Newsletter – October 2020
| The Newsletter this month is very informational. The LOTUS leadership segment is written by our Vice-President Saguna Verma. Dipu Sengupta, our past president shares his memories about Dr. Ramanathan who passed away last month in San Diego. Please also do see a segment on Remembrance from on our website. Further, we have Geethu Annamalai writing for the Youth corner on Navaratri celebrations in South India followed up our communications about Wahiawa Temple activities, LOTUS virtual Diwali Plans and our version of the October event calendar. |
| LOTUS Board Message: Namaste: Despite what seems like a particularly long orbit around the sun, we have at last reached the last quarter of 2020! Cautiously, Hawaii’s population has started to emerge from the 3-week “stay-at-home” lockdown order, and I hope you all are enjoying some well-deserved outdoor fun as the pleasant fall breezes roll in. Though it’s encouraging to see a trend of much-needed decline in Hawaii’s daily cases and the state has begun re-opening hiking trails, parks and many small businesses, we must nonetheless remain vigilant in maintaining social distance, wearing masks in public, and avoiding any public or private gatherings of 5 of more individuals. After almost 8 months of this global pandemic, I personally feel that people have slowly started to accept zoom parties, remote work/learning, outdoor dining, and other COVID-related social changes as the new normal; and I surprisingly haven’t heard too many complaints lately! This again proves the theory that ‘change is the only constant’. As we continue to adjust to the changing status-quo, I am thrilled and proud that we as a community are still very much connected and finding new ways to keep up our annual traditions. I am happy to share that LOTUS executive Board and Advisory committee met in the last week of September. One of the main agenda of course was to discuss the format of the annual Diwali Celebration. The Diwali event has been a unique platform to educate and expose our kids to our rich culture and to come together as a community. However, given the current situation, The LOTUS Board is considering having a virtual Diwali event this year with the same spirit as previous years. So, keep a lookout for some exciting announcements in coming few weeks! October is another month with many important festivals. We remember Gandhiji’s fight for ‘Satya’ and ‘Ahimsa’ on 2nd October. In today’s gloomy world with looming pandemic the quotes of Gandhiji that most resonate are ‘The future depends on what we do in the present’ and ‘sabko sanmati de bhagwan’ that translates to ‘May God bless everyone with wisdom’. The Goddess Durga symbolizes the divine forces (shakti) that protects her devotees from evils and is celebrated in many different ways in India in the month of October. Spirit and devotion across communities remain the same but the forms change and take shape of ‘Golu’ in Tamil Nadu, ‘Bommala Koluvu’ in Andra Pradesh, ‘Navratri’ In Gujarat and ‘Durga Puja’ in Bengal. As people celebrate these festivals in different states, singing bhajans, dance and cultural performances become essential part in bringing communities together. This year we will also pray Goddess Durga to bless with strength to overcome this global pandemic. May the divine blessings of Maa Durga ensure good health and happiness in everyone’s life. Other than the Indian festivals, at the local level, we also look forward receiving our ballots in the mail. Voting is a responsibility of every citizen, so please mail or drop your ballot in the drop-box before the Election Day. Happy Voting!!! Stay safe and healthy as we look forward to celebrating Dussehra and Diwali. Warm Aloha Saguna Verma |
| Remembering a Dear Friend - Dipankar Sengupta shares his memories about Dr. Ramanathan In November 1978, Indians in Hawaii were celebrating Diwali festival at the basement cafetaria of Jefferson Hall at the East West Center. A Hindi song from the film Madhumati was playing in the background. My attention was suddenly drawn to a commotion nearby. A small person no more than five and half feet tall, in his forties, was confronted by a male student, who had asked the person if he was enjoying the song. The person said “No, I don’t follow Hindi.” The student flew into a rage. “What kind of Indian are you?” he demanded. I intervened and separated them. I introduced myself to the person. His name was Ramanathan; he was a professor at the University. That was the beginning of our friendship. Ramanathan or Dr, R lived with his wife Shakuntala and two daughters in Kalama Valley, not far from where we lived. He liked to read books on religion written by Indian and European authors. We discussed the contents. I myself had a spiritual inclination. He was a Tamil Brahmin following rituals and believing in puranas. I was a Bengali more inclined to Vedantic philosophies. Our spiritual interests converged with the founding of LOTUS and the Shiva puja at Wahiawa.  Dr.R was one among a handful of Indians and Non-Indians who, in 1988, discovered the Healing Stone in Wahiawa and thought about starting an organization. I became President of this organization, LOTUS, and Dr. R became the Secretary. My wife Papia and I spent hours discussing the future of the healing stone and LOTUS with Dr. R. Our objectives were to renovate the temple and have a permanent structure for Indian cultural activities. From signing the lease with the property owner on which the temple was situated to preparing by-laws for the constitution to secure non-profit status to meeting officials of the Hawaii Visitor Bureau and Department of Land Utilization, Dr. R spent his energy to make the organization work. When we could not raise enough funds from the Indian community, he contacted Hawaii Senator Rod Tam and City councilwoman Ann Kobayashi through mutual acquaintances to get their help in securing Government funds for our non-profit organization. He and I believed in bringing Indian music to the shores of Hawaii as a part of LOTUS cultural activities. We invited artists from India and the mainland USA and provided lodging and boarding in our own homes. Dr. R led a simple life. Sambar, rice and a vegetable cooked by his wife Shakuntala and buttermilk constituted his daily supper. His only luxury was a cup of coffee in the morning and at night. He blended ground coffee and prepared it diligently. Friends sometimes made fun of his simple nature, which he brushed away with a sweet smile. At the temple, he would take off his shirt and trouser and wear a dhoti in the South Indian style before entering the sanctum. Dr. R was kind hearted and generous. He knew of some regular worshippers who could not afford to buy tickets for the LOTUS cultural programs. He bought tickets for them. Even after he moved to San Diego to be near his daughter’s family, he sent money to buy a ticket for one person for whom he especially cared. We kept in touch. He remained a member of the Board of Directors for some time even after he left the islands. He was always curious to know how the LOTUS was doing. Although he was separated by thousands of miles, his heart was in Hawaii and he regularly inquired after his friends and the participants at the temple. Dr. Ramanathan is no longer with us, but his legacy will live on in the LOTUS organization, the Shiva puja at the Healing Stone Wahiawa, and most importantly in our hearts. |
| Youth Corner - Geethanjali Annamali shares her perspective on the celebration of Navaratri which culminates on Vijayadasami (Dussera as celebrated in Central and Northern India) For many people in South India, Navaratri is marked by celebrating the festival of Golu (the arrangement of deities and dolls on steps). Golu dolls are of a wide variety, such as those depicting popular children’s stories and cricket! Golu is accompanied by daily prayers, eating sundal (legumes tossed in curry leaves, chilies, and mustard seeds), and visiting others’ houses to view their displays.  Though my family does not keep Golu, we do celebrate the ninth and tenth days of Navaratri: Saraswathi Pooja and Vijayadasami. During Saraswathi Pooja, my mom collects all of our textbooks, notebooks, pencils, and pens to create a pedestal of sorts for the goddess Lakshmi which she adorns with jewelry. We then pray, and offer and eat fruits and sundal made of brown chickpeas. The next day, on Vijayadasami, we pray and perform Ayudha Pooja, where we apply kunkum on all of the tools we use, including our car, laptops, and piano. We also remove our now blessed books from the previous day (which in Tamil we call “yedu pirithal”). My brother and I also write out prayers in Tamil (which really means that we attempt to copy our mom’s writing to the best of our abilities!). As my brother and I are usually at college when Navaratri falls, our prayers, festivities, and writing are now conducted over FaceTime. I have fond memories of celebrating Navaratri here at home and despite being thousands of miles away now, it is still a time of joy in our family. |
| LOTUS DIWALI CELEBRATIONS - Virtual event planned for Saturday, November 14th, 2020 The LOTUS Board is working on this actively. We need community engagement to make this event successful. The Program Committee under the leadership of Mira Savara and Sundari Balaraman are inviting participants who would like to perform for the program. Interested individuals or groups should complete this Google Form to provide details of their activity. Please respond ASAP as we would like program finalized with the submission of appropriate videos of the performance to theTech team by October 20th. We would also like to get community input into their willingness to attend this Virtual event. Please provide this information by completing this second Google Form. LOTUS will continue to provide frequent updates about the planning and progress through emails and posts on the website and our facebook page. |
| Temple Activities - October 18th, 2020 Dr. Bhawuk continues with performing the monthly pooja on the 3rd Sunday of the month. Based on comfort of individual families, he would like to invite small groups who would like special pooja to consider attending the temple or reaching out to LOTUS leadership to organize the pooja and get the prasad over to them. In general the number of people at the temple has been 8 or less and we have ample space to physically distance. This month we will also attempt to broadcast the pooja on zoom. We will continue to practice having no more than 10 people directly in the vicinity of the elevated Temple grounds |
| October Calendar October 2nd - Gandhi Jayanthi October 23rd - Durga Ashtami October 24th - Maha Navami October 25th - Vijaya Dasami/Dussera |
