Vikram Samvat 2072 MANDIR VANI mandirvani www.myhmec.com Issue 10 - October 2015 sustaining dharma through mandirs ISSUE X (2015) 10th Annual Hindu Mandir Executives’ Conference HMEC-2015 Oct. 2-4, 2015 Port of Spain, Trinidad PAGE 1 MANDIR VANI www.myhmec.com Issue 10 - October 2015 Hosttemples Vishwa Hindu Parishad of America Inc. (World Hindu Council of America) Thanks the Host Organizations and Mandirs For Their Hospitality In Hosting Hindu Mandir Executives’ Conference 2015 Special Host Sanatan Dharma Maha Sabha, Trinidad & Tobago Bharat Sevashram Sangh and The Trinidad Sevashram Sangha Grand Host Shiva Mandir –Sobo Village, Trinidad Amarjyoth Sabha Incorporated, Trinidad Gayatri Chetna Center, Piscataway Township, NJ Arsh Vidhya Gurukulam, Saylorsburg, PA Ganesh Mandir of Nashville, TN Vraj Temple, Schuylkill Haven, PA Co-Host Hindu Prachaar Kendra, Enterprise, Trinidad & Tobago Arya Pratinidh Sabha of Trinidad Trinidad & Tobago Federation of Hindu Organisations Hindu temple of Central Indiana, Indianapolis, IN Durga Temple of Virginia, Fairfax Station, VA Gayatri Gyan Mandir, Itasca, IL Om Temple, North Billerica, MA Brahma Vidya Peetham International Hindu Temple of Quebec, Canada Hindu Temple of the Woodlands, TX Sanatan Dharma Temple, Los Angeles, CA Regional HMEC of Southern California Sri Venkateswara Temple, Pittsburgh, PA Hindu Jain Temple, Pittsburgh, PA Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh, Trinidad & Tobago Sangeet Milan Cultural Organisation Nithyananda Meditation Academy, Toronto , Canada Nithyananda University, Montclair, CA Shiv Mandir of Atlanta PAGE 2 MANDIR VANI www.myhmec.com Issue 10 - October 2015 MANDIR VANI HMEC Souvenir Issue Number X (2015) Vikram Samvat 2072 HINDU MANDIR EXECUTIVES’ CONFERENCE October 2 - 4, 2015 Radisson Hotel, Port of Spain, Trinidad Editorial Board Dr. Surendra Nath Pandey, Editor-in-Chief Dr. Shardanand Dr. Shyam Narayan Shukla Dr. Bhartendu Srivastava Shri Amit Mehta, Managing Editor ध셍륋 रक्षति र啍क्षिः HMEC Serving Hindu Mandirs and Institutions of North America and the Caribbeans http://myhmec.com Vishwa Hindu Parishad (World Hindu Council) of America, Inc. E-mail: [email protected] Ph: 732-744-0851 Web: http://www.vhp-america.org Note: In Mandir Vani and HMEC activities and discussions, we use the term Mandir, Hindu or Hinduism in very broad sense that includes all religions, places and spiritual organizations of the philosophies that have their roots in Bharat (India). Disclaimer: Views expressed in Mandir Vani are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views or policies of the organizers of HMEC. They are meant to contribute to the understanding and enhancement of Sanatan Dharma, and generate awareness about the needs of the Hindu society as viewed by the authors. PAGE 3 MANDIR VANI HMEC----------- www.myhmec.com Issue 10 - October 2015 10th Anniversery (Trinidad) 2-4 Oct. 2015 ContentsTHE CARIBBEAN JHANDI WHO IS HINDU? 20 52 REVIVE TEMPLES ROLE OF DEVALAYA YOUTH IN MANDIR 40 30 39 EDITORS NOTES M.G. Prasad WHO IS HINDU? 05 Surendra Nath Pandey INDOVATION 52 Sadhvi Bhagawati Saraswati Dr. Arvind Singh HMEC PROGRAM 34 STRENGTHENING RELIGIOUS FREEDOM HINDU FAMILY 06 54Kamlesh Kapur SWAMI DAYANAND IN USA - A Hindu Perspective 36Dhananjaya Kumar COLLECTION OF POEMS SARASWATI - A PATRIOT Dr. Mittur Ramprasad 16 SAINT HOW TO INVOLVE 56 YOUTH IN TEMPLES ARRIVAL OF HINDUS 39 Hari Bindal. BHARAT SEVASHRAM IN CARIBBEAN SANGH AND THE 18 Dr. Kumar Mahabir REVIVING THE HINDU 58TRINIDAD SEVASHRAM TEMPLE ECOSYSTEM THE CARIBBEAN SANGH 40 Sandeep Balakrishna JHANDI Swami Parmeshananda 20 HINDU CULTURE Pta. Indrani Rampersad REPORT - HMPC-2015 STRONG HINDU AND TEMPLES Utsava Chakrabarti 44 Dr. Vimal Patel FAMILIES 60 22 Stephen Knapp INSTANT KARMA REPORT - HINDU CONVERSION 48 REVISITED 62 CHAPLAINCY PROGRAM Ramnarine Shahdeo Fred Stella 26 HMEC - MISSION AND MANDIR - PROVIDING GOALS PAGE MULTI-FACETED 50 LEADERSHIP, NETWORKING AND 64 304 ROLE OF DEVALAYA SERVING AS RESOURCE CENTER MANDIR VANI www.myhmec.com Issue 10 - October 2015 Surendra Nath Pandey, Ph.D. Editor-in-Chief, Mandir Vani Ph: 229-883-1687 Email: [email protected] from the editor’s desk he Tenth annual Hindu Mandir Executives in India, advice on strengthening temples, and Conference is making history by holding its temple management covering administrative, social, Tannual convention for the first time outside psychological and technical aspects with special focus the American mainland, in Trinidad & Tobago. The on youth engagement. Caribbean has the distinction of receiving the first group of Indians in the Western hemisphere in early It is very encouraging to notice the ever increasing nineteenth century. From there, many migrated to involvement of our youth in various facets of Canada and later to the US. Hindus arriving mostly in Hinduism –the religious traditions, learning of the Guyana and Trinidad and later in Jamaica and Surinam scriptures, taking active role in Hindu organizations, started establishing themselves by building temples and networking with other Hindu youth through and forming organizations to preserve and serve the social media. The future of Hinduism in this part of the spiritual, educational and social needs of Hindus in world is in the hands of our youth, and the evidence the Christian-dominant society that was not quite supports that the younger generation will help in hospitable to the Hindus. sustaining Dharma with their active involvement in Mandirs and various Hindu organizations. In this issue of Mandir Vani, we have included articles on a variety of topics related to the arrivals of Hindus/ We hope you will find Mandir Vani a valuable source Indians in the Caribbean tracing their origin, and of information, share with your friends, and give it a their cultural and religious practices in their new prominent place in your library. homeland. It is interesting to learn that some of our Hindu symbols have made their major presence in With best regards, the Caribbean, such as the jhandis that adorn the immigrant Hindu houses and places of worship. We Surendra Nath Pandey have several articles addressing various aspects of the conference theme, Strengthening the Hindu Family. Also, included are articles on history of temples PAGE 5 MANDIR VANI www.myhmec.com10th HINDU Issue 10 - OctoberMANDIR 2015 EXECUTIVES’ CONFERENCE Port of Spain, Trinidad & Tobago October 2-4, 2015 04:00 PM Registration Meal 06:00 PM Dinner Session 1 07:30 PM - 09:40 PM Inaugural Session Sharma Tadepalli Festival Ballroom 1.1 Bhavgeet - Mansa Satatam Jaya 1.2a Invocation Through Vedic Mantras Local Priests 1.2b Collective Gayatri Mantra Chant Hemant Parekh, All 1.3 Deep Prajjwalan All Co-Host Temples 1.4 In Memory of Swami Dayananda Saraswati Ji Amit Mehta 1.5 Welcome Remarks Sat Maharaj 1.6 Are Temples Still a Source of Solutions? Vallabha Tantry Tracking Millennials: Knowing What Holds Them & What 1.7 Fred Stella Doesn’t 1.8 Vyasthi, Samasthi, Shristi, Paramesthi Vindhya Persaud The Science behind Successful Marriages: The Key to a 1.9 Pandit Roopnath Sharma Functional Family 1.10 Inaugural Address: Strengthening the Hindu Family Swami Pratyagbodhananda 1.11 Guided Panel Discussion: Role Models from Itihasas and Puranas Spiritual Gurus 1.12 Program Agenda Overview Ami Patel 1.13 Ashirvachan Amar Seerpersad 1.14 Instructions Deoroop Teemal SATURDAY PRE-LUNCH PROGRAM (October 3, 2015) Sadhana 6:00 AM Yoga, Meditation, Devotional Singing Dhyan - Meditation Kelvin Rampersad Yoga Priya Rampersad Bhajans - Devotional Singing Gyan Ramlogan Meal 7:00 AM Breakfast Session 2 8:00 AM - 9:05 AM Caribbean Hindu Experiences and Journey Dr. Prakash Persad Calypso 2.1 Past Present and Future - The Journey Ram Persad Parasram Sustaining Dharma in the Caribbeans: Creativity and Core 2.2 Ravi G Maharaj Principles 2.3 Caribbean & North American Experiences and Relationship Swami Aksharananda 2.4 A Retrospective: What Would We Do Differently Ravi Deo Q&A Session 3 9:05 AM - 10:10 AM Family Roles Saumitra Gokhale Calypso 3.1 Hindu Parenting: It takes a Dharma to Raise a Child Swamini Svatmavidyananda 3.2 Practicing Sanatana Dharma Brahmachari Suryanarayan 3.3 The Role of Grandparents, Family Guru, Pandit Ma Prematma Swami Timeless and Timely Wisdom: the Scriptures’ Guidance for 3.4 Brahmacharini Akalka Barath Modernity and the Family PAGE Q&A Break6 10:10 AM - 10:30 AM Relaxation External Pressures: Contemporary Challenges to Family Life inMANDIR VANI Session 4 10:30 AM - 11:30 AM Kumar Dave the Diaspora www.myhmec.com Issue 10 - October 2015 Calypso Contemporary Challenges to Family Life in the Diaspora; Break 4.1 ups and Remarriages; Abstinence and Monogamy: the Key to Devyani Desai Reproductive Health;Protocols of Conduct and Behavior; 4.2 Identity Crisis and Conversion Pandita Indrani Rampersad Queerying Hinduism : The ‘Alternative’ Hindu Discourse on 4.3 Aneela Bhagwat ‘Alternative’ Lifestyles Why Pandits are Losing Followers: Comparison of discourses 4.4 Dr. Kumar Mahabir between pundits & pastors in TT Q&A Session 5 11:30 AM - 12:30 PM HMEC Update Vipul Patel Calypso 5.1 Hindu Mandir Priest Conference (HMPC) Sant Gupta Rethink Religion, Repeal Hindu Endowment Act in State of 5.2 Prasad Yalamanchi Andhra pradesh 5.3 Coalition of Hindu Youth (CHY) Divya Samir 5.4 Regional HMEC Dhaval Joshipura 5.5 HMEC Publications Jaya and Vallabha 5.6 Seva Diwas - Successes of Blood Drive through Temples Rahul Jindal 5.7 Vanaprasthi Network Vision - HAVAN Hansa Dave Special Session 12:30 PM - 12:40 PM Demonstration of Third Eye Awakening