Happy Diwali 2011

Image via WikipediaDiwali is the time for joy and cheer, family time and love and of course lots and lots of sweet stuff to eat. Here is a post exclusively to wish my readers and visitors a very very happy Diwali 2011 and the forthcoming festival season. Of course those of you who are in the northern part of America and the Himalayan regions will be enjoying the cold eating hot samosas, drinking hot coffee or tea or any other beverage of choice. The rest of us are still enjoying warm weather slowly getting colder.

Happy Gowri-Ganesha Festival

Image via WikipediaToday is Ganesha Chathurthi, a festival during which Hindus across the world pray to Lord Ganesha the lord of wisdom, knowledge, and learning. Like all other Hindu festivals this was also a very closed door family event till the time of Bal Gangadhar Tilak. He thought that one way to unite the fragmented Hindu community was by bringing these festivals to the open. He initiated performance of Ganesha festivals in public in Maharashtra. Over time it has become a national phenomenon.

In India, especially in the states of Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh, the Ganesha festival is celebrated on a very grand scale. Every street has its own Ganesh Pandal (tent) and everyone in the community get together to celebrate the event and pray to the lord for wisdom, learning and removal of obstacles in their path to success.

Unfortunately this kind of public festivities are not possible in America. So Hindus get together at homes or in the temple and celebrate the event.

Hindu Screen Saver

Whenever I search for spiritually themed screen savers I found only Christian and Muslim Themed ones. As a response to the conspicuous absence of representation of Hindu spirituality I decided to use my amateur design skills and create some Hindu Screen Savers and deploy them on the web. Here is the second one I created, click here to see the older one.

Happy Ugadi 2011

Wishing one and all a very happy Hindu new year.

Wishing You all a Happy and Colorful Holi

Wish you all a very very happy and Colorful Holi 2011.

Makar Sankranti Wishes to one and all....

Best wishes and happiness on the auspicious of Makar Sankranti.
A festival that has been celebrated worldwide since the past 6000 years.
From the Mayans in South America to Hindus in India
Sankranti has marked the beginning of the northward movement of the Sun.

On this auspicious day let us pledge to move north
to achieve lasting peace, prosperity and happiness for everyone on earth.
A goal that has been espoused by everyone
but seems elusive with every day gone...

Let us look forward and move northward
today and everyday from now and
maybe in the next 6000 years we may achieve
the dream and goal of global peace

Happy Makara Sankranti/ Pongal

Happy Diwali!!!

Image via Wikipedia

Deepavali (Diwali) the festival of lights during which we Hindus symbolically eliminate darkness, ignorance, and evil from this world and work for a better tomorrow is here. We kicked off the three day festival by visiting the temple and one of our close friends. We look forward to the weekend which will hopefully full of festivities.

More Pictures of the Viet Namese Buddhist Temple, Houston

Yesterday I blogged about our last week's visit to Houston and the accidental discovery of the grand Viet Namese Buddhist temple. Due to paucity of time I couldn't upload all the pictures I wanted to in the blot post. This grand Buddhist shrine evokes awe and intrigue at the same time. There are several areas of the temple which would make any Hindu/ Buddhist feel proud. For instance the presence of the Ashoka Pillars crowned by Lions right at the entrance, a massive building known as "Dharma Hall", the verdant green acres around the shrines, the numerous images of Buddha installed amidst gardens and lawns, et al. I hope I could visit this temple again when I visit Houston and take in the beauty and spiritual vibrations. Here are more views of the temple.

The Bell Tower in the center of the shrine compound

Buddha idol in the garden contiguous to the shrine

Bridge across a water body to view the Buddha idol

Water body and the idols inside and outside it

Another religious symbol in the water body

Long shot of the Buddha statue

NB: More pictures to come shortly.

Viet Namese Buddhist Temple, Houston

Ashoka Chakra right at the entrance of the temple

Last weekend we had been to Houston to participate in the wonderful Krishna Janmashtami celebrations organized by the Hindus of Greater Houston. The day after the event we hung around in Houston to visit couple of friends and take in the Hindu sights of the city. We have seen everything there is to see in this city last year the museum of modern art, Downtown Aquarium, zoo, water wall, NASA space center, George Ranch and others. That is why this time we decided to take in only the spiritual sights of Hindus. It seems like there are millions of churches in every city in the US so I don't bother with them unless they are really spectacular or historically relevant.

Anyway coming back to our exploration we had planned on visiting the Swami Narayan temple. Unfortunately for us we found the wrong address on google and landed up in the wrong place. This was a misfortune in disguise because right next door to the address we found was this magnificent Viet Namese Buddhist temple. This shrine with its towering milky white statue of Buddha, artificial lakes, rolling grassy lawns and gardens, held me spellbound even as I enjoyed myself capturing photographs of the location.

I was heartened to see the Ashoka Pillar right at the entrance of the temple and also the Dharma Ghanta (Bell of Justice) installed in a tower adjacent to the sanctum. This is one temple which is resplendent of the glory of Eastern religions and non-violent philosophy. I wish some of our Hindu temples would be as imposing. The temple was choc-a-bloc with pious Viet Namese listening to a discourse.

Sanctum of the temple

The Dharma Ghanta inside its tower

I will be posting more pictures of this wonderful shrine, once I get them sorted out. And then there are several pictures of last week's trip to Katrina-devastated and government neglected New Orleans. Do keep visiting the blog and check out the updates. Last and most important do leave your comments and feedback.

Houston Temples

During last week's visit to Houston we took a little time off to visit some local Hindu temples. Since the temples were all closed on Sunday afternoon I could get pictures only from the outside. Most temples are located in a run-down part of the city and one of them is even occupying an old industrial warehouse. Here are the pictures....

Swami Narayan Temple, Houston

Ashta Lakshmi Temple, Houston - housed in an industrial warehouse

Ashta Lakshmi Temple, Houston - with its typical South Indian trappings

Krishna Janmashtami Celebrations in Houston

Lord Krishna, the god of love with his consort Radha

Over the weekend we had been to Houston to participate in the well organized, colorful, and wonderfully scintillating Krishna Janmashtami Celebrations. The festival was organized by Hindus of Greater Houston, a non-profit organization formed to promote Hinduism and remove the popular misconceptions about the oldest religion in the world. The beauty of the event was that there was no fees charged either for visitors or for vendors who kept booths. The only condition however was that only Hindu non-profit organizations were permitted to have booths.

This was the first time I felt a Hindu presence in the United States. Temples and other spiritual locations apart this was the only ceremony which had a pure Hindu feel to it. The ceremonies were quite similar to those festivities organized in ashrams of modern Hindu Swamis like the Prasanna Trust or Art of Living Foundation. The highlight of the evening was live performance by Ghazal Maestro Anup Jalota who held the audience spellbound by his rendition of devotional songs dedicated to Lord Rama and Krishna.

There were numerous other performances by children, Krishna costume competition and the event was capped up by a Dandia or community dance which went on for about an hour and half. The devotional evening started off at 5.30 pm and continued until 1.00 am. As I came out of the auditorium I was heady in the spirituality and felt really happy that at last I have participated in a proper Hindu festival celebration. Here are some pictures... more to come..

Ceremonial welcome to guests on a carpet flanked by traditional figures

The center of attraction a mega rangoli with Radha-Krishna idol in the center

Ghazal Maestro Anup Jalota rendering soul soothing devotional songs

Packed auditorium during Anup Jalota's performance

The band of Guruvaurappan temple getting ready for performance

The imposing performance graduates with my highlight.

Ganesha Chathurthi Celebrations

Today Hindus living in America celebrated the festival of Ganesha Chathurthi. We performed simple worship at home with offerings of Modaks, fruits, and flowers. Then we proceeded to the Plano Ganesha temple where hundreds of Hindus were participating in the ceremonial worship of Lord.
Later in the afternoon we visited Taj Mahal Imports which in my opinion is the largest Indian store in the metroplex. The store had an array of Ganesha idols for sale which were being eagerly bought by devotees of the Lord of Wisdom.
Evening we participated in the exuberant celebrations at the University of Texas at Dallas. A group of Hindu students from India had got together and staged the festival in a simple but very devout fashion. I particularly liked the initiative of few students who had compiled a collection of songs in Marathi, Sanskrit and Hindu in praise of Lord Ganesha. Hymns in praise of Ganesha rent the air around the apartments and it was great to be part of this celebrations. This is a small saving grace for my life in the US.
Of course it is not necessary to mention that during these occasions the pain of separation from India, parents and family and the community with which I would celebrate the occasion, gets heightened. I guess it will continue to be there as long as I am here.

Happy Ganesha Chathurthi

Image by rosemanios via Flickr

The Hindu Festival of Ganesha Chathurthi during which we worship Lord Ganesha the elephant god who is the deity of knowledge, wisdom, and remover of obstacles is on August 23, 2009. Like every other festival I used to celebrate in India, Ganesha Chathurthi is also the second time in the US. Last year my parents were here and hence the occasion was celebrated much similar like in India. This year it will not be possible. The closest thing to do would be to visit the Ganesha temple in Plano or any other Hindu temple where this occasion is being observed and participate in the festivities.
I hope Lord Ganesha will give me the gift of wisdom, knowledge, and remove obstacles that stand between me and my goals. My prayer to god on this occasion is to give me the strength, courage, presence of mind, and humility to reach my goals.