Hindu Bhavan of Fayetteville

November 14, 2015

Dear Friends and well wishers

Jai Sri Krishna and Namaskaar! Happy Diwali and a Happy New Year to all of you and your families. As I write this note, I am deeply saddened to learn of the horrific tragedy that has befallen the residents of Paris and our thoughts and prayers go out to the families of the victims and our fellow human beings. Every day we are reminded of the danger that lurks when hatred and anger replaces love, respect and rational thinking.

Today, we will gather at the temple to celebrate Annakut and the altar has been decorated to give a very beautiful festive look. Later today many different food items will be placed in front of the altar on the makeshift stage. Many families would have spent time and effort to assist and bring this to fruition. On behalf of the Hindu Bhavan community I want to recognize each and every member that makes this possible.

The calendar year will soon come to a close and winter is almost upon us. In a few weeks from now we will gather to ring in 2016. As we come to this juncture, I ask you to pause and reflect on the year that has passed and to all the events that have taken place around us and at the temple. I also ask you to consider becoming a dues paying member of the temple ($151/-) or a pledging member (any amount above $151/-) to help the temple continue to pursue its mission of promoting tolerance, worship, fellowship and pursuit of universal values of love, forgiveness and peace. It is so very important “to treat each other just as you would want to be treated”.

The temple is served well with a resident priest Sri Karthick Dixit and he is available for services and Pujas at homes. All such events will need to be coordinated with a temple committee such that we can keep a record and avoid overlap and also to avoid conflict with the temple hours.

While you are at the temple we again ask for your cooperation in maintaining a clean environment. Please place shoes on shoe racks, use the toilets with the same care you would at home and when in the main hall or at the altar to maintain an attitude of reverence and silence to the extent possible.

This year we are asking for your support in keeping the slate of Trustees and Directors the same as the preceding year. In the coming year we will begin a transition of rotating off members (directors) with staggered terms to allow for new talent while maintaining stability and a formal process of notification and nomination with an election to the Board to follow.

On a personal note, I have completed 15 years at the helm, initially as Chair of the exploratory and convening effort for ten years to bringing the temple project to fruition and the last five years as President of Board of Directors. In this period, we have paid down our debt to almost half of the initial loan amount and added a Picnic Pavilion without any additional debt on our books. I am very proud of this accomplishment and this could not have been possible without the support and concerted effort of all our supporters and contributors.

In the coming year I will hand the baton to Raju Shah who will assume the role of President and I am certain that the future of Hindu Bhavan is secure and will continue to thrive for years to come. I ask for your continuing support to him and the leadership team. I ask for each of us to have the attitude of devotion and service and ask all of our trustees and directors to participate and contribute their time and energy to making this possible. I want to thank each and every individual and family that has helped us reach this milestone.

Vinita and I are very grateful to the opportunity that was given to us and our family and we hope that the Hindu Bhavan will continue to be a place that will bring joy and unity for many generations. The intent was to create a place that brings together our community, to celebrate our heritage, maintain our identity and to provide for religious worship and promote peace and harmony. Most important of all is to allow our children and youth to get a message from our rich Scriptures that promotes the idea of “Self Knowledge” the concept that each of us have the same spark from the Divine power and that it is up to us to ask the question – “Who am I? What is my purpose on earth? and what is my connection with the Divine? “

Jai Sri Krishna!
Namaskaar.


Rakesh Gupta
Co-President
Board of Directors

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