Newsletter – November/December 2022
| This is my last update for this calendar year. There is a lot of news to share with you all in this edition of the newsletter. First and foremost, we had a successful in-person Diwali event held on October 30th, 2022. We have to thank many individuals who volunteered in many ways to make this event a success. This includes financial support for the event from Indru Watumull, Mira and Arun Savara, Neena and Preetam Tapryal, Vijaya and Bhanu Vellanki. Water for the event was provided by Menehune Water Company. Snacks and Gulab Jamun provided by India Market (Shereen Khan). The decorations of the venue was spearheaded by Rumki Halder and Sskthi Karthikeyan assisted my an army of volunteers. The events committee coordinated by Sundari Shankar, Sundari Balaraman and Mira Savara came up with a balanced entertainment for the evening. As usual the Executive Board members assisted by the Community Advisor Board members worked tirelessly in the shadows. We had an attendance of around 300. In the recent years this is probably the largest in-person attendance. It was heartening to see that around a third of the attendees were first time attendees. It was great to welcome these new individuals participating in our activities. The feedback both immediate and solicited survey after the event have generally been positive and the Executive Board will consider some of these for the coming year. Please do visit our website to see pictorial representations of the highlights of the program. I also want to announce to the larger group that Shailesh Mehta has agreed to be our Treasurer. He is replacing Archana Choppari who moved to the mainland earlier this year. In the spirit of me sharing health related news, please practice good sleeping and eating habits through this holiday season. There is a lot of evidence that show that maintaining our routines during these times is critical for good health. In closing, let me wish all of you a pleasant and safe holiday season. Please do remember our friends and colleagues who are no longer with us to journey into 2023 with fond memories and commit to some positive deeds for the coming year. V. Balaraman President |
| Temple Activities – November 20th, 2022 We continue to see more people venturing out to the temple on the 3rd Sunday for Pooja. We had over 45 devotees for the Pooja performed by Prof. Bhawuk. We were also treated to a plethora of wonderful sweets in celebration of the summer and a sumptuous anna danam provided by the Saksena family. We hope to see many of you this month on December 17th. This month will be a communal pot luck – please feel free to bring your favorite dish to share with our Ohana. We will continue to offer viewing of the pooja on zoom. The link is posted on our website.  |
| December 2022 Calendar: December 18 – Wahiawa Temple Pooja Day December 18 – International Migrant Day December 25 – Christmas December 27 – Internatiional Day of Epidemic Preparedness |
