Source: www.dnaindia.com
USA, July 16, 2009: Unemployment has hit America’s human workforce hard, but with the growing affluence of 2 million Hindu-Americans, well-mannered elephants are much in demand for weddings, temple consecrations and re-consecrations.
Last week Minnie, a magnificent-looking 37-year-old elephant–dolled up with a gold-studded shield on her forehead and a Hindu priest armed with a parasol astride her — participated in the re-consecration of the Ganesha temple in Flushing, NY, one of the oldest and largest temples in the U.S. Thousands of devotees congregated to attend the ceremonies, which were part of a $4 million renovation plan. Though times are hard, new Hindu temples are sprouting up across this country and others are being expanded as the Indian-American community becomes more prosperous.
Another elephant, retired from a circus and living in Texas, is rented out by its owner for weddings as far away as New Jersey, New York and the DC area–and has even crossed the border into Canada to lead a procession. Indian weddings are a study in extravagance, and the big fat Indian wedding has definitely arrived on these shores, with the status games in full play.
According to Dr Adarsh Deepak, president of the Dharma Association of North America, these grand gestures are all about “making a statement”. “It is a way for the Hindu community to say, we have arrived, we made it.”