Source: www.indoamerican-news.com
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.