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Temple & Aarti Timings

Temple timings:

Weekdays 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM 5:00 PM to 9:00 PM

Weekends 9:00 AM to 9:00 PM

Mondays Tuesdays Fridays Saturdays Sundays

Shiva Abhishekam

7:15 PM

Hanuman Chalisa

7:15 PM

Lalitha Sahastranam

7:15 PM

Suprabhatam Venketeshwara

Abhishekam Vishnu Sahasranama

Stotram

9:00 AM

Lakshmi Narayan

Abhishekam

10:00 AM

*** In the event of inclement weather, please check the website or call 215-997-1181 ***

Table of Contents & Upcoming Major Events

Table of Contents

President’s Message ..……...…. 3

Varshik Mahotsavam …………… 4

Summer Camp ……………………. 8

Religious Committee …………… 9

Health &Human Services ..….. 11

Education Committee………….. 12

Cultural Committee ……………. 13

Women’s Group………………….. 14

Youth Group………………………… 15

Senior Citizen’s Group………... 17

Bharatiya Vidyalaya……………… 18

Special Needs Supp. Group … 21

Membership Information .….. 22

Requesting a Pooja……………… 24

Hall Rental Information………. 25

Upcoming Major Events

Vaishakha Masam begins ………. May 5, 2019

Jain Varshik Mahotsavam ……... June 1, 2019

—June 2, 2019

Jyeshtha Masam begins ……….… June 3, 2019

Hindu Varshik Mahotsavam ….. June 5, 2019

—June 9, 2019

Summer Camp ……… June 17—June 21, 2019

Ashadha Masam begins ….…….… July 3, 2019

Gauri Vrat ……………..… July 12—July 16, 2019

Jaya Parwati Vrat …..... July 14—July 18, 2019

Hindola ………………. July 20—August 18, 2019

Aarti timings:

Hindu 12:00 PM and 7:00 PM daily

Jain 11:45 AM and 6:45 PM daily

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President’s Message

Dear Devotees,

We hope the beautiful spring blooms are bringing new joy and smiles to your day. With the change of the season we are bringing some news about change at the temple. The Bharatiya Temple and Bharatiya Cultural Center have various committees that are run by Chairpersons for a term of two years. The chairpersons report to the Board of Directors of BTI/BCC and are an extension of the organization to carry out various duties as listed in their charters. The recent term for all chairpersons ended in December 2018 and as a result we have various new chairpersons. However, before I introduce the new chairpersons, first and foremost, we would like to recognize and thank the following retiring chairpersons, Dr. Akkaraju Sarma - Health and Human Services, Rita Sheth - Education Committee, Jahanvi Patel - Women’s Group, Annirudh Railkar – Public Relations and Vijay Pola - Youth Group, for their unconditional support and devotion over the past so many years. Next, we would like to welcome the new chairpersons, Sai Kumar Buddai - Health and Human Services, Mallik Budhavarapu - Education Committee, Mital Mehta - Women’s Group, Rutuke Patel – Public Relations, Preeti Tailor - Youth Group, Sri Sagaram – Gift Shop administration, Alli Natesh – Resource Committee and Jayesh Parmar – Member Services. The chairperson of all other committees have been re-elected for another term and will remain the same. Names and contact info for all BTI/BCC chairpersons can be found on the temple’s website. Similar to the chairperson’s terms we will also have three Board of Directors, namely Saroja Sagaram, Manish Ingle and Siva Anantuni, whose terms are also ending in April of this year. We would like to recognize their contributions as well and thank them for their undue support and direction to the board during their tenure. All of the aforementioned people are great supporters and well-wishers of our temple and cultural center. They will continue to play a key role within our organization in one way or another. This message is just to provide our devotees an update as to the change in leadership. Please enjoy this issue of our Newsletter which includes some of our past religious functions on pages 9 & 10 and cultural center activities from page 11 onwards. A heartfelt thanks to our new Public Relations Committee chairperson Rutuke Patel for this issue of the Newsletter.

Hari Om

Vipul Rathod President Bharatiya Temple/Bharatiya Cultural Center

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Page 9

Religious Committee

Bharatiya Temple religious activities for the New Year kicked off with all-day

celebrations on New Year’s day. Per the Bharatiya Temple long standing tradition of

New Year’s celebrations we started the morning session with Suprabhatam, followed

by Srinivasa Kalyanam, ending with Aarti and Prasad. In the evening the priests

conducted Satyanarayana Puja and Katha. Since January 1st was a Tuesday the

regular Hanuman Abhishek and Hanuman Chalisa celebration was also held in the

evening after the Sarva Devta Aarti. All the New Year’s day functions were well

attended throughout the day. The temple was open all day long.

During the Month of Margasira, which fell this year between mid-December

2018 and mid-January 2019, the Thiruvempavai was sung by our Tamil devotees on

Wednesdays for Lord Siva and theThirupavai was sung on Saturdays for Lord

Venkateswara.

Ayyappa devotees at BTI celebrated the complete Mandala puja season from

November to January. The culmination of the Mandala season was celebrated at BTI

with the Mandala Sampoorna Vilakku puja on January 4th with the lighting of 18

lamps. Puja, bhajans, and aarti was followed by prasad. January 12th was the day of

Irumudi Kettu when about 25 Ayyappa devotees who had taken deeksha prepared

the Irumudi (pilgrimage pouch) and travelled to the Ayyappa Sannidhanam in

Lanham, MD.

On Sunday, January 13 devotees from South India and North India celebrated

their respective harvest season festivities. Devotees from the South celebrated the

Bhogi Mantalu and Pongal, while devotees from North India celebrated Lohri. Andal

Kalyanam was also performed at the temple which is the merging of Goddess Earth

(Andal) with Sri Ranganatha Swami of Srirangam.

Makara Sankranti was celebrated on January 14 at the temple with the

Makarajothi puja and the recitation of the Surya Path.

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Religious Committee

At Bharatiya Temple we celebrated Vasant Panchami on Saturday February

9th. Devotees (mainly children) performed Saraswati puja along with the priests

followed by Aarti. On Sunday February 10th, during Bharatiya Vidyalaya a special

Saraswati puja was also performed by the Vidyalaya children on the temple floor in

the morning.

Maha Sivaratri was celebrated on March 4th. In the morning the priests

performed Abhishekam followed by Aarti. The evening program started with

bhajans and chanting by Bharatiya Vidyalaya students. Maha Mrutyunjaya Puja

with Abhishekam to a small Siva lingam was performed by devotees. This puja was

very well attended. Devotees sang bhajans. The priests performed Abhishekam,

Alankarm, and Archana to the Pradhana Shiva Lingam. Devotees were able to do

archana with a special Lotus flower all day. The program ended at midnight after

Aarti and prasad.

Holi was celebrated on March 20th. Satyanarayan Puja and Katha were

performed from 5:30pm to 7pm. After Sarva Devata Aarti, Holika Dahan was done in

the temple compound. Devotees were able to put offerings in the Holi fire. In the

tent on the premises, devotees were also able to celebrate Holi with color provided

by the temple, accompanied by music and dance. Snack boxes were available for

purchase at a nominal price.

On March 21 we celebrated Meenakshi Kalyanam at BTI. This is a popular

event in Tamil Nadu celebrated during this time of the year.

Gangaur Puja, the festival of Rajasthan was celebrated on March 31st. The

Puja was first performed in the temple upstairs after which there was a cultural

program in the auditorium followed by Prasad.

For further details about religious activities please refer to the monthly and yearly

BTI calendar on the website www.b-temple.org.

Page 11

Health and Human Services

The Health and Human Services committee held a blood drive on February 16,

2019 at which time 28 pints of blood were collected. In conjunction to this, there

was a CPR training course as well as health education booth supported by Einstein

Medical Center Montgomery where blood pressure screens, etc. were performed.

The next BTI / BCC Blood Drives are scheduled for June 8, 2019, August 24, 2019 and

November 9, 2019. The June and August blood drives will be conducted by youth

leaders (ARC sponsored “Leaders save lives program”. This is a great opportunity for

our youth and are encouraged to participate in this.

Some Facts on Blood Donation…

• Each year, an estimated 6.8 million people in the U.S. donate blood

• Nearly 21 million blood components are transfused each year in the U.S.

• Approximately 36,000 units of red blood cells, 7,000 units of platelets and 10,000

units of plasma are needed daily in the U.S.

• Every 2 seconds, someone in the U.S. needs blood

• 1 donation can potentially save up to 3 lives

• Type O negative red cells can be given to patients of all blood types. Because only

7% of people in the U.S. are type O negative, it’s always in great demand and

often in short supply.

• Type AB positive plasma can be transfused to patients of all blood types. Since

only 3% of people in the U.S. have AB positive blood, this plasma is usually in

short supply.

• A single car accident victim can require as many as 100 pints of blood.

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Education Committee

Educational Committee of BTI & BCC had its first program for 2019 -

“Meditation for Beginners" on February 24th in collaboration with ISHA

Foundation of USA. About 100 people attended the program to get to know the

Meditation as prescribed by ISHA Foundation and Sadguru. There was a recorded

lecture by Sadguru and a session on introduction to meditation techniques. It was

followed by Q&A

session. Educational

committee would like

to thank Vipul

Rathod & temple

management for

making the program

happen and Lalitha

Setty & ISHA

foundation team for

all logistical

arrangements for

successful execution

of the program.

Our next program is

in May from the 11th

to 17th - lectures,

discourse, yoga by

Swami

Mukundananda of JK

Yog.

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Cultural Committee

Bharatiya Cultural Committee is very pleased to announce that it was able to

pull off two major events for Holi. One was celebrated on March 21st with playing

with colors along with Holika Dahan with lots of fun, food and colors in the air. The

second was the Cultural Holi celebration on March 30th with forty plus cultural

programs where the talented community members came and participated by

showcasing their talents in different fields like singing, dancing and instrument

playing. Cultural committee would like to thank the Temple administration and the

Temple devotees plus Volunteers for their active support and help on an ongoing

basis.

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Women’s Group

The Women’s Group began 2019 with a Women’s Day Brunch Meeting which

had about 105 ladies attend—it was a great turn out. We started with ice breaker

Antakshari followed by an introduction speech followed by lunch and Bingo.

For our next occasion, we are planning a Mother’s Day event to be held on May 10,

2019. More information will be released as they become available. Our Book Club

continues to meet every other month with the next meeting being on May 16, 2019

at 11 AM. We are also looking to engage in some of the community help projects

like cleaning the temple, knitting club etc. Lastly, we are planning to do a ladies day

trip, recipe demo, potluck, women’s group garba and Diwali celebration. To continue

to receive updates of our upcoming events, like us on our Facebook page or sign up

using your personal email. Looking forward to another successful year!

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Youth Group

The BCC Youth Group started 2019 with great enthusiasm. During our initial

series of meetings, we were successfully able to grow our membership, with new

members coming from different parts of the community. Our first event was held on

March 1, 2019. This was a Bowling event, held at Earl Bowl in Quakertown with all

proceeds going to the families of the Pulwana Terror Attack. Over 60 people

attended the event making it a great success. The evening not only included

bowling, but also foods such as pizza, snacks and sweet treats. Over $600 was

collected by the group for donation.

Later in the month, many Youth Group members joined hands to help

celebrate the Festival of Holi at the Temple which was held on March 20, 2019.

During one of the meetings, members helped pack the colors into cups that would

be used to play during the celebration. Some also assisted on the day of Holi not

only to help hand them out but also stayed after the event to help clean up.

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Youth Group

Our last event was a basketball fundraiser at the Montgomery Township

Recreation Center on April 6, 2019, with the winning team deciding on the charity to

which to donate the proceeds. Keeping in line with March Madness, 16 teams

registered for the event that included children as young as 11, a girls team as well as

an Adult team. It was well attended with upwards of 125 people. Youth Group

parents volunteered to support the event including helping with handing out foods

such as hoagies, snacks and

water. $200 was raised from

the event and the winning

team decided to split the

donation equally between

Autism Walk by North Penn

School District and the Four

Diamonds Minithon to help

eradicate childhood cancer.

The Youth Group

continues to showcase

their cultural values and

community

responsibilities as our

young members come

forward and take on

leadership roles.

Page 17

Senior Citizen’s Group

The Senior Citizen’s Group had a Valentine’s Day program on Sunday February

17, 2019 with grand success. The event started off with some tea and snacks during

which time friends and family got time to mingle and catch up. This was followed by

entertainment by Sur and Tal group who brought back Golden memories by singing

melodious songs from the past. The singers Manisha Jain and Dibyaraj Bose were

gracious to accept and perform for the Seniors and we thank them for this. They put

an outstanding program together to the point where everyone was so immersed in

the songs that many started dancing. We should also not forget our MC for the

evening, Atul Sangal, who did an excellent job of entertaining us in between

transitions. In commemoration of Valentine’s Day, every individual was given a red

rose and couples had the opportunity of exchanging them. The event ended with

dinner.

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Bharatiya Vidyalaya

The registration for the ongoing year 2018-19 passed the 200 mark for the

second year in a row. 201 students are registered for the year for Bharatiya

Vidyalaya Sunday program. Dedicated volunteers enthusiastically contribute to

running the program from end-August thru May every year. Students and parents

start with Yoga and prayers at 9:30am on Sundays, followed by students attending

classes and parents attending Yoga, meditation, and Bhagavad Geeta study group. At

12:00pm, students and parents attend Aarti in the Temple Hall and Bhagavad Geeta

chanting practice in a classroom.

On many Sundays, parents and volunteers sponsor lunch to celebrate a child’s

birthday, or another occasion. To keep the rich tradition alive, students sing a

birthday song or prayers in Sanskrit before lunch.

The year 2019 started with a group of Bharatiya Vidyalaya volunteers and

parents organizing and actively participating in Bhogi, Andal Kalyanam, Bhogi Pallu

for children, and Lohri programs in Bharatiya Temple on January 13. On March 4,

students sang bhajans on the Temple floor on Mahashivaratri. Volunteers trained

students in advance.

The Culture Program Day was observed on March 17. Over 150 students

performed on the stage on the day. The program started with the traditional Lamp

Lighting and Invocation Prayers. The youngest classes Ganga and Kaveri presented a

program on the diversity of India’s geography. Narmada students presented Art and

Architecture from the different corners of India. Yamuna and Saraswati students

took the audience on a journey back in time with the Amar Chitra Katha classic

stories. Krishna children presented about Freedom Fighters of India. Godavari

students presented a debate.

The program was followed by felicitations of graduating students (12th grade).

Per an invitation from Bharatiya Vidyalaya, 10 Bharatiya Vidyalaya alumni and their

parents attended the program. This was also the first time we had a formal gathering

of alumni. The program ended with singing the American and Indian Anthems, and

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Bharatiya Vidyalaya

sponsored lunch. Senior students actively helped with compering the Culture

Program and other arrangements. On March 30, a group of Bharatiya Vidyalaya

students participated in the Cultural Committee Holi celebration dance program on

the stage.

Over 40 teaching volunteers and 20 non-teaching volunteers are dedicated to

running the Bharatiya Vidyalaya program successfully on Sundays. Students learn

Yoga, prayers and Bhagavad Geeta chanting. Additionally, they study Hindu and Jain

religion, Indian Culture and one language of their choice out of the seven Indian

languages that the program offers.

Bharatiya Vidyalaya volunteers and other Bharatiya Temple volunteers are

planning a summer camp during the week of June 17. The camp will include

interesting activities for children. For example, sports, arts and crafts, field trip,

theme days, and special events such as the camp carnival.

Every year, Bharatiya Vidyalaya students, parents and volunteers participate in

the Bhagavad Geeta chanting competition in April at Madhuvan Ashram, Yardley, PA,

and win prizes. Volunteers train them for the competition. This year, the topic of the

competition is Chapter 18, Moksha Sannyaasa Yoga (Yoga through Renunciation). In

Chapter 18, Shree Krishna advises that we should put in our best effort to do our

duty. Volunteers encourage students to understand the message from what they

chant.

Here is an example verse, which students are memorizing among other verses

in chapter 18. This verse tells us to do our duty with commitment.

यत: प्रवृत्तिर्भूतानाां येन सवूत्तिदां तति् | स्वकिूणा तिभ्यरू्च् त्तसद्धां त्तवन्दत्तत िानव: || 46 ||

yataḥ pravṛittir bhūtānāṁ yena sarvam idaṁ tatam sva-karmaṇā tam abhyarchya siddhiṁ vindati mānavaḥ

By performing one’s natural occupation, one worships the Creator from whom all living entities have come into being, and by whom the whole universe is pervaded.

By such performance of work, a person easily attains perfection.

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Bharatiya Vidyalaya

Students enthusiastically performed in the Bharatiya Vidyalaya Culture Day on March 17, 2019

Page 21

Special Needs Support Group

The Special Needs Group (SNG) had a holiday party in the Bharatiya Temple

Cultural Hall on December22, 2018. The event was made successful by SNG families

and supporters with attendance of about 75 to 100 people. We also welcomed

some new special needs families to the group. It was wonderful to see Dr. & Mrs.

Sarmaji attend the event (founder of SNG). Raju did a wonderful job entertaining

the kids with melodious music while Abi Natesh entertained us by playing her guitar.

Everyone enjoyed dancing

as they liked on the stage

which brought so much

joy to the hearts and

seeing the kids having so

much fun. Everyone en-

joyed the great food by

Sarojaji.

SNG is always in need of supporters and volunteers. If you are able to spare a little time for

these angels, please join us, the experience will be rewarding in so many ways—Promise!

We also had a bowling and pizza party on Saturday April 20, 2019. This was

attended by 8 special needs individuals. We also welcomed a new family to the

group. Everyone had wonderful time

and the smiles on the kids were

worth a million bucks. Nandji

stopped in to greet SNG and meet

the families, which was really nice of

him. Rajeev and his father handled

all the tasks; Rajeev was fantastic

helping with younger guys — a big

thanks to them.

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Becoming a Member of BTI / BCC

Benefits of becoming a Trustee, Patron or Life Member

• All mailings including Brochures, newsletters and calendar. • Complementary Pujas performed at the temple for you and your

family member on birthdays. • Discounted or complimentary admission to selected events. • One time per calendar year, receive a 20% discounted fee for Hall

rental (Max discount of $100) • Eligible for Board of Director’s position.

All donations to Bharatiya Temple and Bharatiya Cultural Center are tax deductible!

Bharatiya Temple Tax ID: 23-2959416 Bharatiya Cultural Center Tax ID: 76-0706802

For additional information regarding membership and to download

application forms, please visit the Temple website.

Membership Categories

Annual Membership $100

Life Member $1,200

Patron $5,000

Grand Patron $10,000

Senior Trustee $25,000

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Taking Advantage of Corporate Matching

Each year, companies and businesses support nonprofits by distributing hundreds of

millions of dollars in matching gift donations. Most companies match 1:1; some companies

match 2:1 and even 3:1. Several of our supporters take advantage of this initiative and we

are grateful for their support. Please check with your organization's HR department and

follow their established procedures for matching funds.

The matching process can also be found on our website:

https://b-temple.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/BCC-Corporate-Matching-Contribution-

Process.pdf](https://b-temple.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/BCC-Corporate-Matching-

Contribution-Process.pdf

To view a List of Companies with Matching Gift Programs, you can visit:

https://www.1800runaway.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/corporate-match-

directory.pdf](https://www.1800runaway.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/corporate-

match-directory.pdf

https://doublethedonation.com/tips/matching-grant-resources/list-matching-gifts-

companies/](https://doublethedonation.com/tips/matching-grant-resources/list-matching-

gifts-companies/

If your company matches, then please direct your donation to Bharatiya Cultural

Center and follow up with your Company’s HR department.

Thanking you in advance for your support!!!

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Pooja Request

If you are requesting specific priests for your puja, this will only be confirmed by Ramana Kanumalla and not by the priests themselves. Please keep in mind that:

• All services (except Archana, Abhishekam & Vehicle Pooja) must be scheduled in advance.

• All private pooja services are charged on an individual pooja basis. • Mileage charges will apply for all outside pujas. For a complete list of Poojas and prices, please visit the temple website.

Volunteers Needed

The Public Relations & Communications Committee is looking for a few

volunteers to join the team. Some of the many tasks that the Committee takes on is

publishing the Newsletter, maintain information booths, bulletin boards with current

information, provide support and guidance to other committees in matters related

to advertisements, press conference and news release and, host and provide tours

to schools, churches and other such institutions.

If this is something you would be interested in and would like to join, or if you

have further inquiries regarding this, please feel free to contact Rutuke Patel at

267-664-5085 or nikru2k@yahoo.com.

To schedule a Puja or inquiries pertaining to this, please contact:

Ramana Kanumalla

267-396-PUJA (7852)

priest@b-temple.org

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Bharatiya Temple Hall Rental Information

Hall Rental

$500 for 4 hours +$75/additional hour (Fridays evenings,

Saturdays, Sundays & Holidays)

OR

$300 for 4 hours + $50/additional hour (weekdays)

Education Room

Rental

$100 for 2 hours +$50/additional hour (Friday evenings,

Saturdays, Sundays & Holidays)

OR

$50 for 2 hours +$25/additional hour (weekdays)

Kitchen Rental $50 for warming food. Food cooking is not permitted.

Audio Equipment

Rental $100

Wedding $1,000 for all day—includes all of the items above

Cleaning $75—this includes sweeping and mopping only; you still

have to pick up trash

Discounts

(once/year)

20% or maximum $100 for Life Members of BTI/BCC

20% or maximum $100 for nonprofit organizations

10% or maximum $100 for annual members of BTI/BCC

For additional information or to download the rental agreement, please visit the

Temple website.

For Hall Rentals or inquiries pertaining to this, please contact:

Dixal Patel

610-291-7493

hall@b-temple.org

About BTI / BCC

Mailing Address P.O. Box 463 Montgomeryville, PA 18936

Physical Address 1612 County Line Road Chalfont, PA 18914

Phone: 215-997-1181

Email: info@b-temple.org

Priest services: Ramana Kanumalla 267-396-7852 priest@b-temple.org

Hall Rental

Dixal Patel 610-291-7493 hall@b-temple.org

Connect with the Community and the Temple

Like us on Facebook Follow us on Twitter

Bharatiya Temple App You can download this FREE app by simply scanning the barcode or by searching “Bharatiya Temple” in iTunes (Apple) or Play Store (Android).

With this app you can easily view upcoming events, view monthly calendar, request hall rental, request priest services, listen to bhajans, post pictures, send a message, etc.

If you choose to receive notification, you will receive real-time information about parking situation at the temple, temple closings due to inclement weather and reminders about special events at the temple.

Temple Priests

Sri. Vishnuji Sri. Jayeshji Parshad Vassyal Pandya

Sri. Seshasai Sri. Umamaheshwara Rompicharla Shivam