Hindu Society of Saskatchewan
107, LaRonge Road, Saskatoon, S7K5T3
Newsletter March 2015
President’s Message
Namaste Dear Devotees,
आ नो भद्राः क्रतवो यन्तु ववश्वताः May noble thoughts come from all around us.
This News Letter heralds the end of winter and the onset of spring. The preceding
months have seen a lot of activities in the Temple that have helped us tide over the harsh
winter of Saskatoon. Lakshmi puja had an overwhelming support of devotees with a
record number of sponsors, thanks to the hard work of the Board members led by Raj
Dhir, Fundraising coordinator. Thanks are also due to Dr.Suresh Kalagnanam for taking
a lead in several of the temple pujas. TEC members led by Leela Sharma and Mythili
Venkatraman continue to bring hope of seeing the completion of the temple expansion
project this year.
Shankranti marked the start of the sun’s journey northwards, Uttarayanam, a time when
the solstice enters the 10th house of the Indian zodiac Makara. The puja was performed
with devotion by Dr. Venkat Gopal. The amazing Lalitha Suvasini puja brought happy
smiles on the faces of the women on receiving the lovely saris blessed during the puja.
The Saraswathi puja was another beautiful celebration and the new deity travelled many
thousands of miles from Calcutta to Saskatoon.
Shivratri celebrated the convergence of Shiva and Shakti and Dr.Balsubramaniam’s
rendition of the Rudram chant reverberated in the temple hall. The colours of gulal and
the laughter of children mingled on the day of Holi. सर ववद्यर यर ववमक्
ु तये -The Reflections on Hinduism series of talks inspire and fulfill the quest for vedic knowledge with
speakers making erudite power point presentations.
‘Hinduism Unveiled’ organized by the youth promises to answer the various questions
the youth want to ask about our religion. Hindu Music or Vedic music that has its origins
in ancient Vedic times will be glorified in a concert by Pdt. Abhyankar in May. Yoga classes continue to bring physical and spiritual well being.
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
The HSS Board and the numerous volunteers are on their feet working tirelessly to make
the 30th Annual Vegetarian Banquet a success. National Chief Assembly of First Nations , Perry Bellegarde is the guest of honour and his participation will help forge the
bond between the First nations and the Hindu community. Swamini Shivapriyananda
will give us new insights in her talk during the banquet. I appeal to all the members of
the community to support this landmark event, a major fundraiser for the Temple. The
AGM is scheduled for 26th of April and a nomination committee has been set up to elect
a new board for 2015-16.(Details pp:8)
Fundraising Coordinators Update ..........................................5
The continued smooth operation of the Temple would not be possible without the
wholehearted support of all the devotees and the hard work of the HSS Board. I take this
opportunity to thank everyone and offer my humble Pranams to all.
Nomination Committee…………8
‘Spring has returned. The earth is like a child that knows poems.’( Rainer Rilke)
Hari Om Tatsat
Isha Srikumar (President, HSS)
Presidents Message .................1
Article………………………………....2
Upcoming Temple events……..5
TEC Update..............................6
TEC Fundraising events ..........7
Program Coordinators Update 7
AGM Date…………………………….8
LET US BE HINDUS
As young people in a predominantly Western environment, it is easy to believe that religion, particularly the ancient and archaic rituals of Hinduism, is primarily irrelevant. Our past experiences confirm this
for us, since all we know of this tradition is sitting
through countless pujas where pot-bellied priests
chant in a monotone, a language we can’t understand
and relate to, while other priests throw things into
fires without rhyme or reason. And so being Hindu is
a mantle we pick up with convenience, not one we
take seriously, and not we devote any time to. But as
intelligent beings, questions must be asked. And the
first question to pose is do we even know enough
about being Hindu, to denounce it? We know what
has been forced upon us, which again is a small reflection of the whole truth. But what is the true meaning of being Hindu?
Our past experiences confirm this for us, since all
we know of this tradition is sitting through
countless pujas where pot-bellied priests chant in
a monotone, a language we can’t understand
and relate to, while other priests throw things
into fires without rhyme or reason.
The following article is an excerpt from a speech given by Swami Chinmayananda in 1951 that explores such
ideas.
A Hindu swami to talk. A Hindu temple for the background. A crowded hall of Hindus audience, and the subject
for discussion: “Let us be Hindus.” Strange! It sounds like a ridiculous paradox and a meaningless contradiction.
I can very well see that you are surprised at the audacity of this sadhu
It has become a new fashion with the educated Hindu to turn up his nose and sneer in contempt at the very mention of his religion in any discussion. Personally I too belong in my sympathies to these critics of our religion. But
when this thoughtless team begins to declare we would benefit ourselves socially and nationally by running away
from our sacred religion, I pause to reconsider my own stand.
No doubt, in India Hinduism has come to mean nothing more than bundle of sacred superstitions, or a certain
way of dressing, cooking, eating, talking and so on. Our gods have fallen to the mortal level of administration officers at whose alters the faithful Hindu might pray and get special permits of the things he desires; that is, if he
pays the required fee to the priest!
This degradation is not the product of any accidental and sudden historical upheaval. For two hundred years Hinduism has remained an encouragement of the rich. Once upon a time, the learned philosophers were rightly the
advisers of the state. But then the quality of the adviser-class [Brahmana] and the ruler-class [Kshatriya] deteriorated. By slowly putrefying themselves in the leprous warmth of luxury and power, they have taken us to the regrettable stage in which we find ourselves now. The general cry of the educated class is really against this unreligion. However, it is only the thoughtless, uninformed leaders who call this Hinduism.
Certainly, is Hinduism can breed for us only heartless lalas [shopkeepers], corrupt babus [clerks], cowardly men,
loveless masters, faithless servants; if Hinduism can give us only a state of social living in which each man is put
against his brother; if Hinduism can give us only starvation, nakedness, and destitution; if Hinduism can encourage us only to plunder, to loot, and to steal; if Hinduism can preach to us only intolerance, fanaticism, hardheartedness, and cruelty; then I too cry, “Down, Down”; with that Hinduism.
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But Hinduism is not this external show that we have learned to parade about in our
daily life. Hinduism is a science of perfection. There is in it an answer to every individual, social, national, orinternational problem. But unfortunately the religion,
which we have come to follow blindly, is not the grand true Hinduism. It is only the
treacherous scheme thrust upon us sometime in the past by the selfish, arrogant;
power mad priest caste whose intention was to make us slaves of their plans and our
own passions. The present day Hindu ignoramuses prove the tragic success of these
religious saboteurs. With their guidance we overlook the fundamental tenets in sacred scriptures that are the very backbone of Hinduism. True Hinduism is the Sanatana Dharma [Eternal Truth] of the Upanishads.
The Upanishads declare in unmistakable terms that in reality, man-at the peak of his
achievement- is God himself. He is advised to live his day to day experiences in life
in such a systematic and scientific way that, hour by hour, consciously cleansing
himself of all the encrustation of imperfections that have gathered to conceal the
beauty and divinity of the true eternal personality in him. The methods by which an
individual can consciously purify and evolve by his self-effort to regain the status of
his True Nature are the content of Hinduism. Hinduism in its vast amphitheater has
preserved and worshiped, under the camouflage of the heavy descriptions contained
in the Puranas, shastras [scriptures], and their commentaries of thousand different
interpretations. This overgrowth has so effectively come to conceal that real beauty
and grandeur of the tiny Temple of Truth that today the college-educated illiterates,
in their ignorance of the language and style of the ancient Sanskrit writers, miss the
Temple amidst its own festoons!
However great our culture might have been in the past, that dead glory, reported in
the pages of history books, is not going to help us in our present trails. If the barbarous cavemen of the unexplored jungles want to become as civilized as the men of
modern nations, they cannot achieve this total revolution through mere discourses,
or even through an exhaustive study of the literature describing the ways of modern
civilized nations. They will have to know and then live the civilized values of life. A
mere knowledge of it will not help them. They can claim the blessing of their
knowledge only if they are ready to live what they know. In order to live as civilized
men, they will have to renounce completely their ways of uncivilized thinking and
acting.
In fact without renunciation no progress is ever possible. We must renounce the
thrills of our childhood games in order to grow to be young men of noble actions.
Again, unless we renounce our youthful spirit, we cannot come to the reverence of
old age.
CURRENT BOARD
2014-2015
President:
Isha Srikumar
306 979 4466
Vice-President:
Subash Biswal
306 241 7755
Treasurer:
Swapna Tendulkar
306 249 2086
General Secretary:
Shailee Tanna
306 715 4654
Program Coordinator:
Leela Sharma
306 2426979
Fundraising Coordinator:
Raj Dhir
306 3744882
Outreach Coordinator:
Pratyush Das
306 9337538
Member at large:
Dinesh Patel
306 6671964
Monisha Shukla
306 9555603
Aron A. Shinghaw
306 209 7024
Past President:
Anu Kashyap
306 6511026
Unless we are ready to renounce the low animal values of material life and replace
them with the noble values of the truly religious life, we cannot hope to gain the
blessings of religion. A study of a cookbook, however thorough it might be will not
satisfy our hunger. No matter how long we may meditate upon and repeat the name
of a medicine, we cannot get the cure we need until we actually take the medicine.
Similarly, the blessings of religion can be ours only when we are ready to live the
recommended values. To condemn unpracticed religion is as meaningless as those
cavemen sitting around their open fire and querulously decrying advanced civilization.
Let us know what Hinduism is! Let us take an honest oath for ourselves, not only for
our own sake, but for the sake of the entire world: That we shall, when once we are
convinced of the validity of the Eternal Truth, try honestly to live as consistently as
possible the values advocated by this ancient and sacred religion.
OM OM OM
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4
Tickets can be purchased online:https://www.picatic.com/hssannualbanquet
FUNDRAISING COORDINATOR UPDATE
I was entrusted with the responsibility of Fund Raising Coordinator just prior to Lakshmi Puja. It is my pleasure to
report that we had a very successful Lakshmi Puja. It is one of our big yearly events to raise funds for the operational
expenditures of the Temple. I am pleased to report that we had over 130 sponsors for the Puja and we raised substantial amount of funds. On behalf of the Board of Directors, we offer our heartfelt thanks to all the sponsors and helpers
for this event.
We are very busy planning for the next fundraiser – HSS 30th Annual Vegetarian Banquet – taking place on Mar.28,
2015. We hope to see you all at this gala event and support our efforts. The preparations are going very well and we
have National Chief Assembly of First Nations Perry Bellegarde and Swamini ji Shivapriyananda as our keynote
speakers. Many dignitaries will be in attendance. We promise a fabulous entertainment program and a sumptuous
vegetarian cuisine to tickle your appetite. To top it all we will have great item for silent auction and sale. Please phone
any Board member to purchase your tickets.
See you all at the Banquet.
Raj Dhir
UPCOMING TEMPLE EVENTS
5
TEMPLE EXPANSION COMMITTEE (TEC) UPDATE
Greetings to you all,
We hope everyone had a great winter. We are now looking forward to welcoming the warmer days as
the winter comes to an end.
Our sub-committees have been busy in doing the ground work necessary to get the temple expansion
project started as scheduled, when the weather conditions are favorable.
The technical committee is obtaining all the engineers’ reports and quotes from various contractors to
determine the final costs of the project. All the paper work with the city is completed. We hope to
have a meeting with the builder very soon to finalize all the construction plans and do the cost assessment.
Our financial committee is busy with getting the best mortgage rate possible for this project.
Our fundraising committee is working very
hard. They have been planning many fundraising events to raise funds. We just held a
special Devi puja which helped us raise close to
$30,000 in donations for the Expansion Project. We are so pleased and proud to mention that with all the generous donations we
have reached $566,000 for the temple expansion project The more money we raise the less
we will have to borrow from the bank. We are
still far away from our target. Therefore we
need more members to commit to monthly
contributions. There are many ways to donate for this cause, for example
"Write a Lump Sum
cheque", "Automatic monthly withdrawals from your bank account" or
Donate a $1 per day".
We hope to complete the whole project by the
end of the year. We are confident that with all
the help from our community members we will
be able to achieve our goal.
We will try to set a date for the ground breaking ceremony and it would be our pleasure to
invite all the members of the community that
day to participate on this auspicious occasion .
With the grace of Shri Lakshmi Narayan, we
should be able to embark on the building work
in May. Once again, on behalf of the temple
expansion committee, we thank you all for
your commitment of time, energy, support and
kind donations to this important project. We
couldn't have done it without you!
TEC NEXT FUNDRAISING ACTIVITIES
May 17th 2015
Concert of Bhajans and Classical music by Pt. Sanjeev Abhyankar
Temple expansion fund raising concert of devotional music
As another step in raising funds for soon to start temple expansion , we are happy to announce a devotional music concert by Pandit Sanjeev Abhyankar on Sunday May 17th from 5
to 7.30. The concert will take place in the temple main hall.
Pt. Sanjeev Abhyankar, is an artist of international acclaim in the field of music. He has
many international and Indian awards and has attracted audiences during his tours all
around the world. He has proven his versatility and expertise in different genres of music
and has won the coveted National Award in 1998 as best playback singer for the film
"Godmother". We are fortunate to have him perform in the temple and create positive vibes
with his bhajans and devotional music.
This concert is supported by the Endowment Fund established by Sunil and Sujata Chaubal
Since this is a fund raising event for the temple expansion project therefore "the admissions
will be by donations only" Further details will follow.
June 21st 2015
Father Day TEC Fundraiser
September 12th 2015
"Dances of India" fully organized and supported by Drs. Mini and
Mahesh Khurana at North Battleford
Wishing you all the best
Leela, Mythili and The TEC committee
PROGRAM COORDINATOR UPDATE
We are approaching the end of term of the present executive committee. It is the time to reflect on our hard work of past one year
I had the pleasure of serving our community in the capacity of Temple Program co-ordinator for past six months and prior to this
as a Fund-raising co-ordinator. Two other valuable members of temple program committee are Mrs. Monisha Shukla and Mr.
Subash Biswal.
Our duties involved organizing Sunday worships schedule for temple opening, harmonium players and religious talks. On the
special functions and Poojas , we organize sponsors for the Preeti Bhoj and volunteers for cooking and serving meals.
The alter tiding and cleaning, removing extra items and changing cloths of our deities are done by group of dedicated volunteers,
we ever so thankful to all of them.
In addition to this the committee is responsible for booking temple facility for special religious groups in the community and private functions for the members.
Programming highlights for the period:
We welcomed the New Year with Vedic Chanting , Hanuman Chalisa and Bhajans. Festivals such as Pongal, Saraswati Puja, Maha
Shivaratri and Holi were celebrated with traditional gaiety and fervour with support from the community
Upcoming Temple Programs:
The next up-coming function is Ram Navami on March 29th. The function will start at 10:30am with the Sunderkand, Hanuman chalisa and bhajans. There is Preeti Bhoj after the service. This function is organized by Arun & Geeta Nayar, Sunil
& Alka Yadav and Sudhir & Rekha Suryavanshi. Please come and celebrate the function.
Our heartiest "THANK YOU" to all those who contributed in many ways and hope for your continued support for the temple activities.
Best wishes
Leela Sharma, Subash Biswal & Monisha Shukla
HINDU SOCIETY OF
SASKATCHEWAN
Shri Lakshmi Narayan Temple was
constructed during 1984-85 and
was formally inaugurated on March
31, 1985. In addition to providing a
place for worship, it also offers
various other necessary services to
the community. For example, wedding ceremonies, special prayer
meetings, memorials, music events,
yoga and language classes take
place in the temple. Also spiritual
discourses, meditation sessions,
workshops and seminars are organized for general public as well as
youth groups. Many invited scholars also visit the temple to impart
their wisdom and knowledge to
benefit the community at large
ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING—APRIL 26TH
The Hindu Society of Saskatchewan Annual General Meeting will be held on
Sunday April 26th 2015
NOMINATION COMMITTEE
Mr.Sunil Choubal
Mrs. Maya Chakraborty
email: [email protected]
email: [email protected]
Tel:306 242 0637
Tel: 306 933 1173
Mr. Ramji Khandelwal
email:[email protected]
Tel: 306 242 4681
Please Like our Facebook Page
https://www.facebook.com/hindusocietyofsaskatchewan
Hindu Society of Saskatchewan
107, LaRonge Road
Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
7K5T3
E-mail:
[email protected]