Newsletter – November 2021
| Namaste everyone. Hope you all are getting ready for the end of another year. In many ways the last two years will remain in our memories as very unique. Even in the midst of this we successfully did another Diwali event and I would like to take a moment to talk about it and the LOTUS hosted Diwali celebration lunch. A group of participants and volunteers worked hard for a span of three to four weeks to turn in a great performance. Based on the feed back from the 50-60 attendees the event was a success. For those who did not attend for various reasons, we would like to share this Diwali 2021 link to enjoy the program which was recorded. The Diwali lunch at the Ka’ala park on November 21 allowed at least some of our community members to come together safely. We were happy to serve around 75 people with lunch which was cooked by Sundari Balaraman, Savitha Kutty, Saguna Verma, Supriya Kumar and the husband and wife team of Lata and Ramesh. For the people eating at the park, the camaraderie was wonderful. The event brought back memories of LOTUS events of the past and why this organization still continues to exist for over 30 years in bringing our community together. Even as we adjust our lives to meaningfully manage the pandemic, please anticipate volunteering for many community events that we hope to participate as our contribution to the well being of our Ohana in Hawaii. Further, we are also planning a cultural event featuring local artists and talent in late Spring early Summer – so be on the look out for these announcements. I take this opportunity to challenge our community once more to actively participate in our year end Fund raiser. We have had a wonderful year and under the guidance of our Community Advisory Board, LOTUS leadership has shown fiscal stewardship but effectively supported many programs in the local community. Feel free to look at our Website for details of these efforts. Please rise to the occasion of our end of the year campaign and help us surpass the total of $5,000 collected last year. One of the targets being considered from the proceeds of this donation will be the Lanakila Meals on Wheels: Feeding the Hawaii’s Seniors. We solicit other suggestions from the community. In order to donate to LOTUS, the most painless way is to use PayPal using this link. You may also mail your checks to LOTUS, P.O. Box 89-4052, Mililani, HI 96789. On behalf of the Board, I appreciate the opportunity and confidence shown by the community in allowing us to lead LOTUS and hope this trust is not misplaced. We certainly welcome your feedback as we continue this journey. Warm aloha and Stay Safe – Happy Holidays – Mele Kalikimaka and Hauoli Makahiki Hou Remembrances: A young visitor of Indian descent from California lost his life on Oahu while snorkeling. I had the opportunity to guide his friends and mother during this difficult time. This incident brings back memories of how the waters around Hawaii are dangerous and people just underestimate it. We need to encourage our visiting friends and families to practice extreme caution around the island waters. As an organization I hope LOTUS can also be seen as a support system to help these families during their time of distress. I welcome volunteers who would be willing to be part of this network to reach out to us so that we may have a ready roster available at all times. |
| Temple Activities – November 21, 2021 The November Pooja was the highlight of this year’s temple activities. We had approximately 25 devotees who participated that day with some wonderful Bhajans from the assembled group. It was true Diwali style celebrations with a multitude of mithai for prasad. After the pooja at the temple we had the pleasure of serving around 75 lunches at the Ka’ala park in Celebration of Diwali. With a lot of care and personal safety exercised by the attendees we successfully got our first outdoor gathering during this pandemic without any major challenges. We will continue to monitor and practice high safety standards and would encourage people interested in joining us for the pooja on December 19th to come to Wahiawa and also participate in the pot luck lunch. We will keep track of attendees to be in line with being able to do Contact tracing should there be a need to do it.  |
| December Calendar: December 19 – Wahiawa Temple Pooja Day December 21 – Shortest day of the Year in the Northern Hemisphere December 25 – Christmas December 31 – New Year’s Eve Other Worldly Days celebrated in December – Boxing Day, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Dongzhi, Yalda and Soyal (nice research for the adventurous) |
