shortage of time, some items of the cultural program were transferred to the Kavi-sammelan. We saw a delightful group dance by Neetu Sharma, Seema Sharma, Sonia Sharma, and Veenu Sharma, a sweet dandia by Usha Shastry, Neelima Shukla, Uma Shukla, and Bhaw Shukla, and a pretty Rajasthani dance by Juhi Dubey and Neha Shukla. There were marvelous solo dances- a charming classical dance by Punita Misra, a cute solo by Juhi Shukla, a rhythmic Rajasthani by Sarika Sharma, an enchanting film-based solo by no less a person than Madhuri Dixit herself, some more excellent solos by Ruchi Bhargava, Ruchika Misra, Leela Pathak, and Vidhi Misra. Beautiful instrumental music was presented in a duet by Ashish Tripathi and Manish Tripathi, and a flute recital by Anjali Tripathi accom-panied on tabla by Laksmi Chaturvedi. What about the vocals? Yes, of course. We were treated with excellent vocal solos by Kamlesh Misra, Neetu Sharma and Pradeep Shukla. Pradeep also joined Anuranjita Tewary, Sharad Tewary, and, yours faithfully, Anita Dubey in a melodious folk-song. The star of the evening was Ramesh Pandey. The audience loved his caricatures and impersonations. Rajesh Pandey and Anuranjita Tewary were great MC sinformative as well as entertaining with their witty remarks. In short, the whole evening was a great audio-visual treat.** Page 5

The convention snippets (from p3) Generally everybody, certainly the speakers, were expected to be formally dressed- whatever that meant. Dr. Hans Upadhayay narrated the story of a BSNA speaker who was a could-be offender but got the message in time. Just before the start of his session, the brahman discovered that he was not wearing a shirt. So he ran and knocked at the neighboring door. A Hispanic person came out and asked, What do you want? I want a shirt, said the brahman. Who are you? asked the Hispanic. I am a brahman came the reply. In that case, said the Hispanic, Take my brief too. Anuranjita Tewary and Rajesh Pandey emceed the cultural program with great wit and humor. They enacted a skit in which the patient discovered that her surgeon forgot to put her brain back into her head after a brain operation. However, when the surgeon offered to put the brain back, she declared that she did not need that. Why, asked the surprised surgeon, What kind of work can you do without a brain?. I can edit Brahma-Bharati was the reply. The audience roared with laughter. Frankly, I did t get the joke. I thought it was a factual statement. A lady was seen relishing sweets after a heavy dinner. Are nt you counting your calories today? reminded her teenage daughter,. Calories? said the lady with great conviction, It is an Indian sweet. Only the American sweets have calories. Do you know what is a meetu, or rather a pair of meetus? When two girls of about the same age have the same first name, they constitute a pair of meetus. Juhi Shukla and Juhi Dubey, gr. 7, discovered each other at the convention. A cute picture of these two meetus is in the picture gallery in this issue. Incidently, the definition does not apply to boys-or so I was told by the girls. Boys, stand up and Brahma-Bharati published by Brahman Samaj of North America (BSNA), POB- 371, Manlius, NY 13104-0371. The BSNA is registered as a not-forprofit organization in the state of New York. Editor- Dr. Vinod Tewary. All correspondence to Brahma-Bharti should be addressed to the Editor, c/o BSNA at the address given above, or e-mail given below. E-mail: bg158@freenet.hsc.colorado.edu. Aapkee chitthi milee (Letters to the BSNA President or the Editor, Brahma-Bharati) Dear Choubey ji,... You must know how greatly I appreciate what you have created in BSNA for the Brahman Samaj. In addition, just as magnificent was the team you put in place to organize the convention and look after all the minute details; from reserving the hotel, preparing individualized packages for attendees, arranging all the learned speakers, the food, entertainment, etc., while maintaining the right protocol was no less than seen at conventions managed by huge firms from New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, or Toronto... Yours affectionately Hari Krishna Panday, Scarborough, Ontario. My dear Nirmalendu This letter is in appreciation of the gigantic work you have done in bringing together the Brahmans in this country. I can only compare your work to that of Shri V.N. Bhatkhande who is recognized as the great pioneer in saving the Indian classical music. He went door to door to the great musicians and collected their music and provided the 6 volumes of Indian music. I am sure the coming generation will remember you in that light. You are a great pious man and I think My Lord Krishna has empowered you to this job otherwise on your own it was difficult for you to do this. It was a tremendous success on this scale. Yours sincerely, Dr. L.N. Chaturvedi, M.D. Akron, OH From the editor Thanks to Mr. Panday and Dr. Chaturvedi for writing to us. We look forward to hearing from all our readers. Complaints as well as compliments are welcome. Write on any aspect of the Brahma-Bharati or the BSNA. Please send us any news that you may want to share with other members of the community- such as a wedding in the family, a child birth, children graduating etc. If there is a sad news, then please ask the people concerned before sending it to us. Please write to us if you (contd col 3) (from col 2) know of a child prodigy or any member who has excelled some where, please send us a description, alongwith a photograph. Brahma-Bharati is your journal for you. Thanks. The Michigan chapter by N. D. Purohit The Michigan area chapter of the BSNA opened on September 3, 1995 with a meeting at the residence of Mr. Gopal Sharma. The chapter was inauguarated by the BSNA president Mr. Nirmal Choubey who had come from New York for this occassion. The program was coordinated by Michigan area members and was attended by Bharat and Manju Bhatt, Dinesh Billore, Kamalendu and Neelu Choubey, Dr. Ram Goswami, Ajay and Madhu Pndey, Nitin and Sudha Purohit, Vijay and Kamlesh Sahore, Chakradhar and Madhu Sharma, Gopal and Snehlata Sharma, Shyam and Gerija Tiwari, Dilip and Punita Trivedi, Gurdev and Vimal Sharma, Kamal and Krishna Sharma, Purshottam and Kusum Sharma, Ramesh and Nitu Sharma, Ramendra Dadheech and Rahul and Sonal Vyas. The program began with an introduction of all participants. Nitin Purohit gave the welcome address and Purshottam Sharma introduced Nirmal Choubey. Nirmal Choubey gave the status report and an overview of the BSNA. Nitin Purohit was elected as the coordinator. The successful and memorable event ended with a delicious dinner. For more information about the chapter, contact Nitin Purohit at (810) 643-7643. The poetry corner From Ramcharitmaanas by Goswamy Tulsidas In Hindi: Kamihi nari piyar jimi, lobhih priya jimi dam; timi, Raghunath, nirantar priya lago mohi, Ram Approximate English translation: Like a passionate man loves a woman, like a greedy person loves money, in the same manner, Raghunath, O Lord Ram, I should be able to cotinuously feel love for you. Happy Holidays Best wishes from the BSNA Brahma-Bharati October 1995 Page 6

Your BSNA Organization Board of Trustees Members: Ram D. Chaudhary, Oswego, NY (315) 343-3583 Onkar P. Dwivedi, Guelph, ONT (519) 822-2534 Satya S. Pachori, Jacksonville, FL (904) 737-7829 Ghanshyam N. Pandey, Burr Ridge, IL (708) 789-0569 Ramanath Sharma, Honolulu, HI (808) 395-2400 Suresh C. Tiwari, Fayette, MS (601) 786-3408 Executive Committee President: Nirmal Choubey, Manlius, NY (315) 682-5013 General Secretary: Shyam N. Shukla, Fremont,CA(R5) (510) 770-1218 Treasurer: Bhaw Dutt Shukla, Vestal, NY (607) 723-1595 Asst. Secretary: Surendra N. Pandey, Albany, GA(R2) (912) 883-1687 Kailash C. Sharma, Bronx, NY(R1) (718) 379-5449 Purushottam Sharma, BfldHills,MI(R3) (810) 853-4076 Pooran C. Tripathi, Houstan,TX (R4) (713) 984-9946 Program Coordinator: Anita Dubey, Boxborough, MA (508) 635-5430 Satchidanand Mishra, Webster, NY (716) 872-5985 Editor, Brahma Bharati Vinod K. Tewary, Boulder, CO (303) 499-5952 Chapter Coordinators: California (Northern) Jeevan Zutshi, Fremont, CA (510) 623-9829 California (Southern) Vishwanath Tiwari, Anaheim, CA (714) 974-2357 Illinois Kanwal D. Prashar, Rockford, IL (815) 282-5272 Michigan Nitin Purohit, Troy, MI (810) 643-7643 New Jersey Ramendra N. Pandey, Raritan,NJ (908) 429-0579 New York (Upstate) Satchidanand Mishra, Webster, NY (716) 872-5985 Ontario (Southern) Brij Pandey, Pickering, ON (905) 839-7597 Washington, D.C. Awdhesh K. Sharma, Laurel, MD (301) 210-4674 Area Coordinators Arizona Prem Bhardwaj, Mesa (602) 897-1340 Florida Satya S. Pachori,Jacksonville (904) 737-7829 Indiana Anil Bajpai, Indianapolis (317) 299-4323 Maine Mahesh Chaturvedi, Bangor (207) 848-3512 Maritime Provinces Vinod Sharma, Moncton, NB (506) 387-7082 Maryland & Vicinity Jitender P. Dubey, Greenbelt, (301) 474-7161 Mass.& Vicinity Anita Dubey, Boxborough (508) 635-5430 Minnesota Satyendra Chaturvedi, Minneapolis (612) 566-3103 Mississippi Srikant Vajpayee, Hattiesburg (601) 268-6615 North Carolina Ramlal Pandey,Dunn (910) 892-6181 Oklahoma Arvind K. Chaturvedi, Norman (405) 329-2590 Texas Sen Pathak, Houstan, (713) 855-3705 Shambhu N. Tripathi, Spring (713) 350-9294 Quebec Lakshmi S. Dube, DDO (514) 685-4278 Virginia Ram K. Tripathi, Richmond (804) 740-0112 Regions (R INDICATES RESPONSIBILITY FOR A REGION) 1 NORTHEAST: CT/DC/DE/ME/MD/MA/NH/NJ/NY/PA/RI/VT/VA/ WV 2 SOUTHEAST: AL/FL/GA/MS/NC/SC/TN 3 MIDWEST: IL/IN/IA/KY/MI/MN/MO/NE/ND/OH/SD/WI 4 SOUTHWEST: AR/CO/KS/LA/NM/OK/TX 5 WEST: AK/AZ/CA/HI/ID/MT/NV/OR/UT/WY/WA 6* CANADA EAST: NB/NF/NS/ONT/QUE/PEI 7* CANADA WEST: ALTA/BC/MAN/NWT/SASK/YU *R3 is responsible for R 6 & 7 until a replacement is found Brahma-Bharati October 1995 Page 7

After the grand first annual convention THE SECOND BSNA ANNUAL CONVENTION July 4-5-6, 1996 Sheraton Berkshire Hotel, Reading, Pennsylvania a three-day fun-filled extravaganza for the whole family Please register today July 5&6 (Convention): *Register By 12/31/95...$100/Person; $149/Family *Register By 3/31/96...$125/Person; $199/Family *Register By 6/30/96...$150/Person; $249/Family Registration at the Hotel: $25 Surcharge July 4: Supplements Aand B at additional cost: Single Young Adults Program Ages 20 to 34 and cordinators/trustees/convention Committee meetings. For information, please write to BSNA,P.O. Box 371, Manlius, NY 13104 or phone Nirmal Choubey @315-682-5013. A registration form and some details of the convention are being sent to the members. Come over. This will be even more magnificent than the first convention. From BSNA POB 371 Manlius, NY 13104-0371 inside... The convention special: the keynote speech and the picture gallery The next convention this page