H i n d u T e m p l e A n d C o m m u n i t y C e n t e r O f M i d - M i s s o u r i 2006, Holly avenue, Columbia, MO 65202-2043

http://shanthimandir.missouri.org (573) 814-1286

Shanthi Sandesh

Scientific and Technological Advances of Ancient India - Arkasubhra Ghosh

W e begin the second year of HTCC and Shanthi

Sandesh with renewed energy, enthusiasm and optimism. The frigid cold that brought the challenges of Mandir heating demands and parking lot management to the fore, did little to freeze our welcome of the New Year. The New Year Puja this year started with a soothing session of meditation led by Kate Walker of the Integral Life Center, and was followed by the uplifting devotional recitations of the Shloka Class youth led ably by Hema Srinivasan. Soon to follow was the successful two-day celebration of the HTCC First Anniversary, which included the annual banquet with the Mayor Darwin Hindman releasing Samarpanam, the HTCC Annual Report for 2006, and lively entertainment provided by Raja Govindarajan and

Smrita Dorairajan on Day One. Day Two of the celebration included a devotional program officiated by visiting priests, Sant Naresh and Sant Jitender of the Prem Prakash temple in Staten Island, N.Y., the inauguration of the HTCC library managed wonderfully despite the icy weather by “Chandra” Chandrasekhar with the help of dozen-plus youth volunteers, and a “to-top-it-all” grade pot-luck lunch arranged by Kala Kumar! Chandra Rawlani managed to arrange for our first Havan (sacred purifying fire Puja) at the Mandir that evening, thanks to the obliging priests. Meera Chandrasekhar and company who worked tirelessly through the winter break (as detailed in

an accompanying article) are to be thanked for this wonderful slate of week-end celebrations. We hope our program

offerings for 2007 will benefit from the valuable experience garnered from our first year. The HTCC Events Calendar for 2007 is posted on our web site. Flyers providing further details for all the festivals and Pujas listed on the Calendar will be posted on the web site one week prior to the event. We hope to minimize our e-mail notices for 2007 and also encourage our membership and friends to visit us on the Web more regularly. Please help us transition to this new mode of operation by visiting our Web site more often, particularly prior to festivals. One new program on our devotional calendar this year is the Akhand Ramayan. Our Devotional Program Committee is seeking volunteers for reading the Tulsi Ramayan

Continued on Page 3...

Message from the Executive Board

I t is well known that the Indian subcontinent was home to a

number of thriving and advanced societies. The scientific and technological advancements in ancient India covered all the major branches of human knowledge, including mathematics, astronomy, physics, chemistry, medical science and surgery, fine arts, mechanical and production technology, civil engineering and architecture. In the nineteenth-century, a British historian, Grant Duff declared that "many of the advances in the sciences that we consider today to have been made in Europe were in fact made in India centuries ago”. Since the time of the

Harappans to the time of the Islamic conquests, Indian scientists and mathematicians

were leaders in many different fields. The Harappans in 2,500 BC had a sewage system in the city of Mohenjo-Daro as well as carefully laid out, straight streets. This suggests that the Harappans understood geometry and applied it in engineering and architecture. In ancient India, roots to

mathematics can be traced to Vedic literature, which are

around 4,000 years old. Between 1,000 BC and 1,000 AD, a number of mathematical treatises were authored in India. It is now generally accepted

that India is the birthplace of several mathematical concepts, including the concept of zero, the decimal system, algebraic and algorithmic systems, square root and cube root. Zero, as a numeral and a concept owes its origin to the Indian philosophy of 'sunya', literal translation of which is 'void'. Geometrical theories were known to ancient Indians and find display in motifs on temple walls and in ancient texts. The method of graduated calculation was documented in a book named "Five

Continued on Page 2...

Inside This Issue

Science of India 1

Letter to Patanjali 3

Saraswati Puja 4

Upcoming Mandir Events 5

A Laugh a Day... 6

HTCC First Birthday 7

Anniversary Celebration 7

Library Inauguration 8

Swarnanjali Photos 8

Bal Sandesh 9-14

Diversity Celebrations 15

Educational Programs 16

Banquet Photos 16

Interfaith Thanksgiving 17

New Year at the Mandir 17

Hindi Classes 18

Community Calendar 19

Educ. Center Wish List 19

F E B R U A R Y 2 0 0 7 V O L U M E 2 , I S S U E 1

Drainage system in Mohenjo-Daro 2,500 B.C.

P A G E 2 S H A N T H I S A N D E S H

Continued from Page 1... Principles" (Panch-Siddhantika) which dates to 5th Century AD. A. L. Basham, an Australian Indologist, writes in his book, The Wonder That was India that "... the world owes most to India

in the realm of mathematics, which was developed in the Gupta period to a stage more advanced than that reached by any other nation of antiquity”. The works of great scholars such as Aryabhatta, (5th century)

Bhaskaracharya (12th century), provide an understanding of many mathematical concepts including algebra as well as some differential calculus. Madhava of Sangamagrama (14th century), along with other mathematicians of the Kerala School, studied infinite series, convergence, differentiation, and iterative methods for solution of non-linear equations. Jyestadeva wrote the first calculus text, the Yuktibhasa, which explores methods and ideas of calculus. The root to the concept of the

atom in ancient India is derived from the classification of material world in five basic elements by ancient Indian philosophers. The elemental classification of earth (prithvi), fire (agni), air (vayu), water (jaal) and ether or space (aksha) existed since the Vedic times. These elements were also associated with human sensory perceptions: earth with smell, air with feeling, fire with vision, water with taste and ether/space with sound. From ancient times, Indian philosophers believed that except ether or space, all other elements were physically palpable and hence comprised of small and minuscule particles of matter. They believed that the smallest particle, which could not be subdivided, further was paramanu. A Sanskrit term, paramanu literally means 'beyond atom' and this was a

concept at an abstract level, which indicated the possibility of subatomic particles as well as the atomic constitution of the material world. Natural phenomena were

studied in the context of tides, rainfall, appearance of the sun, the moon and stellar formations, changes in season, weather patterns and agriculture. For instance, Vedic literature mentions the condensation of water vapor from seas and oceans due to evaporation (caused by the sun's heat) and the subsequent formation of clouds and rain. This naturally led to theories about physical processes and the forces of nature that are today studied as specific topics within the fields of chemistry and physics. Coinage dating from the 8th

Century B.C. to the 17th Century A.D. provides numismatic evidence of the advances made by smelting technology in ancient India. In India, certain objects testify to the higher level of metallurgy achieved by the ancient Indians. For example, by the side of Qutub Minar in Delhi, stands an Iron Pillar. The pillar is believed to be cast in the Gupta period around circa 500 AD. This six ton pillar has been standing in the open for last 1,500 years, withstanding the wind, heat and weather, but still has not rusted, except for very minor natural erosion. Advances in chemical science also find expression in other fields, like distillation of perfumes and fragrant ointments, manufacturing of dyes and chemicals, polishing of mirrors, preparation of pigments and colors. Paintings found on walls of Ajanta and Ellora, which look fresh even after 1,000 years, also testify to the high level of chemical science achieved in ancient India. The science of medicine in

ancient India is known as "Ayurveda", literally, "the science of life or longevity". Ayurveda constitutes ideas about ailments and diseases, their symptoms, diagnosis and cure, and relies heavily on herbal medicine, including extracts from several plants. Ancient scholars of India like Atreya and Agnivesa have

dealt with principles of Ayurveda as long back as 800 BC. Their works and other developments were consolidated by Charaka into a compendium of Ayurveda principles and practices, Charaka-Samahita. It deals with a variety of matters covering physiology, etiology and embryology, concepts of digestion, metabolism, and immunity. Advances in the field of medical surgery were also made in ancient India, including plastic surgery, extraction of cataracts and even dental surgery. The medical theoretician and practitioner Sushruta lived around the 6th century BC in Kashi. He wrote the medical compendium Shushruta-Samahita describing at least seven branches of surgery: Excision, Scarification, Puncturing, Exploration, Extraction, Evacuation, and Suturing. It also deals with matters like rhinoplasty (plastic surgery) and ophthalmology (removal of cataracts). The earliest references to

astronomy are found in the Rig Veda, which are dated to be from 4,500 BC. By 500 AD, ancient Indian astronomy emerged as an important part of Indian studies and its effect is seen in several treatises of that period. Several scholarly works regarding the science of astronomy continued to develop throughout history and culminated in original findings, such as calculation of occurrences of eclipses, understanding that the Sun is a star and determining the number of planets in the Solar System. The famous scholar Aryabhatta's astronomical calculation methods have been in continuous use for the practical purposes of fixing the Panchanga (Hindu calendar). In honour of his findings a lunar crater is named Aryabhatta. This essay takes a brief glance

at the fascinating history of the great advances in the sciences made by the rich Indian societies and civilizations of the past. So let us all take pride in that and acknowledge the fact that we carry the legacy of one of the most advanced civilizations of the world☯

Scientific and technological advances of ancient India

The Jantar-Mantar in Delhi is an architectural

marvel.

P A G E 3 V O L U M E 2 , I S S U E 1

S hri Patanjali,

Namaskar. I write this open letter to you in gratitude and in awe. Over 2000 years ago you compiled the

Yoga Sutras. In the opinion of many present day scholars, this work is essentially a science of man. You had this amazing ability to compress so much knowledge and wisdom in only 195 succinctly phrased aphorisms. What makes the most sense to me is the eight-fold path. In the 19th and 20th centuries, we began

talk about psychosomatic and psychophysiologic illnesses where the root cause of these physical symptoms is in the mind. Amazingly, you made reference to the mind and body connection so many centuries ago. You just knew, didn’t you! I get it now! That was the reason you

insisted that before we delved into the asana or third step of the eight-fold path, we needed to set ourselves some guidelines, rules and tenets by which we need to live our lives. Thus you suggested the Yamas. I suppose we could understand those as rules, and the Niyamas or observances on which to base our lives. Your logic is astounding. It may please you to know that while I am not always able to practice ahimsa (non-violence) which I read somewhere is the most important of the Yamas, at all times, I am more aware of my thoughts and actions than I had ever been in my earlier years. That has to be a good thing, wouldn’t you agree? But I truly am making progress in other areas: Simplifying

my life, being truthful to myself and others, not taking what is not rightfully mine, to name a few. I am able to practice Ishwarpranidhana. I struggle with an English translation but would surrender to the will of God be an adequate one, do you think? And when I practice Tapa

(struggle with tasks I detest, such as cleaning the house) and do Swadhyaya (self-study – how I react to these chores) and then Ishwarpranidhana – that is what is termed as Kriya Yoga, I have been told. You proposed the third step of the eight-

fold path to be the asana or the easy pose. Yes, some of them come easier than others! Seriously, I do get the big picture. I am aware of my actions. I have set myself some tenets by which to live my life and now at the third step, I can focus on keeping my body healthy. And you were so right. I can emulate the swaying palm and what a wonderful stretch that gives me. Yes, it is true; my body is more supple and relaxed. I am healthy and I can focus on more spiritual practices if I so choose. Isn’t that exactly what you envisioned? Shri Patanjali, I can see where my breath

gets very shallow when I become angry or nervous. But the good news is that I can calm down quickly with a few of the pranayama techniques that some scholars have suggested. Sometimes when I am caught in a traffic jam, I count my

inhalations and exhalations. I cannot do much else at that time! And they are few per minute. The elephant lives much longer than the rabbit and it is connected with their breathing patterns, you would say... I have to make the time to turn inwards as

you have suggested in the fifth step of the eight-fold path. The stage called Pratyahara, withdrawal of the senses. At this time, for me it occurs during breathing exercises, or the practice of yoga postures. I am working towards developing this sensitivity. I remember reading that these first five

steps of the eight-fold path are called bahirangi yoga and are essential prerequisites to the last three steps which consist of dharana, dhyana and samadhi and are known as Antaranga Yoga or Raja Yoga. With your guidance and the inspiration of

the Yoga Sutras, for most of the time, I am able to live completely in the moment and focus on the task at hand. As you suggest, I do what I have to do without any expectations of the outcome. There is contentment in the act of doing. I have a very long way to go in my own

spiritual growth. I will not achieve even a miniscule of this journey during this life-time. However, I am enjoying the process immensely. Thank you for sharing all this astounding

spiritual wealth in a way that makes so much sense. Yours in Yoga, Sushama☯

Continued from Page 1..

during this event planned for March 24-25. Please sign up at the Mandir (main notice board includes a sign-up sheet) or contact Chandra Rawlani for further information. The Educational Programs Committee has its hands full with two new programs including the Bhagavad Gita Study Circle that meets 2nd and 4th Saturdays at the Mandir from 6:00 – 7:30 p.m., and the six-week Yoga Session that is scheduled to meet on Saturdays from 3:00 – 4:30 p.m. at the Mandir beginning February 24. Please contact Ritcha Mehra if you need further information. Details of these programs are also included elsewhere in this issue. Several of our ongoing service programs could use your volunteer support (Shram Daan, Anna Daan, Clean-up Columbia, Eldercare visits, and repackaging food at the Central Missouri Food Bank). These activities enrich our lives while teaching us,

and our youth humility while at the same time serving the community. Please contact Anantha Gopalaratnam if you are interested in participating in any of these activities. Our Youth Activities Committee had a very enthusiastic response to several summer workshops last year. We will continue to improve on our popular programs this summer and consider new programs depending upon interest. If you have ideas for engaging our youth productively this summer, kindly discuss them with Kala Kumar. We normally need several months of lead time to plan, schedule, publicize and organize activities. On the administrative front, we are happy

to report that our application for tax-exempt status under IRS Section 501 (c) 3 was sent to the IRS on January 11, 2007 for their review and approval. We will keep you updated as and when there is progress on this front. HTCC’s Facilities and

Renovation Committee is putting together a proposal for medium term repairs/renovation that will be shared with the membership once it is ready for public discussions (expected early summer). Our membership drive for 2007 is in full swing. We now have 47

lifetime family members, and 33 annual members (including 13 new and 20 renewals from 2006). We encourage the dozen or so members from 2006 who are yet to renew their membership to do so in the weeks to come. Please also consider an upgrade to lifetime membership when you renew. Your support to the Mandir through membership provides us both financial and moral support for our shared goals.

See you at the Mandir!

Vellore S. Gopalaratnam Inder Khurana Visala Palaniappan Anuradha Rajagopalan☯

An Open Letter from an Indebted Student - Sushama Nagarkar

Message from the Executive Board

P A G E 4 S H A N T H I S A N D E S H

S hanthi Mandir’s appearance has been steadily improving, inside

and outside. In case you have not noticed, we now have (matching!) linoleum floors in the kitchen and bathrooms which also look like really expensive tile! The kitchen also got a

fresh coat of paint, giving it a brand-new feel. The manufactured house is slowly being furnished as an educational center. The library and office have moved there too.

We hope you will all be back to help us with gardening in the spring!☯

Clean is Beautiful Meera Chandrasekhar, Operations and Maintenance Committee

S ince Shanti Mandir was acquired in September

2005, I have been opened and closed by many devotees, old and young. I am so very pleased to see all of you, especially the young ones who like to linger near me, twist my doorknob and

swing me a couple of times. It is wonderful to see so much dedication and enthusiasm from all of you who believe in building a temple for the Indian population of Mid Missouri. But I am not as strong as I used to be. On January 7th, 2007 I

was tested one last time by mother nature and I gave in. Three brave members tried to fix me up, but I was ready to retire. My younger brother, who is made of metal, is now the brand new door at the Mandir. Please stop by and visit him. Be kind and gentle to him – he’s a young one! I know he will strive to do his job and keep your Mandir safe and secure☯

My Hinges Were Creaking By the Shanthi Mandir Door, as transcribed by Visala Palaniappan

T he Saraswati Vandana Samiti of Columbia, Missouri

celebrated its 17th Annual Saraswati worship (Puja) on February 3rd at the Knights of Columbus Hall, Columbia with pomp and grandeur, boasting an attendance of nearly 300 devotees. Saraswati Vandana, with a modest beginning in 1990 at the Mitra residence, has come a long way since its inception. It has become one of the most significant hallmarks of community events at Columbia.

The puja started early morning with prayer (Aradhana) and flower offerings (Pushpanjali) followed by food distribution (Havan & Prasad). The puja ended with an evening prayer (Sandhya

Arati). A number of cultural events were also organized on that day. In accordance with Vedic

Culture, Saraswati Puja is observed every year on Vasant Panchami – the 5th day of the bright fortnight of the lunar month of Magha. Followers of Vedic philosophy celebrate this day with great enthusiasm and Hindu temples and households are traditionally filled with activities throughout the day. Vasant Panchami is also known as Saraswati Day, because it is believed that on this day the goddess Saraswati was born to Lord Shiva and Goddess Durga. According to Hindu Philosophy Saraswati is the goddess of wisdom, art and music, endowing us with the powers of speech, wisdom, learning and

fine arts. One of the most significant traditions of this day is that children are taught to write alphabets (Hante Khori). This day is considered auspicious to begin to learn reading and writing. To value this belief, most educational institutions in India, organize special prayers for Saraswati, on this day. The present harsh and lengthy

winter in the Midwest did not override the environmental significance of the Saraswati Puja festival, which actually heralds the advent of spring. Vasant Panchami symbolizes the importance of seasonal changes with nature displaying new life. Saraswati Puja marks the celebration of the Vedic culture of interweaving environments with religious festivities☯

Saraswati Puja Gouranga Saha

The Saraswati Puja was performed on

February 3, this year

A cultural program accompanied the

Saraswati Puja. Saraswati Vandana

Yaa Kundendu Tushaara Haaradhavalaa, Yaa Shubhravastraavritha| Yaa Veenavara Dandamanditakara

Yaa Shwetha Padmaasana|| Yaa Brahmaachyutha Shankara Prabhritibhir Devaisadaa Vanditha| Saa Maam Paatu Saraswatee Bhagavatee Nihshesha jaadyaapahaa||

"May Goddess Saraswati, who is fair like the jasmine-colored moon, and whose pure white garland is like frosty dew drops; who is adorned in radiant white attire, on whose beautiful arm rests the veena, and whose throne is a white lotus; who is surrounded and respected by the Gods, protect me. May you fully remove my lethargy, sluggishness, and ignorance."

Weekly Mandir Cleanup Volunteers Needed! Currently 19 families have signed up to clean the Mandir on a rotating basis – which means each family’s turn comes once in 5 months. We’d love to have new families help out. The job takes 60-90 minutes for one person, less if your family helps! Contact Meera if you would like to join the volunteer list: Tel 446-6143 or meerac@missouri.edu

P A G E 5 V O L U M E 2 , I S S U E 1

Akhand Ramayan March 24-25, 2007

Volunteers are needed for reading Tulsi Ramayan during Akhand Ramayan celebration at Shanthi Mandir. Please contact Punam Sethi or Chandra Rawlani if you can help us out.

We will conclude the Ramayan reading with Aarti and pot-luck lunch. If you would like to help out with lunch preparation, please contact Hema Srinivasan or Varsha Phervani

Punam Sethi psethi@columbia.k12.mo.us 514-0486

Chandra Rawlani Rawlanic@yahoo.com 446-5960

Hema Srinivasan SrinivasanH@missouri.edu 445-2854

Varsha Phervani varshapher@hotmail.com 256-8904

P A G E 6 S H A N T H I S A N D E S H

A shley’s eyes and her face light up when she sees the

group of familiar people around her. Dario waits for Tuesday evenings to roll around. He may forget where he has put his school bag down, but never the Tuesday routine. And Sapna, in her mid-forties, who had never been a morning person, has her alarm set for 6 am every morning. Come rain or sun, she is out on Juhu beach in Mumbai, India for what has now become a very important routine in her life. Three people from different walks of life. From different parts of the world with one thing in common – their

love for life and laughter. Ashley was born with a smooth brain. She has to be tube fed and has the cognitive skills of an infant, but is able to laugh loudly and clearly with such abandon that people around her collapse in a fit of mirth. Dario has Asperger’s syndrome. He has

great difficulty understanding social cues and does not understand what he perceives are very vague rules governing interpersonal relationships. On Tuesday nights for that half hour, he is not on overload. He can be himself -- carefree and kind and having fun. Sapna chanced on this group out on the beach one morning and stood to watch. She saw vibrant energy and child-like joy emanating from each participant. She had always been an introvert, a recluse of sorts. However there was a positive energy in this group that drew her in and she never left.

The healing power of laughter is not new and has for the past several years been the subject of scientific research. Dr. Lee Berk and fellow researcher Dr. Stanley Tan of Loma Linda University in California have published several studies showing that laughing lowers blood pressure, reduces stress hormones, boosts immune function and triggers the release of endorphins, the body's natural painkillers.

Dr. William Fry conducted several studies on laughter research, particularly in the area of our physiological responses to laughter. In his research, Dr. Fry found increased levels of circulating antibodies up to 36 hours after laughter, concluding that laughter may enhance our body’s ability to protect us.

The late Norman Cousins, a prominent political journalist, author, professor, and world peace advocate in his time, is often described as the man who laughed his way to health. In the mid-1960’s he was diagnosed as having a degenerative disease that almost completely paralyzed him. When he was given only a few months to live, Cousins moved into a hotel room and began taking extremely high doses of vitamin C and also exposed himself to equally high doses of humor. Cousins detailed his journey in his seminal work “Anatomy of an Illness.”

The genesis of the Laughter Club movement is attributed to Dr. Madan Kataria, a qualified physician based in Mumbai. In March 1995, he began with five people what has now become an international movement and there are now over 5000 clubs in 40 countries around the world. While the ultimate aim of these clubs is to

bring about world peace through laughter, on a more personal level, laughter sessions provide several benefits to members. Dr. Kataria enumerates these in his book, “Laugh For No Reason. According to him, laughter helps us • relax and combat stress • strengthen the immune

system • the `internal jogging’ that

takes place is an aerobic exercise and a massage all-in-one

• reduces blood pressure • is a natural painkiller • is a social activity and

enhances interpersonal relationships.

I have had the experience of leading laughter sessions in Louisiana. One such session was conducted at an adult day care where many of the clients had Alzheimer’s or some form of senile dementia. Mr. Tom was one such client who day in and day out came to the center and sat in his chair getting up only to use the bathroom and eat his meals. He never spoke to any one, nor show an interest in anything. During the first laughter session, he stared me when I burst out into a loud demonstration laugh. When I went to greet him with an Al-oh-hahahaha, he smiled. I did the Al-oh-hahahaha again and held out my hand. He shook my hand vigorously and imitated me with a loud laugh. That wonderful positive connection was made. Mr. Tom never did speak but in all our sessions, he laughed loud and hard. As do thousands all the world over. The only outcome of pure unadulterated laughter is to unite and provide positive energy. There can be no other☯

A Laugh a Day..... - Sushama Nagarkar

“The human race has only one

really effective weapon and that

is laughter.” - Mark Twain

Did you know that?Ellora caves are in Maharashtra. This ancient rock complex is an invocation to the glory of man and the grandeur of God. There are 34 temples sculpted out of stone

expressing Hindu, Buddhist and Jain themes. It took over five centuries to chisel out these monasteries.

Ajanta Caves are in Maharashtra. These caves were built between 2nd century B.C to 7th century A.D. The 30

Chaityas and Viharas have paintings which illustrate the life and incarnations of Buddha☯

P A G E 7 V O L U M E 2 , I S S U E 1

Happy First Birthday! - Meera Chandrasekhar

T he Hindu Temple and Community Center of Mid-Missouri celebrated its

first anniversary on January 19-20, 2007. A gala banquet on Friday the 19th was attended by over 270 people, while the Saturday celebration was attended by over 150 people. Way to go! The Friday banquet was a fancy sit-down

buffet at the Days Inn Conference Center. Mayor Darwin Hindman, Mayor of the City of Columbia and his wife Axie Hindman were the chief guests. The Mayor released the first annual report of the Hindu Temple. A DVD of the year’s events at the Mandir played during dinner. After the banquet we were entertained by two professionals. Raja Govindarajan of Kansas City, regaled us with devotional, semi-classical, and movie songs in several languages – and gave us a taste of his gentle humor too. Dr. Smrita Dorairajan, who is a resident at MU Hospital and Clinics and a Bharata Natyam dancer performed a Ganesha dance and a Tillana. Columbia’s lovers of classical dance are very happy to have another accomplished dancer in town! Saturday’s events took place at the

Mandir. Following the weekly Saturday Suprabhatam and Vishnu Sahasranaamam, Sant Naresh and Sant Jitender, priests from the Prem Prakash Temple in Staten Island, NY, presented a devotional program. It was inspiring to hear their sermon, which was peppered with devotional songs and couplets from Tulasidas, Kabir and other poets. Bhim Kalyan Dasani and Janak Mulani accompanied the priests. Following the devotional program, Prof. Om Sehgal inaugurated the Shanthi Mandir library. The library is now housed in the manufactured house behind the main Mandir, however, the inclement icy weather deterred us from conducting the ceremony there. Instead, the inauguration was conducted symbolically by cutting a ribbon

at the bookcase where holy books are housed in the main Mandir. The library committee exhibited the holy books in the collection, and told us about their roles. Following these events, everybody got to partake in a sumptuous pot-luck lunch. The planning committee was pleasantly

surprised by the attendance and enthusiasm at the events. Our initial estimates were that 150 people would attend the banquet. We were surprised! We sold over 250 tickets without much of a hard-sell, and clocked a total attendance of close to 300 including guests and young children. On a personal note, I was out of town during the crucial week of ticket selling. By the time I returned, my family had sold over 20 tickets without so much as a phone call. Looks like the word got around –during the final week we were in the tough position of telling callers that the event was sold out. We heard that attendees liked the idea of a banquet, the entertainment, and a chance to celebrate Shanthi Mandir’s first year of activities. Several of those who attended on Friday returned on Saturday – a compliment to our Friday program, surely! The Saturday crowd surprised the food committee. Kalai Kumar, the coordinator, wrote in an email “either people brought food in Akshayapatram, or the servers served like Manimekalai” – but there was plenty of

food for everybody. In case you are wondering how the events

were organized: an ad-hoc committee started planning the celebrations in early December. The first time they met, they quickly decided to divide and conquer – namely, to carve up the work and accomplish it. Leela Jashnani took on the responsibility of arranging and setting up the venue for the banquet; Kuljit Sandhu took on the daunting task of choosing the banquet menu and negotiating with the caterers; Visala Palaniappan and Ranadhir Mitra arranged Friday’s entertainment; Gopalaratnam had earlier taken on the job of assembling the annual report – which meant gently nagging committee chairs to submit their reports, editing the text for consistency, assembling the photos and data. Kalai Kumar arranged Saturday’s pot-luck lunch; Visala Palaniappan kept our finances straight; Gagneesh Rawat worked on publicity; Meera Chandrasekhar was the overall coordinator and committee chair; Chandra Rawlani organized Saturday’s devotional program and hosted the priests from New York. Rajiv Dhand and Inder Khurana worked on selling tickets, along with the rest of this group; B.S. Balaji put together the exciting DVD of the year’s events. And, willy-nilly, all spouses got dragged into helping too! Was it a success? You bet! The

committee was delighted with the spirit of community and cooperation. We are very grateful for the support and enthusiasm with which the Temple’s friends came out to attend the events. Many who attended were the usual suspects. However, there were many, many, people, including several non-Indians, who came out in force because they were interested in the temple, and wanted to know all the interesting stuff that is happening here. Welcome, year two☯

S aturday morning, January 20th, Shanthi Mandir was decorated with

rangoli, garlands, and flower arrangements. Devotees were buzzing around to keep the Mandir ready for the HTCC First Anniversary devotional program. Melodious devotional songs played in the Mandir added to the spiritually uplifting ambience. Devotional programs on Saturday started with the regular Suprabhatam and Vishnu Sahasranaamam prayers. Chandra Rawlani and family had invited priests Sant Naresh, Sant Jitender, Janakbhai and Bhimbhai from New York to visit the

Mandir for “Katha”- praising the glory of God in the form of story and song. Unlike the modern day performance using laptop computers and projectors, the young prients just came with a tabla and a harmonium (percussion and accordion type musical instruments) They started the “Katha”

with a silent prayer and singing the divinity of God. The devotees listened with great attention. In simple stories, the priests narrated the complex truth about mankind. The stories were mainly focused on various aspects of human life with specific examples and ultimate objective of

worshipping and serving God. They ended their “Katha” with Aarti after a brief break for the library inauguration ceremony. Devotees rounded off the

afternoon by sharing Prasad and pot-luck lunch prepared by the participating families. The priests concluded the day’s program by performing “Homam” or “Havan” in the evening, Had weather not played the spoiler, they would have

liked to round-off the day’s devotional program with a few more bhajans. All in all, the devotional program ended the week-end of festivities on a high note ☯

Anniversary Celebrations Kala Kumar

P A G E 8 S H A N T H I S A N D E S H

Swarnanjali - A Classical Thanksgiving Treat from Our Local Talent

HTCC Library Inauguration - B. S. Balaji

L iving far away from our “mathru bhoomi” we strive to pass on the culture and tradition of

the motherland to our youth, imbuing them with a sense of pride in their heritage. Many Columbia parents have invested significant time and effort to expose their children to the rich and diverse culture of India through regular programs such as Bal Sabha and Bal Puja. An entertaining way to introduce them to our scriptures is through the rich mythological stories from the Puranas, the Panchatantra and the like. In order to carry out these activities, a good resource center like the library seemed the next logical community effort. A team of adult and youth volunteers worked

diligently behind the scenes for nearly a year to put together a good collection

of books for the HTCC library. With the donation of books, money and even bookcases the HTCC library was off to an excellent start. Even while the Library will be an ongoing project of HTCC for years to come, January 20, 2007 saw a milestone in their collective effort — the inauguration of the HTCC Library as a part of the First Anniversary Celebrations!

The library, a temple of learning was bestowed to a grateful HTCC community through a formal

inauguration ceremony on that day, with the ribbon-cutting honor going to Prof. Om Sehgal. The thick layer of ice and snow prevented all devotees from visiting the Educational Center behind the Mandir, where the library has been recently relocated. The inauguration festivities, as a result, were carried out in the

warmth and comfort of the Mandir. The youth volunteers each got to show off the scriptures collection at the Mandir to all the members present.

Our sincere thanks go to the many youth who devoted countless hours classifying and cataloguing all the books - and to the adults who supervised this effort. The numerous donations to the library have made it possible to acquire great epics like the Ramayana and Mahabharata, complete sets of Amar Chitra Katha books on Krishna Leela, Panchatantra etc.

The future of the library looks promising with many the many projects currently underway including, the furnishing of the Educational Center, decoration of the reading-room and a play-room, and last but not the least, acquisition of digital media collection (CDs, tapes and DVDs) to complement the traditional book collection. We hope youth and adults alike will be able to check-out books from the library in the weeks to come during “library open hours”☯

Top row (L to R): Balakrishna Ratnaparkhe, Sanjib Bhattacharrya, H. R. Chandrasekhar, Indu Chandrasekhar Bottom row (L to R): Indira Ramaswamy, Shuba Ratneshwar, Moushumi Choudhury, Alpana Ray and Jaya Bhattacharrya

P A G E 9 V O L U M E 2 , I S S U E 1

H appy New Year 2007. This issue of Bal Sandesh has many poems, informative articles from Bal Sabha

presentations, other essays and drawings. Thank you for your enthusiastic participation in Bal Sandesh. Bal Sandesh welcomes Chaitasi Naik as the new art editor. If you submit your poems or stories well in advance, Chaitasi will add illustrations to go with them☯

Newsletter of Bal Sabha of Columbia, MO February 2007

EDITOR’S NOTE President

Ravi Thawani

Vice President Uma Srinath

Secretary/Tresasurer Surya Mantrala

Cultural Secretary Vasavi Yeletti

Bal Sandesh Coordinator Hema Srinivasan

Bal Sabha Officers

I n India, Gantantra Divas or Republic Day is a national holiday to mark the date

when our country became a democratic republic. It was on August 15, 1947 that the majestic golden bird was finally set free from the British Rule. Nearly three years later, on January 26, 1950 India’s constitution was adopted and has been celebrated as Republic Day ever since. It is celebrated with much pomp and fervor throughout the country. There is a grand annual parade held in the

capital, New Delhi on that day. The parade begins at the Raisina Hill near the Rashtrapati Bhavan along the Rajpath, goes past India Gate and on to the historic Red Fort. Here in Columbia the Republic Day event

is sponsored annually by the Cultural Association of India in Whitmore Hall. This year the occasion was celebrated on Sunday January 28, 2007 with a big bang. The show began with the annual induction ceremony of the new CAI officers by Dr. Mitra, the advisor of the CAI for the last thirteen years The first item of Republic Day was a

patriotic Bengali song that blended the vivacious pitches of the flute, the vibrato-filled bow strokes of the violin, the powerful strums of the sitar, and of course the vocals. Following this was an interesting first-person account by Dr. Satish Anand who happened to be in Delhi on the night of August 14, 1947. He shared several of his personal experiences. Two patriotic songs followed. Sare Jahan Se Acha,

Hindustan Hamara and Aao Bacho Tumhe Dekhahai Jakhi Hindustan Ki are songs that depict the portrayal of India and people who sacrificed their precious life so that we could breathe, live, and enjoy a free country.

And finally the grand finale – Showcase India. This was mainly coordinated by Punam Sethi and Kirthi Rangnekar. Also, this was the first time in the Bal Sabha history that over thirty Bal Sabha kids all performed in a single dance sequence.

This thirty-minute dance segment showed off several of the Indian states, their intricately designed clothing with unique and rhythmic dance sequences accompanying them. The dance began in the north and went all the way south. This showcase was filled with lots of bhangra, Bharat Natyam, and dandiya. All of the songs were very up beat and had the audience clapping, toe-tapping and even singing along. At the end of the whole event, participants

and their families and others spent the evening at a local Pizza Hut. There was much socializing on all levels and it seemed as though many of India’s twenty-eight states were represented at our pizza party. To me what is fascinating is that besides the 28 states, India also boasts seven territories, twenty-three official languages, seven religions, and over a billion citizens. In spite of this cultural, linguistic, religious and economic diversity, India stands united as the largest democracy in the world☯

Republic Day 2007 Anchal Sethi - 9th Grade, Jefferson Junior High School

P A G E 1 1 V O L U M E 2 , I S S U E 1

I visited India for the first time in the year 2006. As soon as I arrived at Kolkata

airport, a crowd of whispering, annoying mosquitoes welcomed me. I was getting impatient as I wanted to make comparisons between U.S and India. My mom says in some cases, inferences can be inappropriate if the relevant information are not compared. The first thing I noticed that was different about India and the U.S. was the mosquito groups, as you can imagine. On the other hand, here in America, you would only find mosquitoes in the woods, near dusk and only during the summer months. . At a distance, I saw my grandma and grandpa waving at me. They looked just as I remember seeing them in several photographs that my mom showed me in U.S. I ran as fast I could toward them and pulled the shawl from my grandma’s shoulder to cover myself from the multitude of mosquitoes. Unnecessary to say, I was already scratching myself all over. It is said that mosquitoes like to drink sweet blood, and noticing how many little mosquito bites

I had, I would definitely say I have very sweet blood. After passing one week at home, savoring

grandma’s good eats, I wanted to see the real India. One morning I went out to take a stroll in the neighborhood with my mom. In India it is popularly known as “morning walk”. While walking, my mom pointed out a group of women and said that they were going to their offices and interestingly, their offices were different households in the neighborhood. I was little surprised. She added, “In India most of the time, lower middle class and middle class households will also employ house keepers, irrespective of household size and working ladies in each house”. Something clicked and I thought to myself, life in India sounds comfortable. One day when I was savoring some of my

grandma’s magical dishes, I heard a knock on the door. My grandma opened the door and heard a male voice. The male voice said that he has brought some fresh fishes and vegetables to sell. I was taken back;

another comparison with U.S was on its way- Wow! I thought a mini grocery store right at your front door! How neat is that? No walking, no driving, simply buy from the door-to-door vendors! While I was trying to

list all the comparisons my mom decided to take me shopping at a nearby market. She said that she will not call the driver to drive us to the market, instead; we will take the public transportation. It was a sunny afternoon, and after our lunch we set out for the market. After walking about a block, we arrived at a bus stop. We climbed into a blue bus and took a seat next to each other. I was not pleased seeing the condition of the bus. It was supposed to get going after five minutes but instead took a long time! I noticed my mom was getting annoyed, very annoyed. Ah! I guess not everything is that convenient in India. Therefore, at the end all I can say is nothing is perfect anywhere and indeed perfection lies in the eyes of the beholder☯

My Trip to Kolkata Rishav Choudhury - 2nd Grade, Lee Elementary School

Bal Sabha Kudos! Shreyas Srinivasan won first place

among the Tiger Cub Scouts, in the Raingutter Regatta competition organized by Pack 708.

Vikram Arunachalam won 1st place (6th grade division) and Ashwath Kumar won 2nd place (5th grade division) in the Missouri Grade-Level State Chess Championships held on November 4, 2006, in Columbia by the Missouri Chess Association and Kansas City Scholastic Chess Association. Vikram also tied for top 20th nationally in the US National K-12 Chess Championships (6th grade division), held in Buena Vista, Florida, from December 8-10 by the US Chess Federation. Aswath Kumar and Rohit Rao tied for first place in their respective grade levels in the K-12 chess tournament held in Fulton, in February 2007.

Ashok Cutkosky, tenth grade, Hickman High School, won first place medal in the

Great Plains Math League contest held in Saint Louis in December 2006.

Suryanshi Rawat and Rohit Rao (from 4th grade) and Siddharth Yarlagadda (from 5th grade) at Mill Creek Elementary School have been chosen to represent the school in the upcoming MCTM regional math contest. Ashwath has been chosen to represent Ridgeway Elementary School in the upcoming regional spelling bee contest to be held in March as well as in MCTM regional math contest (5th grade). Meghna Srinath, 12th grade, Hickman High School is a Semifinalist in the Intel Science Talent Search competition. She is one of 300 selected from 1700 entrants, and one of two from Missouri.

A large number of Balsabha and Bal Puja children participated in the library committee and the Republic Day celebrations this month.

Congratulations to one and all!☯

1. I am the second planet from the sun. I am very hot. Who am I?

2. I am the planet between Venus and Mars. I have one moon. I am the 3rd planet from the sun. Who am I?

3. I am the 7th planet from the sun and the planet before Neptune. Who am I?

4. I am made of gas. I have a ring around me. I am the 8th planet from the sun. Who am I?

5. I am the reddest planet and the 4th planet from the sun. I have two moons. Who am I?

6. I am the 5th planet from the sun. I am almost entirely made out of gas. Who am I?

7. I am the 6th planet from the sun. I have thousands of rings that are mostly ice mixed with ashes and dust. Who am I?

8. I am closest to the Sun! Who am I?

1. Venus, 2. Earth, 3. Uranus, 4. Neptune, 5. Mars, 6. Jupiter, 7. Saturn, 8. Mercury

Celestial Riddle Rahul Srivastava - 2nd Grade, Mill Creek Elementary School

Fans Chaitasi Naik, 10th Grade, Jefferson City High School

Landscape Nithya Balaji - Preschool

P A G E 1 2 S H A N T H I S A N D E S H

P A G E 1 3 V O L U M E 2 , I S S U E 1

Searching for cures, fossils, and more Collecting information even on a boar Interesting facts all the way to the core Engraving their names on the door of discovery

New things to be found from footprints To sound and old things to be pondered In search of a mound, but still they fight to Save our world and protect our people Time and again

Around the corner, around the bend, I said goodbye to my best friend.

We laughed, we played and we had fun all day,

And then we both went our separate ways.

The following morning… My friend moved away… We did not even have a last chance to play.

Our faiths are different, So we fight brother to brother.

Our faiths are different, So we hurt one another.

Our faiths are different, So we have different points of view.

Our faiths are different, Yet there are things we both dream to do.

Our faiths are different, Yet we breathe the same air.

Our faiths are different, But we need the same love and care.

Our faiths are different, And our hatred gets fame.

Our faiths are different, But we’re really quite the same.

Our Faiths Are Different Reshma Khanna, 8th Grade—Jefferson Junior High School

Inside and Out Anchal Sethi, 9h Grade—Jefferson Junior High School

Blue skies assure you of a peaceful day ahead. Warm rays of sunlight hit your face and it is

absorbed graciously. The wind brushes past you and it is welcomed

so that it can blow wisps of your hair. Walk ahead with confidence and your head held

up high. You are ready to see them. Nothing could ruin this day.

Later… Wind stirs and howls at you,

Threatens to pick you up And throw you off some where unheard of –

Somewhere that you want to be Far, far, far away.

The scene changes The once beautiful blue skies

Slowly Turn from indigo to a violent purple to

BLACK

One drop of water hits your nose, And another, And another.

Slowly the droplets of water become heavier. The army of droplets multiplies within seconds

Marching downward and with the help of gravity, Masking the tears streaming down your face. Oh how you try to hide them but they squeeze

out From the sides of your eyes.

You try to take shelter but you then

Stop

As it thunders, Your chest heaves in and out as you shudder

and shiver and sob.

As the sky it lighted for a split second, Your face is illuminated to show a face with

streaked with tears.

You open your arms out to the storm of Water,

And hail, And tears.

And embrace the feeling of deception. Of betrayal.

You become one with the storm--the storm that is inside and out

The storm that has been bottled up In the sky,

In your body, In the clouds, In your heart.

It was going to come out, And when it did it was to pour out

Because that is nature, And nature comes naturally.

When bad things are accumulated They are to fall, And to break,

And to diminish, And then to fade

As did your relationship, and it was for the best.

You now are one with the storm and the storm inside and out.

It is slowing d o w n.

Rain stops.

The skies lighten and the black skies turn into an indigo,

To a periwinkle, Within seconds.

Clouds fade. Skies lighten.

You lower your arms and sigh.

This was to happen. This was fate.

This was destiny.

Inside and out.

Play Ipsa Chaudhary, 6th Grade - Gentry Middle High School

I take powerful strokes, As I race to the finish line.

It feels like I am flying, As I tear through the cold water In the distance, I hear A faint loud cheer I pull with all might, And kick ferociously.

All of a sudden the crowds go wild I pause to hear …..People yelling And screaming…..my name I WON

Race Trisha Chaudhary, 6th Grade - Mill Creek Elementary School

Scientist Niyati Rangnekar, 6th Grade - Columbia Independent School

Our Budding Poets

Republic Day, Anniversary

Banquet, Saraswati Puja

P A G E 1 4 S H A N T H I S A N D E S H

M ount Kailash is in the Himalayan mountains

in Tibet. Kailash is almost 22,000 ft (6,600 meters) above sea level. The word Kailasa means crystal in Sanskrit. The mountain is near Lake Manasarowar. Mt. Kailash is one of the most holy mountains. It is an adventure to get to Mt. Kailash It is a place of pilgrimage.

It has a perfect dome shape and has snow on top making it look like a pure white colored rock . It is the source of four famous rivers in four cardinal directions: namely,

South: Ganges; North: Indus ; West: Sutlej; East: Brahmaputra. It is a major pilgrimage Center. For Hinduism, it is the abode of

Lord Siva and Parvathi. For Buddhism, Mount Kailash is the

home of Buddha. Founding Saint of Jainism, Rishabhadeva attained enlightenment here. Going around Mt. Kailash is a 32 mile hike. Pilgrims walk around the base in a clockwise direction Walking around the Holy mountain can be done on foot or pony. A person in good shape walking fast would take 15 hours to go

around once. The peak is off limits to pilgrims. Worship can be done only at the base of the Holy Mountain. However, bathing in Lake Manasarowar is allowed☯

Facts on Mount Kailash Nila Palaniappan 2nd Grade - Fairview Elementary School

There are many upcoming chess tournaments in Missouri for kindergarten through twelfth grade. Some of the main highlights are listed below: • Mid-Missouri Scholastic Tournament on February 10 at Fulton: http://jeffersoncitychess.googlepages.com/nexttournament

• Missouri K-9 State Championships on March 3 at Jefferson city -more info will be forthcoming at: http://www.gatewaychess.org/

• National K-12 High School Championships from April 13-15 at Kansas City - USCF membership required: http://www.uschess.org/tournaments/2007/hs/

Columbia Elementary & Middle School Chess Tournament on April 21 at Mill Creek (details to be announced through all schools in the Columbia area during the first week of April) If you plan to go to any of the above tournaments, please go to the corresponding link to obtain

more information. If a link is not given, please ask your Chess Club coordinator (if you have one) and ask him/her about these tournaments or e-mail me (I can be reached at vikrammissouri@yahoo.com). There is an entry fee for all these tournaments, and if you need a USCF (U.S Chess Federation) membership, that will be an extra $20. However, this membership is 1 year long☯

Scholastic Chess Tournaments in Missouri

Vikram Arunachalam - 6th grade, Gentry Middle School

Editorial Staff Phone E-Mail Ashok Cutkosky 445-2854 asho44124k@yahoo.com Maya Cutkosky 445-2854 Sheela Lal 445-9290 pyari_ajnabi@hotmail.com Vidya Mantrala 446 0865 Chaitasi Naik chaitasinaik@hotmail.com Meghna Srinath 446-8403 meghna022@gmail.com Anchal Sethi 514-0486 danzingdivas@yahoo.com Adithi Vellore 446-0063 vsadithi@aol.com Parent Advisor Hema Srinivasan 445-2854 srinivasanh@missouri.edu

Bal Sandesh needs you!

We welcome submissions of all types (reports, poetry, short stories, artwork, puzzles, jokes etc.). Work can be submitted to the Editors or the Parent Advisor. We prefer electronic version of the submission (e-mail or diskette). Artwork can be submitted on paper. Older kids interested in volunteering to serve on the editorial team should contact the Editorial Staff or the Parent Advisor.

Bal Sabha meets every fourth Sunday of the month from 3:00 - 5:00 p.m. at Shanthi Mandir

P A G E 1 5 V O L U M E 2 , I S S U E 1

T he city of Columbia has been celebrating Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s

birthday for over ten years through an event known as the Columbia Values Diversity Celebration. The celebration spread over several days, comprises among other things, an essay and poetry contest for 4th to 12th graders at all the schools in Columbia, a poster contest, also aimed at school children, and diversity awards given to recognize contributions to the community by individuals and organizations that exemplify the life and teachings of Dr. King. The highlight of the breakfast, which is a ticketed event, is live entertainment followed by the presentation of the diversity awards. The breakfast this year was held on

January 11, 2007. Planning for this event began in fall 2006 and included representatives from many city departments, educational institutions and other community organizations. HTCC was contacted by the city’s Manager of the Office of Community Services, Steve Hollis, requesting that a member of HTCC serve on the Planning Committee. That is how I became involved in the Planning Committee for the event. The theme for 2007 celebration was

“Many Cultures, One Community…A Vision of Harmony” since the Columbia community was already having citywide discussions on coming up with a vision for the future of Columbia. Behind the scene activities for the committee includes the selecting of an artistic director to come up with an entertainment program that reflects the theme chosen for the year, publicizing and coordinating with all the schools in Columbia regarding a youth essay and poster contest, nominating individuals and organizations for receiving the diversity awards, fundraising, and making

arrangements for registration and set-up for the day of the event.

The Planning Committee typically meets once a month to discuss the progress being made. The volunteers also met the day prior to the celebration to set up the table arrangements and put up the selected posters for the breakfast held at the Holiday Inn Expo Center. Since I was on the “Set-up subcommittee”, I decided to involve members of the Desi Club at Hickman High School to help us

with the set-up. Since the Desi Club seeks to promote knowledge about South Asia, it seemed logical to include them in an event that celebrates diversity. About 1,100 to 1,200 guests were expected for the breakfast event so there would be at least 100 tables, and each place setting had to have a copy of the booklet containing the essays and poems of schoolchildren collected from the various Columbia Schools as well as table decorations etc. Meghna Srinath, the president of the Desi Club arranged for several volunteers from the club, and together with the Planning Committee members, we met on the 10th of January at the Expo Center to help with the set-up for the event. The hall buzzed with activity, with some volunteers setting up tables while others put up the stands where the choir would perform. It is trite but true that many hands do indeed make light work! We

were done within an hour. January 11 dawned cold and crisp but that

did not deter people who had bought tickets for the breakfast. The Columbia Public Schools’ prize-winning Honors Choir, which included Urmila Kutikkad, performed while people chatted and enjoyed the breakfast. It was soon followed by the presentation of the diversity awards, by the mayor, Mr. Darwin Hindman. The individual award went to Mary Ratliff, a community activist, and the organization award went to the Minority Men’s Network for their many years of service in providing leadership and addressing issues vital to the minority community. They work primarily with African American youth and other “at risk” minority males. Debbie and Tim Baldwin, both teachers in the Columbia Public Schools in the performing arts, had

come up with a wonderful program highlighting the teachings of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. as well as other great human rights activists in the world. Leela Jashnani was one of the Poetry Readers in the entertainment program. Several members of HTCC attended the breakfast, some in their capacity as business or community leaders and others to represent HTCC and our commitment to serving the larger Columbia community as well as our own. The

Columbia Values Diversity Celebration is a wonderful way to honor the memory of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. by living his message. HTCC and its membership look forward to contributing our time and energies to this and other similar uplifting and positive-thinking community efforts☯

14th Annual Columbia Values Diversity Celebration Anantha Gopalaratnam, HTCC Service Programs Committee

“We all should know that diversity makes for a rich tapestry, and we must understand that all the threads of the tapestry are equal in value no matter what their color.”

- Maya Angelou

Anna Daan Project at Shanthi Mandir Please keep in mind our ongoing collection of non-perishable food items for donation to the Central Missouri Food Bank. Your contribution of a can of food or packet of pasta is greatly appreciated. Please remember this continuing service project, Anna Daan, whenever you visit Shanthi Mandir for any of the regular activities such as Bal Sabha, Bal Puja, Bhajans, Kirtan or during the Temple Open Hours, or other special events

P A G E 1 6 S H A N T H I S A N D E S H

T he educational programs committee provides the

intellectual, organizational and logistical support to the on going educational efforts by HTCC

P A G E 1 7 V O L U M E 2 , I S S U E 1

Place to go

Slowly softly stealthily go, You busy deep in thought! Do not know what it means,

You in it or not. Closing eyes with the sighs

When retire to bed Thinking minds pile of kinds

Wants you to shed.

Shedding thought, shedding tears Or shedding happy dream;

It is not clear to you, Self churns the cream.

Lullaby helps you may guess, it may be happy go,

It is inner game, you could tame, Odds will not then show.

Err you may, err you say

Err you do but know, What if you did what if you slid?

Rhymes always show! The rhyme dances rhyme stances

Rhythmic form you face, The world is a rhyme chanting hymn

In all attire and dress!

Thinking mind with all its kind May do good or bad,

But dancing mind with every kind Can not make you sad.

Then why you say let goodness lay For every friend or foe,

To slowly softly self less love, The place you dream to go.

S.B.Dutta

O m Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya! Sri Krishna says in BhagavadGita:

“Brihatsaama tathaa saamnaam gaayatri cchandasaamaham; Maasaanaam maargasheersho’hamritoonaam kusumaakarah”

While explaining to Arjuna that He, Sri Krishna, is the Supreme, he gives many examples of what is Supreme in different categories. “Of all the Vedas, I am brihatsaamam, of

all the verses or poems, I am Gaayatri mantram; of all the months, I am Maargasheersham and of all the seasons, I am the Spring.” Thus, Krishna had singled out this month

of Maargasheersham - from Dec. 15 to Jan. 15 as the best amongst all the months. Maargasheersham is called Margazi in Tamil and Dhanur in the north. It is the season of spiritual reflections for

us. It is the time when every one gets together and sings bhajans, celebrates the grace and compassion of God and there is an opportunity to come together and discuss or meditate on spiritual questions. It has been suggested that in order to concentrate on inculcating spirituality, no other kinds of festivities such as weddings are to be held in this month. Sri Andal chose this month to do the vratam, penance, along with her friends to reach Krishna. We recite “Thiruppavai”, a garland of 30 songs of Andal, this month as a celebration of her life. The New Year, January 1, thus falls right in the middle of this special month and as such becomes an important day. In Columbia we too celebrate the day at our Shanthi Mandir, the second such event in as many years. At 4 pm, on January 1, several devotees

gathered at the Mandir. We began the evening with meditation led by Kate Walker of the Integral Life Center. This was in the tradition of Sri Aurobindo and Mother. After lighting the lamps and singing the glory of

Mahalakshmi, we recited select verses from Thiruppavai which highlights the main stops in the spiritual journey. In particular, we all prayed for the kind of prosperity and peace that is permanent. We continued with recitations of Venkatesa stotram and concluded with the Aarti. I would particularly like to recognize the children who recited the shlokas and joined in the Thiruppavai recitations many times during the month – Prerna, Shreyas, Ashwath, Ashok, Maya and others. As has become our tradition, we had a busy open prayer session in which several children and adults participated by singing bhajans. I would like to recognize the participation of Kuljit, Moushumi, Adithi, Anantha, Naimish and Nithya. I also thank all those people who brought many sweets and fruits for Prasad. As usual, the generosity of the people made for plenty of Prasad and the warm and sincere greetings amongst the people filled the place with joy. It was a great beginning to another year!☯

New Year at Shanthi Mandir Hema Srinivasan

Interfaith Thanksgiving - Uma Srinath

T he Columbia Interfaith Council celebrated “Thanksgiving Around the

World” on Tuesday, November 21, 2006. The evening event was held at the Community Center Hall of Arches located in the Lenoir Woods Retirement Community. It offered an opportunity for people of various religions, philosophical beliefs and cultures to share with others the tradition of giving thanks in their own heritage and culture.

The President of the Interfaith Council offered opening remarks which included a message of peace and goodwill. This was followed by a medley of short ten-minute presentations from each group which included poetry readings, narration of excerpts from Holy Scriptures, group songs, dance and instrumental renditions by groups representing the different faiths gathered for the evening. Representatives were present from the Evangelical, Islamic, Buddhist, Bahai, Jewish, Catholic, and Hindu faiths.

During the ten minutes allotted to Hindus, HTCC had arranged for a three part presentation. Vellore Gopalaratnam began with a talk discussing festivals celebrated in different parts of India which have a common theme of “giving thanks for a

bountiful harvest” – Pongal, Sankranti, Baisakhi, Bihu and similar spring-time Indian festivals. This was followed by an invocation song by Balakrishna Ratnaparkhe in the Hindustani Classical style to the accompaniment of harmonium played by Pushpa Ratnaparkhe. Pasaydan, the Prayer for Universal Grace in Marathi penned by revered Saint Dnyaneshwar that Balakrishnaji had chosen for the occasion was so very appropriate. Our presentation concluded with a graceful Bharata Natyam dance performed by Meghna Srinath . The dance item was a Mangalam in which

thanks was offered to the Supreme being, the teacher, the audience and Mother Earth. The number also included prayers for the prosperity and welfare of mankind. The music for this dance was composed by the famed Indian Saint Purandaradasa. The Thanksgiving

celebration concluded with a brief social where light refreshments were served. Many HTCC members attended the celebration, our first participation in such an interfaith event. Having been a part of the audience I felt that the HTCC segment was rich in color and variety and represented Hindus well in the interfaith gathering☯

P A G E 1 8 S H A N T H I S A N D E S H

HTCC Statement of Accounts and Quarterly Fiscal Report For the period October1 - December 31, 2006

Prepared by Visala Palaniappan, Interim Treasurer, December 29, 2006 Balance Forward (on October 1, 2006) $36,597.79

Quarterly Revenues CD Interest (2 @ $309.52) $619.04 $619.04 Membership: Lifetime Family Member Upgrades (LFM) 7 @ $950 Final Installment (LFM) (1 @ $500) 2007 Annual Family Members (AFM) 6 @ $50 2007 Annual Individual Member (AIM) 1 @$30

$6,650.00

$500.00 $300.00

$30.00

$7,480.00

Donations: Hundi/Prayer services Check Donations

$186.46

$1,123.00

$1,309.46

Facilities Use Donations: Bal Sabha (November 2006) Soorya dance class (8/3/06 - 12/6/06 inclusive) Pongal practices

$20.00

$480.00 $85.00

$645.00

Total Quarterly Revenues

$10,053.50

Quarterly Expenses Start-up costs $73.35 Maintenance and supplies $242.79 Upgrade and Repairs $502.57 Utilities $922.76 Garden/Landscaping $191.15 Special Events $137.07 Printing Shanthi Sandesh, V1, N4 $218.28 IRS Form 1023 Application fee (for 501 (c) 3 status) $750.00

Total Quarterly Expenses $3,037.97 Net Income $7,015.53 Ending Balance* (December 31, 2006) $43,613.32

* $37,500 invested in 3 CDs (7 Month maturity @ 5.40% APR)

H indi language classes are being offered twice a month

at the “Shanthi Mandir”. These classes are free and open to all school children interested in learning Hindi irrespective of the native language spoken at home. The classes are offered from 1:00 PM-2: 00 PM on every 2nd Sunday and 2:00 PM-3:00 PM on every 4th Sunday of the month. We have a three level structure

for the Hindi classes:

Beginner Level: The goal in this class is to teach the writing, recognition and correct pronunciation of Hindi alphabets (swars and vyanjans). Intermediate Level: The

emphasis in this class is to learn to form words from the skills learned in the previous class. Another goal is to read and write small sentences. Advanced Level: The aim in

this class is for the children to be able to read and speak fluently

in Hindi besides writing. We encourage participation

from other members of the community. If you have any suggestions or would like your kids to join these classes please contact us. Currently we have following teachers- Ritcha Mehra-Chaudharyr , Saroj

Mohan and Shikha Srivastava. The substitute teachers are: Kunal Chaudhary, Lokesh Tejwani, Sanjeev Sethi, Arun Jain and Shamita Misra. If you know Hindi and would like to join our team please contact Ritcha at 573-445-0842 or send email to: RitchaMehra@yahoo.com ☯

Hindi Language Classes

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Thank You! Lifetime Family Members

1. Aggrawal, Kul and Archana 2. Arunachalam, Vairam and Alagu 3. Bal, Sharanjit and Ranjit 4. Basu, Asit and Sandra 5. Battula Ravindra and Vijaya Kattumuri 6. Chandrasekhar, Holalkere and Meera 7. Chaudhary, Kunal and Ritcha Mehra 8. Cutkosky, Dale and Hema Srinivasan 9. Dhand, Rajiv and Upinder 10. Gangopadhyay, Keshab and Shubhra 11. Gopalakrishna, Srinath and Uma 12. Gopalaratnam, Vellore and Anantha 13. Gowda, Bhaskar and Shoba 14. Jashnani, Ghanshyam and Leela 15. Katti, Kattesh and Kavita 16. Khanna, Sanjeev and Vinita 17. Khurana, Inder and Jasmit 18. Krishnan, Hari and Latha 19. Kulkarni, Rajesh and Indira 20. Kutikkad, Kiratadas and Geetha 21. Lal, Sunder and Nila Gupta 22. Loyalka, Sundarshan and Nirja 23. Mahal, Satnam and Jasvir 24. Malhotra, Anil and Kusum 25. Mantrala, Murali and Suryamani 26. Mitra, Ranadhir and Roma 27. Naik, Yogesh & Rashmi 28. Nair, Satish and Jyotsna 29. Palaniappan, Kannappan and Visala 30. Panneerselvam, Ayyakannu and Gandhi 31. Patel, Nitin and Harsha 32. Pendurthi, Chalapathi Rao and Kavita

33. Raghuraman, Kannan and Anandhi Upendran 34. Ramachandran, V and Anuradha Rajagopalan 35. Rangnekar, Nitin and Kirthi 36. Rawat, Gagneesh and Aditi 37. Rawlani, Ramesh and Chandra 38. Sadhu, Vijay and Smita 39. Satpathy, Sashi and Namita 40. Sethi, Sanjiv and Punam 41. Sethi, Yash and Anjna 42. Sharma, Krishna and Sandhya 43. Singh, Amolak and Kuljit 44. Srinivasan, Bharath and Manjula Narasimhan 45. Tejwani, Lokesh and Varsha Pherwani 46. Thawani, Ravi and Meena 47. Viswanath, Dabir and Pramila

Annual Members for 2007

1. Anand, Satish and Sushma 2. Aroor, Annayya Rao and Sudha 3. Balaji, B. S. and S. Akila 4. Baskar, Muthu and Indumathi 5. Bathini, Venkat and Jyothy 6. Bhaskaran, Rajagopalana and Vasanthi 7. Chandrasekhar, Anand and Chiengkham Baccam 8. Chokkalingam, Siva and Sheela 9. Elangovan, Bala and Abi 10. Ghosh, Arkashubra and Anuprita 11. Goel, Punit and Archana 12. Halder, Jagabandhu and Pitu 13. Jain, Arun 14. Khanna, Ramesh and Pushpa 15. Kujala, Naresh Gandhi and Sriyala 16. Kumar, Adarsh and Sangeeta 17. Kumar, Senthil and Kalai

18. Kuppusamy, Saravanan and Priya Ravindran 19. Mohan, Saroj 20. Nagarkar, Sushama and Divya 21. Nathan, Vivek and Manjula 22. Puri, Ravi and Mona 23. Radhakrishnan, Nandhu and Selvi 24. Ramaswamy, Ram and Indira 25. Rao, Mohan and Kalpana 26. Ratnaparkhe, Milind 27. Ratneshwar, Srinivasan and Subbalakshmi 28. Raychaudhuri, Aniruddha and Sriparna 29. Sehgal, Om and Santosh 30. Srivatsava, Pramod and Rama 31. Subramanian, Krishna and Raji 32. Thiruvengadathan, Rajagopalan and Rama Kannan 33. Tolani, Bhisham and Rajini

The HTCC is grateful to the above families who have signed up as members as of February 14. 2007 If you would like to sign-up as a member, please visit our web site and download, complete and send off your membership application with appropriate dues. We sure would appreciate your support for all our activities. Please also consider upgrading your annual membership to lifetime membership. The lifetime dues provide the HTCC with a strong ownership base and steady stream of revenue for delivering quality devotional, education, service and youth programs.

Community Calendar (Feb. - May 15, 2007) Note: HTCC-Organized events are in Bold Itallics. Non-HTCC events of likely community interest are also listed for our readers benefit

Feb. 17 Maha Shivaratri Puja 6:00 - 8:00 p.m., Shanthi Mandir. See detailed flyer on

Page 5 and on our web site. Prasad will be distributed after the puja.

March 24 Akhand Ramayan (details will be announced one week prior to the event on our web site). Reading of Ramayan will start at 10.30 a.m. on Saturday and con-tinue through the day and night and to Sunday morn-ing. Please see notice requesting for volunteer readers on Page 5.

March 25 Akhand Ramayan (see above). Ramayan reading will conclude around 11:00 a.m. and will be followed by Aarti and pot-luck lunch.

March 27 Sri Rama Navami Puja 6:00 - 8:00 p.m., Shanthi Mandir

March 29 Sri Rama Navami Special Bhajan 7:00 - 8:15 p.m., Shanthi Mandir

April 7 Ugadi 600 - 9:00 p.m.., Stotler Lounge

April 14 Clean-up Columbia HTCC Helping Hands will participate as usual. Details

will be available around March-end.

May 5 Buddha Jayanti 7:00 - 8:00 p.m., Shanthi Mandir

W e would like to furnish our Educational Center/Library with new or used (but in

good condition) furniture and entertainment equipment. Please contact Gopal (vsgopal@aol.com, 446-0663) if you would like to donate any of the items on the list (we would like to make sure that your donation is an item that we can use, before you bring it to the Mandir). We would like the furnishings to be reasonably coordinated. Once properly furnished, the Education Center/Library will be used regularly for language classes, reading lounge and safe/secure indoor play area for tots during Mandir events. Thank you!

Bookshelves (2) Card tables (2) Coffee table Couch End tables (2) Meeting tables (2) Occasional chair Pedestal lamps (2) Set of folding chairs (4-6) Sofa set (set of couch and chair)

CDs*/DVDs*/VHS Tapes* * Indian/Disney/Kid-friendly movies Computer desk Digital projector DVD player Microwave TV Video player

HTCC Educational Center/Library

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Shanthi Mandir Hindu Temple and Community Center

of Mid-Missouri (HTCC) 2006 Holly Avenue, Columbia, MO 65202-2043

http://shanthimandir.missouri.org, (573) 814-1AUM (286)

Directions: Take Exit 127 on Interstate 70, Head north on Rangeline Street, Right at first traffic light on Vandiver Drive, Left on Parker Street, Right on Holly Avenue, Shanthi Mandir sign will be visible on the right after 5-6 homes. (Note: Holly Avenue is immediately before the Sunrise Optimist building)

Please visit our web site and send us your e-mail address if you would like to be included on the Friends of the Mandir distribution list to receive timely program notices.

Shanthi Sandesh is a quarterly publication of the Hindu Temple and Community Center of Mid-Missouri (HTCC). It is published on behalf of HTCC by it’s Public Relations and Publicity Committee. Editors: Gagneesh Rawat/Arkasubhra Ghosh/B. S. Balaji <shanthimandir_news@mchsi.com> or <shanthimandir@yahoo.com>

Current Programs at the Mandir (February 15, 2007)

Devotional Programs Open prayer time/Aarti Tuesday 6:00 - 8:00 p.m. Sai Bhajan Thursday 7:00 - 8:00 p.m. Venkateshwara Suprabhatam/Vishnu Sahasranaamam Saturday 9:00 - 10:00 a.m. Open prayer time/Aarti Saturday 6:00 - 8:00 p.m. Kirtan (Monthly event) 1st Sunday 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

Educational/Youth Programs Bhagavad Gita Study Circle 2nd/4rth Saturday 6:00 - 7:30 p.m. Tamil Classes 1st /3rd Sunday 3:00 - 5:00 p.m. Hindi Classes 2nd Sunday 1:00 - 2:00 p.m. 4th Sunday 2:00 - 3:00 p.m. Bal Puja 2nd Sunday 10:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. Bal Sabha 4th Sunday 3:00 - 5:00 p.m.

Service Programs Volunteering at Central Missouri Food Bank 1st Tuesday 5:30 - 6:30 p.m. Shram Daan (Labor Donation) Saturday 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. Narayan Seva (Sai Group - St. Francis Home Lunch) 2nd Sunday 11:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. Non-Perishable Food Collection (Ongoing continuously)

Fitness and Cultural Art Programs Yoga Sessions* (fee required - see web site) Saturday 3:00—4:30 p.m. Bharata Natyam classes (instructor fee required) Wednesday 4:00 - 8:30 p.m. * Six-week class starting Feb. 24 and ending April 7 (except for March 24 due to Akhand Ramayan)