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HOUSTON, TX, October 31, 2010 (By
Kalyani Giri): Ochre-draped sadhus, festive diyas, young girls in sequined
bindis, portly Ganeshas swathed in colorful flower garlands, books on Hindu
scriptures and philosophy, smoldering fragrant incense, and the ubiquitous
idli. From October 22 - 24, 2010, the foyer and ballroom of the Sheraton
North Houston Hotel on JFK Boulevard were bounteously transformed into
Little India during the 5th Annual Hindu Mandir Executives Conference
(HMEC). Acting in conjunction with VHP-A, major participating temples in
this city, the Sri Meenakshi Temple Society (MTS) of Pearland, Barsana Dham
of Austin, Hindu Temple of The Woodlands, Shirdi Sai Jalaram Mandir, and
the Vallabh Priti Seva Samaj, served as hosts for the conference.
This year's event, primarily geared at exploring avenues to enhance and
strengthen the Hindu community through temples, drew community leaders and
mandir representatives from over ninety temples nationwide and from Canada
who met, mingled, shared ideas through brainstorming sessions, and amicably
found resolution to several compelling issues.
"I think of HMEC as an organism that is constantly evolving and in a
few short years it has come to a new maturity, a unified voice much more
than it was in the early years," said Paramacharya Palaniswami,
Editor-in-Chief of the world-renowned Hinduism Today Magazine. "The
cooperation, spirit of unity and intellectual integrity is very important
for the future of the HMEC. I was very impressed by the camaraderie here.
It was magical and wholesome," added the swami.
Joint General Secretary of VHP-A Sanjay Mehta said that VHP embraces the
concept that all are one and that the entire cosmos is interconnected and
interdependent. He outlined crucial and relevant issues that were addressed
at the event. "Hinduism has faced many challenges. We have to
recognize the need for temple executives to support each," said Mehta.
He added that Swami Dayananda Saraswati, spiritual head of Arsha Vidya
Ashrams worldwide, prompted the formation of a core group of seven temple
executives to articulate as a single entity on behalf of Hindu mandirs. In
a videotaped message Swami Dayananda Saraswati, who was in India at the
time of the conference, exhorted viewers to be a part of the ongoing Hindu
renaissance.
A resident of Long Island, New York, and President of the Hindu Students
Council (HSC) nationwide, Priya Radhakrishnan mentioned that HSC is
becoming an influential movement in its own right with chapters on campuses
all over the US and abroad. "Many students as they grow up do not come
back to teach or be active," said Radhakrishnan.
In his comprehensive presentation Bringing the Missing Generations Back to
the Mandir, Vishal Agarwal representing the Hindu Society of Minnesota,
told gatherees that his organization, the Hindu American Temple School
(HATS) began with three young children and has since grown exponentially
and is in great demand.
Krishna Maheswari talked about the structural issues affecting the
development of Hindu youth and youth leaders and described how temples can
play a central role in correcting these issues.
In the wake of suggestions proposed by community leaders and youth, the
HMEC pledged to invest future leaders and create opportunities for young
people through internship programs. The HMEC will also create a network of
Bal Vihars and Youth Programs and will initiate annual regional meetings to
continue dialogue. The HMEC will publish a book on the profiles of people
representing the mandirs; the book will also carry information on the
histories of the temples. Through a resource pool, well-established and well-performing
mandirs will be able to assist new and struggling mandirs in areas of
operation and leadership.
HMEC resolved to implement a supply chain management scheme, an idea
outlined jointly by Dr. Sharma Tadepalli of the Meenakshi Temple Society in
this city, and Hari Murthy of the Venkateswara Temple in Pittsburgh.
"The supply chain management is a collaborative initiative that is
money-saving and beneficial to all, as we use the same ingredients at our
poojas such as flowers, fruit, decorations, religious and educational
books. Using technology to make our lives easier makes so much sense as
we're all weekend warriors, not fulltime in the temple," said Dr.
Tadepalli. "If we unite, modernize, we can reduce costs," said
Murthy.
HMEC is also commissioning a book on the Hindu marriage ceremony.
The issue of ensuring that America's school textbooks correctly portray
Hinduism was reviewed by Hinduism Today Magazine. The supplements produced
by the magazine will be sent out to schools nationwide. It is a success
story, said HMEC delegates.
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