LIVERMORE, CALIFORNIA, USA, November 30, 2006: The Shiva-Vishnu Temple in Livermore is holding a open house and a celebration on Saturday — the Geeta Jayanti Celebration –, and is inviting the whole community. Prabha Duneja, one of the organizers, also sees it as a retreat. She will lead a guided meditation, which she described as a “journey to the infinite bliss.”
The free, public event is a combined feast, pageant and open house. It begins at 10 a.m. with a recital of the Hindus’ Holy Sermon of Bhagavad-Geeta. The celebration includes recitals of hymns, devotional singing, dancing and other Hindu observances and celebrations. A free Indian vegetation lunch will be served from 11 a.m. until 4 p.m.
Members of the Shiva-Vishnu Temple have made a point of reaching out to their neighbors in recent years, with open invitations to celebrations such as this one, as well as temple open houses and health fairs for the entire community. The community has reached back. About 1,800 guests came to last year’s event — half of whom had come to previous temple celebrations, Duneja said — and worshippers are cooking enough food for 2,000 lunches this weekend.
While outreach to the greater community is important, keeping these activities alive and relevant for coming generations of Indian-Americans is also a key function of celebrations such as Saturday’s. “I’m trying to help keep the traditions going so the next generations can have some enlightenment about them,” Duneja said.
The Shiva-Vishnu Temple of Livermore can be reached for more informations at 925-449-6255.