Hindu Society Of Minnesota

Hindu Society of Minnesota10530 Troy lane N, Maple Grove, MN 55311www.HinduMandirMN.org Tel: 763-425-9449Hindu Temple MNHindu Mandir MNNamashkar!My vision is simple: it is to showcase tomaximum number of people spanningI am sincerely humbled and touched tomultitude of communities - the beautifulhave the opportunity to connect with youtemple and the variety of religious, cultural,as the 2013 Executive Committee presidenteducational programs that are offered. Iof the Hindu Society of Minnesota. It iswant to invite as many new people asindeed a privilege and honor to be able topossible to the temple and give them ancommunicate and share with you.opportunity to share their best talents andFirst, by way of introduction, I have been make a difference.associated with the temple for 20 years; IEach of yours is an amazing and uniquestarted as the Cultural Committee chair andstory that INSPIRES me every day. THANKcontinued to Vice President. I completedYOU for all that you do.my Bachelors from University of Minnesotaand Masters from University of St. Thomasand now work as Solution Architect in aninternational IT firm.I am married, mother of two kids, son 13and daughter 10. Being able to make adifference in socio-cultural initiatives ofsociety has always been my dream andpassion. I am thankful to have theopportunity to live it.My favorite things to do are spend timewith my kids, volunteer, read non-fiction,and be involved in activities related to yogaand meditation.Thank you,Sushumna Tandon Aggrawal(Sushmi)president@hindumandirmn.orgInside this brochure HTM in the New York Times HTM covered in local newsBuilding the dreamYouth at the MandirReligious events Religious discoursesHelping the larger communityBig names and online visitsContacts for key servicesGetting InvolvedPage 1

In Minnesota, Big Moment for a Templefor Hindusconstructing the temple, which came with a 9.5 million price tag, five years ago, andworshipers have been able to use it since2006. But it was not considered completeuntil this weekend, when its 65-foot towerwas consecrated.By CHRISTINA CAPECCHIPublished: June 28, 2009When building began, the society’s databaseconsisted of 1,000 families. Now the groupMAPLE GROVE, Minn. — Amid the soybean claims 4,000 families.fields and silos on the outskirts of this town,a testament to the Hindu faith, a 43,000At least 10,000 people attended the formalsquare-foot temple, has risen.opening of the temple in Maple Grove thisweekend, according to temple officials. ItThe location, direction (facing east) andwas a long time coming for the volunteerelevation (at the highest point in the vicinity) planners, who have struggled to reconcileof the building have been chosen according city code with religious code. Enforcers ofto Hindu rules. Even the minute of theeach supervised closely. The Firetemple’s final consecration — 12:01 p.m.Department, for example, was concernedSunday — was chosen because it wasabout the temple’s fire pit, which is sacred toconsidered the most auspicious time.Hindus.The Hindu Society of Minnesota beganContinue reading lOne of the students shivered, a reminder thatthere was no expectation that anyone was thereto work up a sweat.The inspiration came from within. And on thisnight about a dozen kids, middle-aged adultsand teenagers came to try to tap that innerjackpot.Yoga finds past purposeMinnesota's Hindu Temple, with its laid-back,spiritual approach, is bringing back a moretraditional form of yoga at its classes.By Amelia Rayno, Star TribuneSeptember 14, 2010Some of the pupils came in jeans, baggydresses and T-shirts. The only sound wasthe purr of the wind curling through thecornfields that surrounded the holy place.The temple's setting, where inside a white-robedpriest performed chants and blessings forvarious young couples, was a far cry from whatone might find at a typical American yogastudio, where soothing music is often played ona stereo and the outfits are pricey spandex.But with the temple's traditional Indian approachstaged more like a spiritual workshop than acardio routine, the trendy practice became whatit was originally intended to be: a spiritual guideto finding oneself.Page 2

Architectural Magazine showcases MandirHigher callingby Linda MackArchitecture MNDecember 2010Only once in the past decade has an issueof Architecture Minnesota has focused onsacred architecture. These buildings weredesigned to nurture their communities’highest aspirations, whether those aims areto worship, promote peace, steward theenvironment, or preserve the spiritual andcultural traditions of a homeland. Builtwith the help of volunteer architects andengineers, the new Hindu temple ofMinnesota connects followers from fiveMidwest states to Hindu traditions fromacross India.Temple designed by Muthiah Stapathi- Total built up area: 42,000 square feet- Height of Gopuram: 60 feet- Height of Main temple: 30 feet- 21 mini-Temples from all across India- Skylights in the Temple hall- Unique Vaastu Shastra architecture fromeast-west & north-south of IndiaGround breaking: Oct 2004First Kumba Abishekam: July 2006Raja Gopuram Kumba Abishekam: 2009Page 3

HATS School – Success Breeds SuccessMy name is Amrit Bhatia. I am 12 years oldand attend the Hindu American TempleSchool (HATS) at the Hindu Temple ofMinnesota. I am in the level 5 dharmaclass. In class, we are learning anddiscussing the Mahabharata. I go to HATSto learn about our religion, culture, andHindu values.I also get opportunities to learn leadershipqualities which I can apply to day to daylife. We learn a lot about our festivals, andhow they are celebrated in India and here.Every Sunday, I have lunch at the temple.By doing so, I get to taste different foodsfrom all over India and also be with myfriends at the same time.Every year, my parents and few of theirfriends sponsor lunch at the temple. Ivolunteer at the cash register, and also helpout in the kitchen. When the whole lunchevent is done, I feel great about raisingmoney for the mandir. I learn aboutvolunteering.By attending HATS every week, it gives mean opportunity to do darshan upstairs in theHindu Mandir. I pray to every god andattend the aarti. The atmosphere during theaarti is joyous. I feel great! I'm glad that I'mpart of the HATS school and excited that Ihave earned the opportunity to learn newthings.By: Amrit Bhatia (12 yrs old)Pictures on the right:Picture 1 – HATS classPicture 2 -- HATS classPicture 3 – Amrit BhatiaHATS SCHOOL – Vishal Agarwal** 180 students enrolled** Topics of study: Meditation, Science,SAT/ACT, Dharma,Six Indian languages**Non-sectarian**14-year curriculum**Empower our children as self-confidentHindu Americans**Second generation teenagers involvedon a large scalewww.HinduMandirMN.orgPage 4

Past Events and ProjectsYouth InitiativesSummer CampScience Camp (pictured right)Vegetable GardenHindu Youth of MN (HYMN)Students of all ages enjoy spendingtheir summers learning at theTemple. They play sports, cook,design artwork, and learn about theirheritage. At Science Camp, studentslearn about physics and mass bybuilding a bridge and testing it’scarrying weight.Supporting Culture and Fine ArtCultural Shows (pictured below)Bollywood Movie NightDandiya NightHealthy Minds and BodiesAyurveda ClassesYoga and Zumba ClassesClasses priced at suggested donationCharitable EffortsToy DriveSharing and Caring HandsFeed My Starving Childrenwww.HinduMandirMN.orgPage 5

Helping our Larger CommunityI humbly express my gratitude to thismagnificent place of worship and thepeople who made this Temple a reality.Being the daughter of a Priest /Astrologer, visiting temples andparticipating in religious rituals havebeen an integral part of my life. AlthoughI have come thousands of miles from ourhomeland, it is because of the HinduTemple of Minnesota that I can still stayconnected to my religious, cultural andphilosophical roots. Furthermore, it givesme immense happiness and greatsatisfaction to watch my children bask inthe warm glow of our values andtraditions at the Temple.Visiting and volunteering at our Templegives me a feeling of completeness andan opportunity to give of myself, as avery small gesture of my appreciation ofthe many blessings that the Almighty hasbestowed upon me.By: VallabhaTantryPictures on the right:Top three: Mandir volunteers cooked food,took it to Sharing and Caring Hands for thehomeless, and served them.Bottom: Priest Gowthamji helps deliverdonated toys.www.HinduMandirMN.orgPage 6

New Upcoming EventsCultural Heritage DayCultural Heritage Day is a day longconference designed to introducepeople to all facets of Indianculture. Workshops will includeBollywood dance classes, Hindiscript reading, history of India,henna, folk singing, cooking,health, and many more. This is agreat way for new attendees tounderstand India as well as forinvolved patrons to delve intodifferent aspects of their culture.Celebrating our GraduatesA milestone passed, new thingsbegun, dreams as shining as thesun. A goal achieved, a victory wonand many more to come!Career Expo:The Twin Cities is full of talentedindividuals, and as youth growolder, they should aspire to be justas active and diverse in. Thisevent will outline the many optionsstudents have to pursue and allowthem to network to help achievetheir goals.Stories from our Past:Our past should guide us in who webecome. Stories from our relativesgives us advice and brings us closerto one another. Grandparents andolder relatives will shareinspirational stories from their livesthat entertain and educate.www.HinduMandirMN.orgPage 7

Governor Dayton attends Diwali ShowThe Hindu Mandir held their annual Diwali Show on October 20th, 2012. Forthis particular function, we were delighted to host Governor Mark Dayton.He was impressed with so many volunteers and organizers ensuring asuccessful event and values such a large Indian presence in the Twin Cities.Much of the credit for the Governorattending goes to Aamira Redd(pictured in white, with Mr. Rajiv Gargin middle), a high school student whopersonally knows and invited theGovernor.An especially engravedmemento depictingGoddess Lakshmi waspresented to GovernorDayton at the show.www.HinduMandirMN.orgPage 8

Key visitors to our MandirSwamy Dayanada SaraswatiSant Rajinder Singh Ji MaharajP.C. MangalickFormer Governor Tim PawlentySri Gajapati Maharaja Dibyasingha DebSenator Amy KlobucharPage 9

Visitors to our Mandir websitePage 10

Contacts for key Mandir servicesContact information for the year 2013In addition to people shown here, our Mandir is blessed with hundreds of volunteersPresident - ECVice President - ECVallabha TantrySushmi Aggarwalpresident@hindumandirmn.org vicepresident@hindumandirmn.orgAuditorium rentalPooja arrangementGuided toursNarender VenkataYoga ClassesMythili Charimanager@HinduMandirMN.org Ned MohanTemple AdministratorAnu Pandaadmin@hindumandirmn.orgCharity/ VolunteeringMandir StoreByron rgnedmohan@gmail.comHATS schoolTrustee Membershippayment of duesVishal Agarwalvishalsagarwal@yahoo.comSpecial eventsKanak Duttkanakdutt@gmail.comSastry VaranasiVolunteering at the MandirSridhar Konerusastrty.varanasi@comcast.net volunteer@hindumandirmn.orgSunday SatsangInterfaith DialoguesMeditationDr. Shashi SaneArvind fore contacting the volunteers above, check on-line information Page 11