H i n d u T e m p l e A n d C o m m u n i t y C e n t e r O f M i d - M i s s o u r i 2006, Holly avenue, Columbia, MO 65202-2043

http://shanthimandir.missouri.org (573) 814-1286

Shanthi Sandesh V O L U M E 2 , I S S U E 2 M A Y 2 0 0 7

T o say that we have been busy in Mandir-related

activities since our first anniversary celebrations in January would be an understatement! A lot has transpired since then in terms of behind the scenes administrative and planning activities as well as new programs to keep our hands full.

The IRS approval of our application for tax-exempt

status (under IRS Section 501 (c) 3) was a significant development during this quarter. We received the good news that our application was approved “as is” in mid-March, attesting to the strength of our documentation effort. Earlier, in mid-February Shubh Kaam, LLC. arranged for surveying and platting of the Shanthi Mandir minor subdivision. Just as we go to press, Shubh Kaam, LLC. members have

completed the process of transferring the Shanthi Mandir property over to HTCC! These three very significant accomplishments allow us to proceed with the Capital Campaign in the weeks and months ahead. Meanwhile members of the HTCC Facilities and Renovation Committee have been working behind the scenes to draw up a proposal for medium-term repair and renovation of Shanthi Mandir so that we will have a safe and convenient

Continued on page 3...

Message from the Executive Board

A Call to Action - Vellore and Anantha Gopalaratnam

S hanthi Mandir has completed its first year

having successfully served our community by offering a range of devotional, educational, youth and service programs. As our signboard outside proudly proclaims, Shanthi Mandir is A Place for Worship and Service. In the formative first year, we have taken baby steps to serve the community. Our membership has come up with many innovative ideas on how to better serve Columbia by interfacing with up-and-running service projects being organized by various city departments and other service organizations. Thanks to many of you, we are already a part of some of these activities as detailed in the inset on Page 4. Success in this modest start emboldens us to plan for a sustained and substantial effort in the months and years to come so that we can truly achieve our potential to serve our fellow citizens. According to a recent Columbia Tribune article, the 2000 US Census documents 854 individuals of Indian origin as residents of Boone County. If we include our other South Asian friends,

our strength would probably be well in excess of a 1,000! It would not be presumptuous to assume that a significant majority of these individuals is very well educated and are professionals connected to the university, government or hospitals in Columbia and its vicinity. Given this enormously skilled resource and given the infrastructure support HTCC and other city agencies can provide, the time is ripe for us to explore service opportunities in Columbia where we can collectively make a significant and positive impact in the lives of fellow Columbians.

Volunteerism and Self Fulfillment

We revisited a January 2003 article we had penned for Bal Sandesh (with the same title as this piece) with the hope of being able to share with the larger Shanthi Sandesh readership some of our ideas

which at that time targeted our youth group. Even while many of those observations are still relevant, we have also included other observations based on our recent experiences with the service group at the Mandir which we fondly call HTCC Helping Hands. Typically, when we put our passion into serving others, we become aware of our own intrinsic values and of the actions that bring real happiness in our lives. Our attention grows from personal concerns to the well being of a broader community and we inspire others to give of themselves as well. It is an amazing process that builds an overall positive outlook and a better, stronger community! Volunteerism provides self fulfillment, which is a reward in itself. There are many amongst us who regularly serve the Columbia community as volunteers and have experienced first-hand the pleasures of such selfless actions. Many others amongst us have considered volunteering but have not got around to it yet because of the preoccupations of an

Continued on Page 4...

Inside This Issue

A Call to Action 1

Akhand Ramayan 2

Sri Rama Jayam 2

Call of the Whirring Motor 3

Sunrise Optimist Club 5

Metta Bhavana Talk 6

The Animal 6

Clean-Up Columbia 2007 6

Bal Sandesh Classical Dance Forms Jai Mahabharatha Three Animals Poems Book Reviews Summer Reading List

7-10 8 8 8 9 9

10

Youth Summer Programs 11

Bhishma 11

Planning for Rainbow II 12

Rainbow II Fundraiser 13

Educational Programs 14

“There is no higher religion than human service. To work for the common good is the greatest creed.”

Woodrow T. Wilson

Wonderful News!

The Shanthi Mandir property now belongs to the Hindu Temple! Thanks, Shubh Kaam! Another milestone in

our collective endeavor!

P A G E 2 S H A N T H I S A N D E S H

A khand Ramayan, a non-stop recitation in Hindi

(Avadhi, a eastern dialect of Hindi) of the entire Tulsidas Ramcharitmanas for over 24 hours, was held on Saturday, March 24, at Shanthi Mandir, immediately after the regular Saturday morning prayer services. The epic poem, Ramcharitmanas, consists of rhyming couplets grouped into books called Kaands. The seven "Kaands" are: "Baal Kaand", the boyhood section; "Ayodhya Kaand", Rama's life in Ayodhya, until his banishment; "Aranya Kaand", Rama's life in the forest and Sita's abduction by Ravana; "Kishkindha Kaand", Rama's stay at Kishkindha, the capital of his monkey ally, Sugriva; "Sundar Kaand", Rama's passage to Sri Lanka; "Lanka Kaand", Rama's battle with Ravana, recovery of Sita, and return to Ayodhya; and "Uttara Kaand", the section narrating Rama's life in Ayodhya as king, and dialogues

highlighting the essence of devotion to Ram.

This recitation of Tulsidas Ramcharitmanas, a new event at the Shanthi Mandir, was possible with the blessings of Sri Ram and the selfless devotion, commitment, and dedication of numerous volunteers. Preparations for Akhand Ramayan started several weeks in advance. Hema Srinivasan and Varsha Pherwani lined up volunteers for food and coordinated the menu. Sunita Bajpai organized practice sessions for reciting Sundar Kaand so that novice readers became fluent before the actual event. Punam Sethi identified readers for reading during the 24 hours puja. Anantha Gopalaratnam and Meera Chandrasekhar helped in ensuring that all devotees who visited the Mandir during Akhand Ramayan were served food. Kusum Malhotra, Gopalaratnam, and several volunteers worked behind the scene to make things run smoothly. Even the Columbia Police Department conducted extra patrols around the Mandir during the all-night puja.

Several volunteers decorated the prayer hall in the evening before the actual event. The

altar area was set with two texts of Ramacharitmanas. Each text was assigned to one of two main readers. The two main readers alternately read a line of each couplet. This sequence was followed during the puja. Several devotees joined the main readers in reading the sacred text. Copies of the text were also available in the prayer hall for the audience to recite the text. Once the reading was in full swing, many enthusiastic devotees were playing dholak and bells. Even the kids got into the rhythm and joined the adults in singing the refrain “mangal bhavan amangal haari drabahu sudasarath achar bihaari” at the end of the chaupais. The prayer hall was indeed a place of spiritual bliss!

Many thanks, to all, for your contributions towards this event. We hope we can continue to feature Akhand Ramayan as an annual event to celebrate Shri Rama Navami☯

Akhand Ramayan - Chandra Rawlani

Shri Rama Jayam - Hema Srinivasan

S hri Rama Navami, the birthday of Lord Rama, this

year fell on Tuesday, March 27, 2007.

We celebrated it with great joy in our own Shanthi Mandir on that day. We followed the tradition established last year for the program. After invocation of Rama, we began with a short reading of verses from Srimad Valmiki Ramayanam on Rama Jananam, the birth of Lord Rama and his three brothers, Bharatha, Lakshmana and Shatruguna. This was followed by Ashtothra Puja by the whole group. Shloka class Children sang Nama Ramayanam in Ragamalika with Hema Srinivasan on Veena.

More shlokas and stotras on Shri Rama were recited by everyone with the words projected on the screen for the benefit of the many devotees in attendance. This was followed by open prayer times and the recitation of Shri Rama Mangalam by the parents of shloka class children and others. Finally we had Aarti and Hanuman Chalisa. The hour-long program created an atmosphere of spiritual bliss appropriate for

Shri Rama’s birthday. We then celebrated with the traditional Panagam (sweet drink) and Neermore (buttermilk) along with other Prasad. May the blessings of Shri Rama and Sita be bestowed on this earth and on all of the living beings forever!☯

Thanks to our Ramayan Readers!

Sushma Anand Satish Anand

Mukul Chaudhuray Upinder Dhand

Bandhana Katoch Kala Gupta

Mangal Gupta Manorama Gupta

Leela Jashnani Vinita Khanna

Sanjeev Khanna Inder Khurana Gopal Krishna Arpita Kumar

Adarsh Kumar Sangeeta Kumar

Ritcha Mehra-Chaudhary Kusum Malhotra Shamita Mishra

Rajiv Mohan Mona Puri Ravi Puri

Chandra Rawlani Namita Satpathy Santosh Sehgal

Poonam Sethi Yash Sethi

Preeti Sinha Meena Thawani

Ravi Thawani Ranjitha Tiwari

Rajini Tolani Ashish Upadhyay

P A G E 3 V O L U M E 2 , I S S U E 2

home for our expanding congregation and increasing services. This summer will see more detailed discussions of this proposal with our membership and other well-wishers. We look forward to your active participation in these discussions.

With the approval of our tax-exempt status we are mandated by our constitution to hold a General Assembly meeting to formally elect our first set of officers. The meeting is tentatively slated for September 15, 2007 (Ganesh Chathurthi, a day that has a precious significance for all of us). HTCC Membership will be hearing from the Board of Trustees in the very near future on this election meeting. We would encourage all of our members to consider running for the various offices and also to actively participate in the elections.

On the devotional front our very first Akhand Ramayan at the Mandir was very well received. An article about this event included in this issue provides details of the celebration. We offer our many thanks to the tireless and dedicated Ramayan readers, the organizers and other volunteers who made this marathon event a success. We also had a wonderful Puja on Rama Navami day which was driven largely by youth from Hema Srinivasan’s shloka class, also as detailed in an accompanying article. Last month we also participated in the Clean-up Columbia effort. A group of 14 HTCC Helping Hands volunteers took part in cleaning up in and around Shanthi Mandir on the scheduled day, braving the still-lingering wintry and wet weather. The Bal Sabha volunteer crew undertook their clean-up of Ridgeway Elementary School and its vicinity two weeks later in better weather. Approximately 20 Bal Sabha and HTCC members participated in this effort. Our

Educational Programs committee has two programs underway this quarter that have enthusiastic support from a core group of our members. While the Bhagavad Gita study circle which meets on the second and fourth Saturdays from 6:00 – 7:30 p.m. at the Educational Center provides food for the mind with Mrs. Saroj Mohan as the discussions leader, the Yoga Class, which meets every Saturday from 3:00 – 4:30 p.m. at Shanthi Mandir, offers useful tips on mental and physical practices for good health. The Yoga Class, the second six-week session of which is currently underway is being taught by Kate Walker of the Integral Life Center. On the membership front, we have already achieved the 50 lifetime member goal. We now have 51 lifetime members and 44 annual members for 2007. In the weeks ahead, we hope to reach the milestone of 100 members. Our Membership and Fundraising Committee is looking for ideas to attract student members to our congregation as well. They are also gearing up for the Capital Campaign which will be underway this summer.

Rainbow II, a presentation by Soorya Performing Arts of St. Louis, MO, was organized by the nine families of the Soorya Dance Class, most of who are also active members of HTCC. Details of this refreshingly unique performance, where popular English poetry was set to Bharata Natyam and Kathak styles of classical dances, are included in two articles by Kirthi Rangenekar. The passionate efforts of the nine families in organizing this event to benefit HTCC are greatly appreciated. We are also thankful to Soorya Performing Arts and all the artistes who performed in Rainbow II, particularly Guru Prasanna Kasthuri who provided the creative leadership for Rainbow II. The fundraising event would not have taken off the ground

without the support of the many sponsors, advertisers and patrons buying tickets for the show. We also thank the families that lovingly prepared home-cooked meals for the out-of-town artistes on short notice.

After the successful summer workshops for our youth last year, our Youth Activities Committee is once again putting together a slate of interesting programs for Summer 2007 including HTCC Tennis Tournament, HTCC Chess Tournament, Art Workshops and Math Workshop. Our Educational Programs Committee is organizing a Yoga Workshop for Youth, tying in with the Math Workshop. Details are included on Page 11. Science and Computer Skills workshops which are still on the drawing boards will be announced shortly. Please help out with these activities by volunteering or making use of the workshops to keep children creatively engaged.

Talking of summer programs, our annual Samuhika Satyanarayana Puja has been rescheduled for July 7 (from the earlier date of June 30). Please mark your calendars for this important annual Puja. We are fortunate to have Dr. G. Lakshman from Saskatchewan, Canada who will be visiting us during July 6-8. Dr. Lakshman will officiate at this year’s Puja. While here, he will also present a couple of lectures on the Bhagavad Gita targeting youth and adult groups. Dr. Lakshman, who will be locally hosted by Meera and H. R. Chandrasekhar, is an active leader of the Hindu Temple in Saskatchewan. More details of these devotional/educational programs will be announced and posted on our web site as soon as they are finalized.

See you at the Mandir!☯

Vellore S. Gopalaratnam Inder Khurana Visala Palaniappan Anuradha Rajagopalan

Message from the Executive Board Continued from page 1

The Call of the Whirring Motor - Meera Chandrasekhar

A fter an uplifting evening of classical Indian dance set to the poems of

American and English poets, the tired group of dancers, parents and volunteers had gotten together for a quick pot-luck meal at the Mandir before sending the St. Louis folks on their way. It was nearly 10 pm. Dinner tables had been taken down, and tablecloths meticulously folded. Between entreats of “c’mon, kids, lets go home,” a mini-scuffle erupted by the closet. Three elementary-age children were competing to vacuum the Mandir! A few minutes later, a 9-year old was merrily pushing the vacuum over crumbs of papad, enjoying the sight of crackly yellow crumbs being sucked in. If it was chana dal, it would make a pretty sound too!

Guess what -- cleaning is not such a chore if your kids want to help. We hope this story will help motivate you and your family to volunteer with the upkeep of Shanthi Mandir.

Weekly Cleaning: Scrub, Vacuum and Build Character!

Currently about 30 families have signed up to help with cleaning the Mandir on a rotating basis (including 7 new families – Welcome!). Cleaning takes about 90 min. for one person, less if your family helps. A family's turn now comes about once every 6 to 7 months. If we can get 22 more families to sign up, turns will come

only once a year!

Mowing Sponsorships: Give Green to stay green!

We are seeking a total of 16 sponsor families who are each willing to contribute $35 toward getting the yard mowed (6 have already signed up – thank you!). A lawn-mowing company will mow every other

week, and a group of dedicated volunteers will mow in the intervening week. Your $35 will pay for a single mowing. Please consider contributing to the continuing good looks of the lawn and the cleanliness of the Mandir! Contact Meera to sign up for cleaning or for sponsoring mowing☯

P A G E 4 S H A N T H I S A N D E S H

established routine. We hope that this article will serve as a call to action, provide food for thought, and offer some simple ideas, which when acted upon, will enrich our lives and those of our fellow Columbians. Many aspects of community life are greatly enhanced by the work of volunteers, as are the lives of the volunteers themselves.

Volunteerism is an idea that has long been held in high esteem in the Indian society where it is known by various names such as “Shram Daan” (donation of one’s effort) or “Seva” (service). For inspiration we need to look no further than our present-day heroes Mahatma Gandhi, Mother Teresa or President Jimmy Carter, who through their selfless efforts serve as excellent role models. Equally important to service on an individual basis, is collective or group efforts at volunteering. Collectively we can set and succeed in achieving goals that are not possible to achieve individually. Collectively, we can: ∗ Tackle larger service projects

requiring many individuals (e.g. building or fixing homes, cleaning up, etc.)

∗ Undertake long-term service projects that need continuity of efforts (e.g. hospital visits or nursing care that go on uninterrupted despite individual volunteer’s travel/vacation schedules)

∗ Take up projects where complementary expertise (and/or aptitude) is needed to execute a service project

∗ Offer enhanced educational experience , team-work opportunities and community awareness for all concerned.

The Columbia South Asian community has seen tremendous growth during the last several years both in the number of students as well as resident families. We have been hosting numerous cultural and social activities on a regular basis for the Columbia community at large. These

events have undoubtedly been very useful in educating the Columbia community about our shared values. We have also become more visible through our professional contributions at the work place as well as in the schools and classrooms. One area where we can and should contribute to the Columbia community is through organized collective volunteering efforts.

The HTCC now offers an excellent vehicle for providing the leadership and infrastructure support in such an effort taking advantage of the large South Asian community and its tremendous expertise and skills. We can also draw in the support of organizations such as the Bal Sabha, Bal Puja, South Asian Students Association and Cultural Association of India.

Continued on Page 5...

A Call to Action Continued from Page 1...

“The best way to find yourself is to

lose yourself in the service of others.”

Mahatma Gandhi

HTCC Helping Hands, the service wing of HTCC, has been quite busy with various volunteer efforts over the last few months. Several new programs initiated by the HTCC Service Programs Committee have been set into motion. Thanks to our numerous volunteers! If you would like to join any of the ongoing projects, please contact the coordinators listed alongside each service project. If you have ideas for a new service project, please contact Anantha Gopalaratnam at ananthag@aol.com. And remember “Service to Man is Service to God”!

Passive or Non-contact Service Projects Underway • Volunteering at the Central Missouri Food Bank to

repackage food that is received in bulk. First Tuesdays from 5:30 – 6:30 pm. Contact Sushama Nagarkar at snagarkar@centurytel.net

• Anna Daan, Ongoing collection of nonperishable food items at the Mandir to benefit Central Missouri Food Bank. Drums are emptied regularly when they are full. Contact: Anantha Gopalaratnam at ananthag@aol.com

• Cell Phone Donation Collection of working cell phones no longer in use to benefit “The Shelter” a refuge for victims of domestic abuse. These are reused wonderfully to provide victims the opportunity to seek 911 emergency help when needed.

• Volunteering at the Mandir ♦ Weekly Mandir clean-up. Contact Meera Chandrasekhar at

meerac@missouri.edu ♦ Landscaping at the Mandir. Contact Sunder Lal at

rajmlal@hotmail.com ♦ Mandir Lawn mowing and yard maintenance. Contact Ram

Ramaswamy at ramramaswamyus@yahoo.com ♦ Shram Daan projects at the Mandir (Summer timing Friday

from 6:00 8:00 p.m.). Contact: V. S. Gopalaratnam at vsgopal@aol.com

Active or Direct Contact Service Projects Underway • Eldercare visits by youth (particularly during Summer): Youth

entertain and bring smiles to residents at local Eldercare Centers. A few hours total each visit. Contact: Manjula Narasimhan at manjula517@yahoo,com

• Narayan Seva, the monthly program spearheaded by the Sai Bhajan group, cooks and serves a meal at St. Francis House, a homeless shelter. Narayan Seva is scheduled for every second Sunday from 11:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. All interested in participating should contact Anantha Gopalaratnam at ananthag@aol.com. An addition to this program has been the collection of used bath towels and blankets for use of the residents. Those who would like to donate these items should bring them to Shanthi Mandir or contact Anantha☯

HTCC Helping Hands Projects Underway

P A G E 5 V O L U M E 2 , I S S U E 2

T he Sunrise Optimist Club is located at the corner of Parker St. and Holly

Avenue, in the neighborhood of the Shanthi Mandir. Some of our Bal Sabha youth have participated in writing competitions sponsored by them and have also participated in some of their service projects. They have, in the past, also generously offered us overflow parking on their premises for some of our bigger events. Dan Fischbach of the Sunrise Optimist Club was the featured speaker at the March 25, 2007 Bal Sabha meeting. He is the former President of the Sunrise Optimist club and a retired Navy pilot. The Bal Sabha kids and families showed up in good strength for his presentation. Mr. Fischbach spoke about the goals of the Optimist Club in general (there are three chapters in Columbia), before focusing on those of the Sunrise Optimist Club in

particular. The mission statement of the Optimist International is as follows: By providing hope and positive vision, Optimists bring out the best in kids. The mission of the local Sunrise chapter is “Friend of Youth.” The speaker regaled the children with his experiences as a Navy pilot and tales of camp-outs. He highlighted service projects conducted by the Sunrise Optimist Club this summer - concessions

stands at the Boone County Fair and the Show-Me State games, helping out at the Hickory Hill camp for Type 1 diabetics and the Coyote Hills Group home for abused and neglected children near Harrisburg. The talk was well-appreciated by the adults and children alike. This event gave us an opportunity to get better acquainted with one of our immediate neighbors. More information on the club or its activities can be obtained at its website www.surise.missouri.org or by contacting Mr. Dan Fischbach. Bal Sabha youth interested in participating in the Sunrise Optimist service projects should contact Varsha Pherwani (Vice President in charge of service programs) at 256-8904 or varshapher@hotmail.com who will coordinate the Bal Sabha group participation☯

Sunrise Optimist Club: Service Projects and Mission - Uma Srinath

A Call to Action Continued from Page 4... Food for Thought

As food for thought, consider the numerous possibilities discussed below. In general, service activity can be broadly grouped into two types of effort as detailed below (these lists are by no means exhaustive, but provide good ideas)

Passive or Non-contact Service Opportunities Activities that do not involve any direct interaction with the targeted recipient of the service. Such activities include ∗ Collection drives – Fund raising for

organizations like the March of Dimes or the Salvation Army etc. It could be a collection in kind too, like the Toys for Tots program or collecting cans of food for the Central Missouri Food Bank.

∗ Gardening and Landscaping - This could involve planting flowering shrubs in a neighborhood park or maintaining a designated spot. The Columbia Parks and Recreation has numerous such ongoing projects.

∗ Participation in rallies. There are many rallies/walks/runs held to raise awareness about a particular disease or to raise funds for the organization that helps find a cure for a disease. Such walks are organized by the American Diabetes Association and the Muscular Dystrophy Association among others.

∗ City-wide clean-up. Clean-up Columbia is an annual event. A few other local clean-up projects are also available from time to time (steam/creek clean-up)

∗ Food Bank service. The Central Missouri

Food Bank is continuously in need of persons to help stack cans and other food items on shelves or repackage them for distribution.

Active Service including Direct Contact Opportunities Activities that involve direct contact with the recipient of the service. These could take the form of: ∗ Education and literacy projects – There

are tutoring programs for youth at risk or in less privileged neighborhoods. Education can also take the form of adult literacy programs or English language programs for non-native speakers.

∗ Care giving services – Caring for the special needs of the elderly and/or the disabled (companionship, nursing, assistance with shopping, preparation and delivery of meals).

∗ Homeless and food service assistance – Volunteer in a homeless shelter, provide job-seeking assistance; serve food on a regular basis or for special occasions.

∗ Building and maintenance assistance – Help organizations such as Habitat for Humanity (help build and or fix homes or handicap access ramps etc.).

A Call to Action

Two new service proposals that could have an immediate impact for the benefit of the neighborhood around Shanthi Mandir are: (a) After-School Educational Support

in math, science, computers and language staffed by volunteer teachers for two hour sessions, once or twice a week (like a regular after-school program). These could be hosted at the Educational Center at the Mandir, (b) Medical Clinics for preliminary screening (blood-pressure, blood-sugar, eyesight, hearing, and general fitness) once or twice a year. These clinics could be offered at the Mandir. Allowing for spill-over into the parking lot with some finger

foods and festivities (rangoli and mehendi demonstrations), we could recreate a Mela. Given the fact that we have many educators and physicians amongst us, these are obvious projects. With some thoughtful

planning we can immediately serve our neighbors very well. These service projects will also give us the opportunity to closely interact with our neighbors. It has been rightly observed that it is ignorance that leads to fear and intolerance. Let us dispel ignorance and indifference with timely actions on our part, while at the same time volunteering to enrich our lives.

We call upon our members and other friends to provide leadership on some of these suggestions and embark on this selfless journey to offer our collective wisdom, skills and talents so that we can benefit and uplift ourselves and others as well. Service is indeed the ultimate form of self-expression and the surest path toward personal fulfillment and social transformation. Won’t you join us?☯

P A G E 6 S H A N T H I S A N D E S H

I stare out the bars, day after day, Wondering what will happen tomorrow that hadn’t today.

Stones thrown in my window? Happened last week. Those mean creatures laughter? That’s happening as I speak!

Do I shed a tear? No! I am strong. Stronger in spirit than these metal bars,

Stronger by far than those who put me here. As strong as I must to survive here.

I think with envy of those who remember their parents I feel unpleasant greed of those who remember tears.

For in this horrid place I have forgotten so much, And I wait and wait to an end of my horrid life. I think pleasant dreams of running up my hill

And though I’ve never been so I can imagine it still. Who are those to call us inferior, lame?

Who are they to punish us with their cruel game? I sit all alone in my small prison.

Death’s not even an escape to the bars that hold me. If I try to starve, will they let me?

No, I’ll get food, by their awful magic they’ll feed me. Their magic, their evil, I have no care to understand.

Is that why they think they should treat us as they can. Do I not have a soul, a heart more pure than them

Is strong speech and cleverness all that matter to them? I watch the vile monsters day after day,

Wondering what evil ploy they’re planning to play. “Why won’t you move and entertain us?” they ask me, As I sit there asleep till their horrid pranks wake me.

Freedom, is that not too much to ask? To not become a play thing for these creatures strange plans.

Just cause I can’t talk doesn’t mean I have no will. Just cause I’m different doesn’t mean I shouldn’t have rights.

I’m mute, and unknowledgeable, and not very bright. But that doesn’t mean I desire with any less might.

That doesn’t mean I can’t be happy too, Nor is there as explanation that I have no right to.

I laugh at those clever ones that know less moral then I, And inwardly, for freedom, I cry. Oh, I cry!

The Animal Maya Cutkosky, 7th Grade, Smithon

B al Sabha kids participated in Clean-Up Columbia 2007

on April 28th at the Ridgeway Elementary School.

There were 10 kids and 10 adults who spent approximately

an hour on the grounds of the school and in the Garth-Sexton vicinity. Twelve bags of trash were collected. Anantha found an umbrella (unusual trash item). Normal everyday trash made for most of the collection.

After the trash collection, the participants assembled for photographs and sharing some light refreshments. It was a beautiful spring day and everyone who came had a good time while contributing to this worthwhile cause.

Since Ridgeway Elementary

school is our “Adopt a Spot” location as well, remember to sign up for our Fall clean-up of the school and streets in its vicinity. We look forward to a great turn-out for that event as well☯

Clean-Up Columbia 2007 - Ravi Thawani

In his discourse on the cultivation of metta or loving kindness, the Buddha described practices for systematically awakening to the places of fear, anger, and clinging in our minds. He taught us how to receive life with the boundless love that is always available. The truth is quite simple - hearts never close! It is the mind, with all of its hardened views and opinions that closes us down to the peace of living with a gracious and loving heart.

In this talk we will use the Buddha’s discourse on Loving Kindness as our guide. We will go through the discourse line by line and bring these ancient and wise words into our lives in the 21st century. In this exploration together, we will discover that these gentle and yet fierce words still have the power almost 2,600 years later to inspire us to a greater humanity and compassion☯

Metta Bhavana - Bringing Loving Kindness into our Hearts and Minds Please join us for a talk by Ginny Morgan of the Showme Dharma Center at Shanthi Mandir Saturday, June 2, 2007 10:00 am - 12:00 noon Light refreshments served

Please join us for the 2007 Buddha Purnima Lecture

Ginny Morgan lives in

Columbia, Missouri. She is a guiding teacher for Show Me Dharma Center and the

former President of the Board of Mid America Dharma, the emerging

retreat center for the Midwest area. After

working as a play therapist for acutely and chronically ill children for many years,

she has shifted her focus to Dharma teaching, and to

working exclusively for Dharma activities.

P A G E 7 V O L U M E 2 , I S S U E 2

Another school year is coming to an end. Congratulations to all Graduates. In this issue, you will find our regular Bal sandesh poets, some riddles, stories and announcements, congratulations, book reviews , Math problems and a list of books for summer reading. We wish you all a fun filled summer vacation. We know that you will go to far off places and do many adventurous things. Have fun and tell Bal Sandesh about it all when you get back☯

Newsletter of Bal Sabha of Columbia, MO May 2007

EDITOR’S NOTE President Ravi Thawani

Vice President Varsha Pherwani

Secretary/Tresasurer Surya Mantrala

Cultural Secretary Vasavi Yeletti

Bal Sandesh Coordinator Hema Srinivasan

Bal Sabha Officers

T he last month has been full of tremendous successes for Bal Sabha

members in mathematics, music, chess, science and many other competitions.

MCTM Math Regional Competition: Problem solving 4th grade: 1st Place Suryanshi Rawat, honorable mention Rohit Rao 5th grade: 2nd Place Aswath Kumar Honorable mention Jacob White 6th grade: 3rd Place Siddharth Goel, Honorable mention Vikram Arunachalam Concepts 4th grade: 2nd Place Rohit Rao 5th grade: 1st Place Aswath Kumar 3rd Place Siddharth Yarlagada Honorable mention Jacob White 6th grade: 1st Place Atreyo Ghosh, Honorable mention Vikram Arunachalam All those who got 1st, 2nd and 3rd places competed in the state finals on April 28th.

MCTM Math State Finals: Problem solving 5th grade: 5th place Aswath Kumar Concepts 5th grade: 10th place Aswath Kumar 6th grade: 6th place Atreyo Ghosh Algebra 7th grade: 5th place Nikhilesh Sharma Great Plains Math League (GPML) Several other Hickman and Rockbridge

High school students competed in GPML, the high school competition. The entire Hickman team qualified for the State competition. Ashok, 10th grade 1st place in the in sprint,

2nd place in target and 1st place overall in the State GPML. He also won 5th place 9-12th grades combined. He competed in AMC12 and was invited to compete again in AIME and was the highest scorer in

Hickman High School.

Science Olympiad: Ashok, Adithi and Meghna were part of the Hickman team, which placed 1st in the regionals and 4th in the State competition. Maya Cutkosky, Maya Ramachandran and Mythily Ramachandran were part of the Smithton team, which placed 2nd in the regionals. Deb and Sangitha were part of the Rockbridge team, which won 5th place in the State. Several of the individuals won medals in the regionals. In the state Meghna Srinath secured 2nd place in Experimental Design and 5th place in Forensics. Adithi Vellore was 1st place in Disease Detectives and 4th place, in Wind Power. Deb Gangopadhyay won 1st place in Chemistry Lab.

Chess tournaments: In Columbia K-7 open chess tournament held on April 21, Aswath Kumar won 1st place in 4-5th grades and Vikram Arunacahalam won 1stplace in 6-7th grades. Rohit Rao is 1st place in 4th grade , Aishwarya Kumar won 1st place in 7th grade and Jacob White got 3rd place in 5th grade. Nidhi Khurana won 3rd place in 6th grade.

Music: Maya Cutkosky won 3rd place in the fine arts category of Creating Original music project competition (Sinquefield foundation). Her composition of Flute with Piano was performed on April 14. Ashok and Maya also competed in the MMTA (Missouri Music Teachers Association) competitions and both got 1st rating in the

district level and on the State Final, Ashok won an honorable mention and Maya received 1st rating in Piano solo. Prerna Srinivasan, Sangitha and Nikhilesh Sharma, Ashok and Maya Cutkosky participated in the National Federation Junior Festival held in Columbia, Missouri in March 2007. Ashok and Maya got Superior in both piano solo and piano concerto and received the gold cup for three years of superior rating. Sangitha and Nikilesh and Prerna got Superior/outstanding rating and are well on their way to getting the gold cup next year. Adithi Vellore is part of the Hickman high

School Orchestra which won a 1st place Gold award in 2007 Heritage Festivel held in San Antonio, Texas. Shreyas Srinivasan played in a piano recital in March. Meghna Srinath was selected as one of

the two finalists at the Junior Science, Engineering and Humanities Symposium in St. Louis in March, and will be going to the Nationals in Huntsville, AL in May to present her paper. Meghna Srinath received the top award for her research presentation at the Missouri Academy of Sciences.

Other accomplishments: In the PTA Reflections contest, Naimish,

placed 5th in the state in the K-2 Film/ Video production and Nitya placed 1st place in Fariview Elementary PTA in preK-2 photography contest. Naimish also won 1st place in the Columbia Public Library book mark design contest.

Congratulations to one and all. The entire Bal Sabha community is proud of you and your accomplishments and wishes you many more successes...☯

Bal Sabha Kudos

P A G E 8 S H A N T H I S A N D E S H

I ndian classical dance refers to Natya, the sacred Hindu

musical theatre styles. Its theory can be traced back to the Natya Shastra of Sage Bharata (400 BC). India offers a number of classical dance forms where each form embodies the

influences of the region from which it originates. These are – Bharata Natyam, Kathak, Kathakali, Kuchipudi, Manipuri, Mohiniaattam, and Odissi. Indian dances and music were not only seen as ways to celebrate, but also as offerings of worship and thanksgiving to God. All the dance forms were structured around the nine 'Rasa' or emotions - Hasya (happiness), Shoka (sorrow), Krodha (anger), Karuna (compassion), Bhibatsa (disgust),

Adhbhuta (wonder), Bhaya (fear), Viram (courage) and Shanta (serenity). Bharata Natyam Bharata Natyam is a dance technique that evolved in the Southern India in the state of Tamil Nadu and is a highly specialized science with a traditional background and rigid codes and conventions. Bharata Natyam skillfully embodies the three primary ingredients of dancing, bhava (mood), raga (music and melody) and tala (timing). The technique of Bharata Natyam consists of 64 principles of coordinated hand, foot, face and body movements which are performed to the accompaniment of dance syllables. Owing to its religious origin and its highly developed technique, Bharata Natyam stands in the forefront of all the classical dance arts now prevalent in India

Kathak Kathak is the predominant dance of North India. This form of dance gets its name from the word "Katha" (story), since it originated from the devotional recitation of the storytellers or Kathakars who were attached to the temples. The predominant styles of the dance are the intricate footwork and rapid pirouettes. It has today a form that has been influenced at various times in the past by mythological narratives by Kathakars (story tellers), temple dances, the bhakti movement, and Persian influence of the Mughal courts in the 16th century onwards; and these elements are readily discernible. This North Indian dance form is inextricably bound with classical Hindustani music, and the rhythmic nimbleness of the feet is accompanied by the instrument tabla☯

T he Mahabharata is rich in tales of Gods and heroes,

mystics and demons, and it is through these tales that its profound spiritual message unfolds. Sage Veda Vyasa was inspired to write this epic and was in need of an assistant. So he prayed to Brahma (the creator) and Brahma descended from the heavens in human form. The sage said to Brahma, “Please send me someone who can write down what I say.” Brahma said, “Well there is only one person who can do that and

that is Ganapati. And if you invoke him, he can take down your dictation.” Therefore, he invoked Ganapati, the first son of Shiva. Ganapati agreed to write with one condition. It was that Vyasa could not pause while dictating. If he hesitated or if he paused, Ganapati would leave him. Vyasa consented and

said, “Now I also want to dictate to you on one condition and that condition is that unless and until you know the meaning of what I dictate you will not write.” Ganapati agreed. Vyasa

frequently used very complex verses. When it took a little time for Ganapati to understand, he was able to compose more verses and get ready for dictation. Thus, the Mahabharata was composed☯

Classical Dance Forms of India Niyati, Aditi and Avanti Rangnekar, Columbia Independent School

Jai Mahabharata - Anmol Sethi 4th Grade, Mill Creek

L ion, Monkey and Snake were best friends. They played

together and went swimming everyday. They even walked to the river to have a drink together.

One day when they were walking to the river they all fell into a hole where a well was supposed to be built, but they couldn't get back up. Even the snake couldn’t slither back up the side. Days passed and the animals grew weaker and weaker.

One day a man with a rope

and some bricks walked by. He sat down beside the hole and looked at the animals wondering how they got into the hole. The animals begged him to get them out. The man wanted to get them out but he was scared that they would harm him.

The man said, “I will help you only if you promise not to harm me" The animals agreed. So the man took the rope

beside him and put it down the hole. One by one the animals climbed up on the rope.

They thanked the man and then the lion saw the bricks that the man had beside him and asked if he was going to build a well in the hole.

The man said, “yes." So the animals asked if he needed some help. "Sure," the man said. Then they all built the well together.

Moral: Help others and others will help you☯

The Three Animals In The Well Priyanka Tejwani, 2nd Grade Mill Creek

“Indian dances and music were not

only seen as ways to celebrate, but

also as offerings of worship and

thanksgiving”

P A G E 9 V O L U M E 2 , I S S U E 2

The Earthsea Cycle, by Ursula Le Guin A wizard of Earthsea This book introduces you to the made up land of Earthsea while telling a grand story in the process. It’s about a magically gifted boy named Ged who wants to prove his powers. The problem with magic is the things that are challenging are also dangerous. Driven by his ambition he unleashes a great trouble on the world and is forced to flee for many years. But the more he flees the more people shall die. Eventually he has to face his disaster… and win.

The Tombs of Atuon This book is about a girl who was appointed the high priest of darkness or “the eaten one.” She has a fairly nice life from that, being able to command several people in the name of the nameless ones (or the powers of darkness) and was having a fine time until she finds a thief. This thief is also a wizard,

one of the “evil” people from Archapeligos. She is curious about his “tricks” and tries to show how she is better, but eventually she comes to a choice, continue life as it is and kill him or leave with him and never be a slave of darkness but lose all the power it has given her.

The Farthest Shore In this book the world of wizardry is coming apart. Spells aren’t working as they should along with various other problems. A young prince travels with Archmage Sparrowhawk to find the source of the problem. They go through several adventures but the cost of victory may be high. But the victory itself might be more then you expect. The theme of the story is its bad to try and gain immortality. The question is raised several times during this book for at first glance, what is so wrong with it?

Tehenu This book is a continuation of the events, explaining what happened afterwards and introducing a curious new character; Tehenu

Tales Of Earthsea This book is actually a collection of stories dating from near the beginning of known history to after the latest book. All the stories are worth reading. I’d say the main theme is the magic of love.

The Other Wind This amazing book is a grand ending to Ursula’s Earthsea cycles. Though it doesn’t have a solid plot line it has lots of excitement and is one of the best books I’ve read. If you just read the rest of the books to get to this one, it’d be worth it! In it, Ursula starts to focus on her land of death and questions it. Is this really a place to want to go? Would it not be better to be immortal? This one also has a theme of immortality but a different question is raised. In fact two questions, is it “more immortal” to be reincarnated or to go to a place after death and what was the agreement between dragons and men, for in the beginning dragons and men were one… All in all, fantasy fans should read this series. I’m sure they won’t regret it☯

Thinking Ipsa Chaudhary, 6th Grade, Gentry

I’m tired of thinking. I’m sick of it.

It drives me crazy. It makes me sick.

I think at school. I think at home.

Thinking makes me moan and groan.

I think everyday. I think every night.

And thinking fills me, With anger and fright.

I wish I didn’t have to think. I feel like a boat that’s about to sink.

I think I’m going to stop thinking.

But what would one do without thinking. It’s like having eyes, and not blinking.

And thinking helps you learn to know. But the more you know and think, The less you really know.

Beach

Priyanka Tejwani, 2nd Grade, Mill Creek

At the beach there's.... Crabs crawling Boats sailing Dolphins leaping Seashells resting People splashing There's always something at the Beach...

Book Reviews Maya Cutkosky, 7th Grade, Smithton

Classic Riddles (WHO AM I?) Rishav Choudhury

2nd Grade, Lee

1. I am weightless, untouchable and invisible, But still I am valuable, because, I make life livable.

2. I produce heat. I have the power to change darkness into light. Many people think I live high up in the space. I might be so hot to touch, that I can burn life. Still I am adorable

3. I pass away very fast. I am divided into three parts - past, present and future. Sometimes I am good, sometimes I am bad. If I stop life will stop, if I run life runs.

Answers: 1.Air 2. Sun 3.Time

If a circle is inscribed in an isosceles right triangle with a hypotenuse of length 20, what is the radius of the circle?

20

Math Puzzle Ashok Cutkosky, 10th Grade Hickman

r r

r

r

Solution: Create a square from two isosceles right triangles with hypotenuse 20, as shown: Where r is the radius of the circle. If the side length of the larger square is x, then by Pythagorean theorem, we have x

2+x

2=20

2, which yields x=10√2. By similar reasoning,

the side length of the smaller square is r√2. So now we may solve for r: r+r+r√2=10√2 r(2+√2)=10√2 r=10√2/(2+√2)

r=10(√2-1)

Spring Naimish Balaji, 1st Grade , Paxton Keeley

Spring Pops butter flies, Running rain Ice cream melting in the sun Nice and hot Go fishing for the gold fish!

P A G E 1 0 S H A N T H I S A N D E S H

Editorial Staff Phone E-Mail Ashok Cutkosky 445-2854 asho44124k@yahoo.com Maya Cutkosky 445-2854 Sheela Lal 445-9290 pyari_ajnabi@hotmail.com Vidya Mantrala 446 0865 Chaitasi Naik chaitasinaik@hotmail.com Meghna Srinath 446-8403 meghna022@gmail.com Anchal Sethi 514-0486 danzingdivas@yahoo.com Adithi Vellore 446-0063 vsadithi@aol.com Parent Advisor Hema Srinivasan 445-2854 srinivasanh@missouri.edu

Bal Sandesh needs you! We welcome submissions of all types (reports, poetry, short stories, artwork, puzzles, jokes etc.). Work can be submitted to the Editors or the Parent Advisor. We prefer electronic version of the submission (e-mail or diskette). Artwork can be submitted on paper. Older kids interested in volunteering to serve on the editorial team should contact the Editorial Staff or the Parent Advisor.

Bal Sabha meets every fourth Sunday of the month from 3:00 - 5:00 p.m. at Shanthi Mandir

Bal Sandesh Editors put together a list of books they have read, enjoyed and definitely recom-mend for your reading pleasure. Have fun read-ing. If you read and like any of these, do tell us about it. If you discovered other gems, we would like to hear about them too.

Sheela Lal Recommends: Londonstani by Gautam Malkani Transplanted Man by Sanjay Nigam

Ashok Cutkosky recommends: Lord of the Rings – by J.R.R. Tolkien Foundation trilogy – by Isaac Asimov (Foundation, Foundation and Empire, Second Foundation) Snow Crash – by Neal Stephenson Bartimaeus Trilogy – by Jonathan Stroud (The Amulet of Samarkand, The Golem’s Eye, Ptolemy’s Gate)

Maya Cutkosky recommends: City of Illusions, by Ursula Le Guin

The Earthsea Cycle, by Ursula Le Guin ( See detailed review in the book review section.)

Adithi Vellore recommends: The Island of Dr. Moreau by H.G. Wells Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger Flatland by Edwin A. Abbott The Picture of Dorian Grey by Oscar Wilde Shade's Children by Garth Nix Magic Street by Orson Scott Card Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card Monstrous Regiment by Terry Pratchett

Meghna Srinath recommends: The Mill on the Floss by George Eliot A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini Small Steps: The Year I Got Polio by Peg Ke-hret Little Women by Louisa May Alcott Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen Around the World in 80 Days by Jules Verne

Summer Reading Book List

In charity there is no excess. Sir Francis Bacon

P A G E 1 1 V O L U M E 2 , I S S U E 2

INVOLVE, MENTOR and REWARD our Youth All our programs are open to HTCC member families as well as non-members. Registration to recover partial costs of the workshops are listed as appropriate. If you have interest in participating in one or more of these summer programs or need additional information, please contact the contacts listed for each program or Kala Kumar at 445-9579 or via e-mail at kala.skumar@gmail.com.

HTCC Youth Activities for Summer 2007 Keep’em Busy and Out of Trouble!

W hen Shantanu was the ruler of Bharath, he fell head over heels in

love with Ganga. She agreed to marry him provided Shantanu promised not to question anything that she did. King Shantanu agreed. Ganga had a son whom she drowned and she did the same with the next six children they had. King Shantanu was very sad and could not take it anymore when Ganga took her eighth child to be drowned. He asked, “Why are you doing this?” She replied, “Because I live under a curse and so do these children and now they are free of the curse. However, this child will live with the curse. The curse is that they will have to live on earth. Therefore, I will take this child with me and in

sixteen years, I will return him to you. King Shantanu lived those sixteen years in great misery. Sixteen years later, Ganga arrived with their son whom she named Devavrata. King Shantanu was thrilled to have his son back. Then he fell in love with Satyavati, the daughter of an angler. King Shantanu

asked her father for her hand in marriage, her father agreed but less than one condition, and that was that Satyavati’s son would be king. King Shantanu refused because he said that he could not take his first son’s rights away from him and with that, he left. After that, Shantanu was always sad. Devavrata noticed it. He questioned his father about it but he refused to tell him. Then Devavrata went to his father’s charioteer and

asked but the charioteer kept his loyalty to the King and did not tell him. Devavrata was furious and said that he had a right to know what the deal was; after all, he was the prince. Then the charioteer gave in and told the story about Shantanu’s love for Satyavati. After that, Devavrata told the charioteer to take him to Satyavati’s father. When he was there, he asked her father what the problem was and her father said that Satyavati’s horoscope said that she would have a son who would be king. Then Devavrata renounced his right to the throne. But Satyavati’s father said “you may have sons who will be as strong as you and they may fight for the throne” Devavrata said “ I will not marry or have children but I will be bound to the throne to protect it as long as I live.” Then the gods renamed him “Bhishma” which means awe-inspiring. Therefore, Bhishma took Satyavati home and explained to his father and then they got married☯

Bhishma Anmol Sethi 4th Grade, Mill Creek

2007 Youth Summer Workshops If you are interested in these summer programs please contact Kala Kumar at kala.skumar@gmail.com or 445-9579. June 2, 2007 HTCC Tennis Tournament Venue: Cosmopolitan park tennis courts Time: 7.00 am - games start HTCC members: $2, Non-members: $5 Please bring 3 tennis balls, racquet, water bottle Contact: Senthil Kumar at 445-9579 or kala.skumar@gmail.com Please register by May 31, 2007 June 16, 2007 Art Workshop 1 - Wall Hanging Venue: Shanthi Mandir Time: 10.00 am - 12.00 noon HTCC members: $3, Non-members: $5 Instructor: Renuka Jain Contact: Akila Balaji at akila_sug@yahoo.com or 446-1412 Please register by June 14, 2007 June 23, 2007 Art Workshop 2 - Foil Embossing Venue: Shanthi Mandir Time: 10.00 am - 12.00 noon HTCC members: $3, Non-members: $5 Instructor: Indira Ramaswamy Contact: Akila Balaji at akila_sug@yahoo.com or 446-1412 Please register by June 21, 2007 July 21, 2007 HTCC Chess Tournament Venue: Shanthi Mandir Time: 12:30 pm - 5:00 pm HTCC members: $2, Non members: $5 Please bring your chess sets Game details: Three rounds of chess starting at 1:00 pm, 2:15 pm and

3:30 pm (30 min game). Plan on playing all 3 rounds. Players have to be present at 12:30 pm in order for pairing. Contact: Vairam Arunachalam (vairama@hotmail.com) Please register by July 17, 2007 August 13 - 17, 2007 Math Workshop Venue: Shanthi Mandir Time: 1:00 - 3:30 p.m. HTCC members: $5, Non-members: $10 Instructor: Ashok Cutkosky Please bring pencil or pen, notebook, snacks Class details: Open to 5th-8th graders. Useful exposure to MCTM and Mathcounts type problems besides other math challenges. Contact: Hema Srinivasan (SrinivasanH@missouri.edu) Please register by August 9, 2007 August 13 - 17, 2007 Yoga Workshop for Youth Venue: Shanthi Mandir Time: 4:00 - 5:00 PM HTCC members: $3, Non-members: $5 Instructor: Ritcha Mehra-Chaudhary Please wear comfortable, loose and stretchy cloahing. No skirts/jeans. The workshop will follow the math workshop after a 30 min. refreshment break. The basics of asanas and breathing exercises will be taught. Contact: Ritcha Mehra-Chaudhary (RitchaMehra@yahoo.com) Please register by August 9, 2007 August 25, 2007 HTCC Youth Day / Bal Sabha / Bal Puja Picnic A day of fun to recognize and reward our youth All age groups (including adults) Venue: Cosmo Park Dexheimer shelter Time: 4.00 - 8:30 p.m. Potluck dinner: Varsha Pherwani at 256-8904 Activities: Track and field events and award ceremony

P A G E 1 2 S H A N T H I S A N D E S H

The Planning for Rainbow II Kirthi Rangnekar on behalf of the Soorya Dance Class Parents

G uru Prasanna has been teaching Bharata Natyam

to our children in Columbia. The dance classes are held every Wednesday evening at the Shanthi Mandir. It was his idea to bring Rainbow II to Columbia, as a fundraising event for HTCC. The idea was well received by the dance class parents and thus began the preparations to bring Rainbow II to Columbia. It was also a good way to present our art and culture to the Columbia community.

Planning began in late February of 2007. HTCC had just come off a successful first anniversary celebration in January and volunteers were just enjoying a hard-earned break. Therefore, the dance parents had to take the lead and shoulder the responsibility for the Rainbow II event. Soorya dance class in Columbia has about 12 students. The committee consisted of nine families, 3 from Jefferson City, one family from the Lake of Ozarks, and 5 families from Columbia.

We had committees to take care of every aspect of the event planning including, advertising, online ticketing, ticket sales, soliciting sponsors, auditorium reservation, brochure design and much more. We had exactly two months before the show. We had 1,000 flyers

printed and distributed to all prominent places in Columbia including Memorial Union, Brady commons, and many

workplaces. Finding an auditorium with a

grand stage was the hardest part as the show coincided with a number of other activities in Columbia. Finally, the Columbia Performing Arts Center (CPAC)which seats around 650 was available. About 800 tickets were printed in different categories like Adult ($15), Child ($8) and Students ($10). Several HTCC members and some local businesses helped sell the tickets.

The Rainbow II event was also publicized in Jefferson City. The local families put flyers at the places like schools,

restaurants, banks, work places and the public library. Dance class families hosted the event and online ticketing at the website http://www.ivarta.com for the convenience of the ticket buyers.

We also decided to have some Indian snacks during intermission and sell the food packets to raise additional funds. The committee decided on 200 packets of food that included samosa, pakoda, cookie and a water bottle. Locally, Hyvee donated 300 bottles of water for the event. McDonalds donated their orange bowl and about 100 cookies for the event. Taj Mahal restaurant prepared the snacks for minimal cost.

Organizers in Columbia approached a number of

businesses for sponsoring the show and for advertisements in the program brochure. We got a great response from several small businesses. We ended up with about 20 sponsors and 15 businesses that advertised in the brochure.

Program brochure planning was a challenge. We identified two volunteers for this activity. The team reviewed the format and explored two possibilities of producing the brochures: (1) desktop publishing at home, and (2) commercial printing. We contacted printing businesses both locally and one in India. Considering various parameters

like cost, deadlines to provide the content to the printer, expertise available, and the possibility to accept sponsors/ads till the last moment, the team decided to get the brochure done in-house. The team then started exploring different desktop publishing software

and settled in on Microsoft Publisher. We printed 300 brochures in color, which were 8.5” x 5.5” and 9 pages double sided and the cost was a minimum when compared to commercial printing.

Sunday morning we were ready for Rainbow II.

The day of the show was clear and beautiful. All the parents from the dance class and volunteers from HTCC helped set up at CPAC. We had everything going as planned. The show was a great success. I can say it was mainly due to the TEAM work that was put in by all the parents of Soorya Dance Class of Columbia with the help of some HTCC members. We thank everyone who was involved in bringing Rainbow II to Columbia☯

“Just as the children are adapting to bridge the gap

between two cultures, so can classical Indian

dance”

Guru Prasanna Kasthuri

P A G E 1 3 V O L U M E 2 , I S S U E 2

E xpressing language through dance and articulating it through vivid Indian

performing art emanates a rich cultural experience, which is as colorful as the Rainbow. Rainbow II is a unique presentation of world poetry through Indian classical dances portraying the intersection of eastern and western intellects through movement and expression. Rainbow II uses Bharata Natyam and Kathak - the two major dance styles of the Indian Subcontinent. The aesthetic values of these dance forms are extensive with their intensive movement, rhythm, and emotion. The eloquence of dance needs no language; but adding an, exquisite lyric to it, makes this presentation more laudable.

Rainbow II narrates the various stages of human life through artistic fusion of East Indian dance and English poetry, to make a universal theater production. It travels through the fascinating world of creative and artistic literary works of the English language by American, British and Indian poets. It spans the experiences of love, romance, lust, greed and other facets of human personality. Guru Prasanna Kasthuri, the choreographer journeys through this vast literature and expresses them through his dance. Works of famous poets like William Shakespeare, W B Yeats, Maya Angelou, William Wordsworth, John Keats and Rabindranath Tagore, have been selected to be choreographed for this unique production. Grammy Award winner Vishwamohan Bhatt has set the music for this exemplary work.

Rainbow II Dancers and Artists Performed in Bharata Natyam and

Kathak style, choreographed and performed by the accomplished Guru Prasanna Kasthuri, Rainbow II featured National Youth Fest Award Winner Sushma Mohan, internationally renowned dancer and Nattuvangist Pulikeshi Kasthuri from Bangalore, India and gifted dancer and musician Seema Murthy of St. Louis and Calai Candra from Chicago.

Rainbow II is a bridge between Eastern and Western thoughts that makes Indian arts more accessible and appreciable to the Western audience. This is a mutually

beneficial opportunity for the performing art forms to expand its range and for literature to seek new domains.

The Program Famous musicians sang the poems in

classical ragas. The vocalists were Parameshwar Hegde, Nagamani Srinath, Chaitra, Seema Kasthuri, Prasanna Kasthuri, Pallavi, and Smitha Bellur. All the dance items were performed in classical Bharata Natyam and Kathak styles. The audience was captivated by the dances, the colors and the costumes. Following were the songs played.

Where the Mind is without Fear A poetic selection from “Geetanjali” by

Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore. Mr. Tagore, respected as the national poet of Indian Subcontinent lived during the independence movement of India, and inspired millions of Indians with his poetry. Man’s ability to live in freedom and think independently was of paramount importance to Tagore. His attitudes toward politics and culture; nationalism and internationalism; tradition and modernity can all be seen in light of these beliefs. Kathak bols (rhythmical phrases) are interspersed to enhance the intent of the poem.

Rainbow William Wordsworth, whose great

distinguishing characteristic is his sense of the mystic relationship between man and nature, describes life’s revolving activities through this poem. Jatis (Rhythmical Phrases from south) intertwined with English poetry to the intricate Adavus (basic Bharata Natyam movements) portray the colors of life through rare ragas (melodies of classical music) and colorful costumes.

My Mistress’ Eyes are Nothing Like the Sun

All-time exalted poet William Shakespeare maintains the originality of his lover’s beauty and transcends the typical metaphors of love poetry in this 130th sonnet. This as an abhinaya (expression), challenges the traditional Indian dancer to portray the romantic moods of abhimaani naayaka (the hero, who takes prides in his beloved’s beauty).

Human Seasons Said to be one of the last poems of John

Keats, this dance feature describes “the bright beauty of the day and the scene revived for a moment” according to the poet’s drooping heart. Alaaps (free style rendering of raga) in four different Hindustani ragas render a colorful support Gathbhav (moving expression) and

demonstrate the abhinaya through graceful hasthaks (hand gestures).

On the Sea Shore

Rabindranath Tagore here features children playing on universal Seashore. He contrasts metaphysical and religious ideas with the human world to demonstrate the blissful ignorance of children, who are yet unaware of the adult world. Bharata Natyam muktayam (finales) on a Kathak Lehara (repetitive tunes) plays a key role in demonstrating the Sanchari Bhava through heavy Nritta (pure dance).

When we Two Parted in Silence A beautiful poem by Lord Byron, that

narrates moments of a clandestine relationship shared by a couple that are forced to separate for a period of time. This depicts the typical Virahotkantita Nayika (love-lorn hero) of Natya Shastra (ancient text book of theater from India).

To a Child Dancing in the Wind WB Yates describes the innocence and

responsibility very elegantly in this poem which choreographer has visualized through the eyes of cautious mother who tries to protect her child from severe calamities.

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings This is a dance about bondage and

freedom. With their movements, dancers delve deeply into the miseries of slavery

abused by human greed and ego. Prasanna’s imagination with elaborate rechakas and ranga-akramanas (traveling movements) for the free bird, and short spaced bhouma charis (land based movements) for the caged bird sends strong freedom messages through the simple yet powerful poem of Dr. Maya Angelou.

Tillana/ Tarana This is an exciting ending for the show

with a bang of Nritta (pure dance) in both Kathak and Bharata Natyam Styles. The song is specially created by Pandit Pareshwar Hegde and Vidushi Nagamani Srinath (Pandit means Maestro and Vidushi is the title given to lady musician who has

RAINBOW II - World Poetry Through Indian Dances Kirthi Rangnekar on behalf of the Soorya Dance Class Parents

P A G E 1 4 S H A N T H I S A N D E S H

T wo recent programs initiated by the HTCC Educational

Programs Committee include the Yoga Classes and the Bhagavad Gita Study Circle . Both have core followings from amongst our membership. Presently the Gita discussions is

largely an actvity with an all-adult participation. The Yoga sessions include both adult and youth participants. Participants in the first Yoga six-week session were

enthusiastic enough to request for a second six-week session that is currently underway. The yoga instructor is Ms. Kate

Walker from Integral Life, Sri Aurobindo Study Center. Kate has 35 years of experience in teaching yoga, meditation and stress management. The class content includes asanas, relaxation and breathing exercises and meditation instruction. If you are interested in further information please contact Kate Walker at

<integrallife1976@yahoo.com>. Our “Bhagavad Gita Study

Circle” first met in late December 2006. This group has since met every 2nd and 4th Saturday at the Educational Center of Shanthi Mandir.

Commentaries by Swami Chinmayananda are the primary study material for this group which takes up two verses for discussion each session. The

discussions are led by Mrs. Saroj Mohan who has studied with Swami Chinmayananda. Several sets of Bhagavad Gita books published by the Chinmaya Mission are

available at the Mandir for use. Excellent web resources are also available for participants. If you are interested in participating please email Sushma Nagarkar at <snagarkar@centurytel.net>☯

New Educational Program Offerings Develop Core Support Ritcha Mehra-Chaudhary

HTCC Statement of Accounts and Quarterly Fiscal Report For the period January 1 - March 31, 2007

Prepared by Visala Palaniappan, Interim Treasurer, March 31, 2007 Balance Forward (on December 31, 2006) $43,613.32

Quarterly Revenues Membership: New Lifetime Family Members (LFM) 2 @ $1,000 Lifetime Family Member Upgrades (LFM) 5 @ $950 Lifetime Family Member Upgrades (LFM) 1 @ $900 Final Installment (LFM) 1 @ $500 2007 Annual Family Members (AFM) 34 @ $50 2007 Annual Individual Member (AIM) 4 @$30

$2,000.00 $4,750.00

$900.00 $500.00

$1,700.00 $120.00

$9,970.00

Donations: Hundi Donations/Prayer services Check Donations

$494.58

$3,103.00

$3,597.58

Facilities Use Donations: Bal Sabha (February 2007) Facilities use

$20.00 $21.00

$41.00

Other Revenues Anniversary banquet and annual report advertisements Yoga class Deposit refund from Boone Electric

$5,143.00

$210.00 $204.59

$5,557.59

Total Quarterly Revenues

$19,166.17

Quarterly Expenses Start-up costs $38.91 Maintenance and supplies $1,000.37 Upgrade and Repairs $480.83 Utilities $1,522.64 Special Events $4,675.48 Printing and mailing $174.30 Legal fees (IRS tax-exempt application) $690.00 Total Quarterly Expenses

$8,582.53

Net Income for the Quarter $10,583.64 Ending Balance* (March 31, 2007) $54,196.96

* $37,500 invested in 3 CDs (7 Month maturity @ 5.40% APR)

P A G E 1 5 V O L U M E 2 , I S S U E 2

Thank You! Lifetime Family Members

1. Aggrawal, Kul and Archana 2. Anand, Satish and Sushma 3. Arunachalam, Vairam and Alagu 4. Bal, Sharanjit and Ranjit 5. Basu, Asit and Sandra 6. Battula Ravindra and Vijaya Kattumuri 7. Chandrasekhar, Holalkere and Meera 8. Chaudhary, Kunal and Ritcha Mehra 9. Cutkosky, Dale and Hema Srinivasan 10. Dhand, Rajiv and Upinder 11. Gangopadhyay, Keshab and Shubhra 12. Gopalakrishna, Srinath and Uma 13. Gopalaratnam, Vellore and Anantha 14. Gowda, Bhaskar and Shoba 15. Jashnani, Ghanshyam and Leela 16. Katti, Kattesh and Kavita 17. Khanna, Sanjeev and Vinita 18. Khurana, Inder and Jasmit 19. Krishna, Gopal and Santosh 20. Krishnan, Hari and Latha 21. Kulkarni, Rajesh and Indira 22. Kutikkad, Kiratadas and Geetha 23. Lal, Sunder and Nila Gupta 24. Loyalka, Sundarshan and Nirja 25. Mahal, Satnam and Jasvir 26. Malhotra, Anil and Kusum 27. Mantrala, Murali and Suryamani 28. Mitra, Ranadhir and Roma 29. Mohan, Rajiv and Sunilima Sinha 30. Naik, Yogesh & Rashmi 31. Nair, Satish and Jyotsna 32. Palaniappan, Kannappan and Visala 33. Panneerselvam, Ayyakannu and Gandhi 34. Patel, Nitin and Harsha 35. Pendurthi, Chalapathi Rao and Kavita

36. Puri, Ravi and Mona 37. Raghuraman, Kannan and Anandhi Upendran 38. Ramachandran, V and Anuradha Rajagopalan 39. Rangnekar, Nitin and Kirthi 40. Rawat, Gagneesh and Aditi 41. Rawlani, Ramesh and Chandra 42. Sadhu, Vijay and Smita 43. Satpathy, Sashi and Namita 44. Sethi, Sanjiv and Punam 45. Sethi, Yash and Anjna 46. Sharma, Krishna and Sandhya 47. Singh, Amolak and Kuljit 48. Srinivasan, Bharath and Manjula Narasimhan 49. Tejwani, Lokesh and Varsha Pherwani 50. Thawani, Ravi and Meena 51. Viswanath, Dabir and Pramila

Annual Members for 2007

1. Aroor, Annayya Rao and Sudha 2. Balaji, B. S. and S. Akila 3. Baskar, Muthu and Indumathi 4. Bathini, Venkat and Jyothy 5. Bhanuchandran, Rekha 6. Bhaskaran, Rajagopalana and Vasanthi 7. Chandrasekhar, Anand and Chiengkham Baccam 8. Chokalingam, Anand and Smrita 9. Chokkalingam, Siva and Sheela 10. Elangovan, Bala and Abi 11. Faizer, Rumi and Archana Ramaswamy 12. Ghosh, Arkashubra and Anuprita 13. Goel, Punit and Archana 14. Goyal, Munish and Monika 15. Gupta, Ghanshyam and Manorma 16. Halder, Jagabandhu and Pitu 17. Jain, Arun 18. Khanna, Ramesh and Pushpa

19. Kujala, Naresh Gandhi and Sriyala 20. Kumar, Adarsh and Sangeeta 21. Kumar, Rajesh and Aruna 22. Kumar, Senthil and Kalai 23. Kuppusamy, Saravanan and Priya Ravindran 24. Mohan, Saroj 25. Nagarkar, Sushama and Divya 26. Nathan, Vivek and Manjula 27. Nune, Satish and Padmaja Gunda 28. Pradhan, Prashanth and Meeta 29. Premnath, Venkatesan and Vasanthy 30. Radhakrishnan, Nandhu and Selvi 31. Ramadoss, Uma and Sasi 32. Ramaswamy, Ram and Indira 33. Rao, Mohan and Kalpana 34. Ratnaparkhe, Milind 35. Ratneshwar, Srinivasan and Subbalakshmi 36. Raychaudhuri, Aniruddha and Sriparna 37. Sehgal, Om and Santosh 38. Srivatsava, Pramod and Rama 39. Srivastava Shefali 40. Sternadori, Richard 41. Subramanian, Krishna and Raji 42. Thiruvengadathan, Rajagopalan and Rama Kannan 43. Tolani, Bhisham and Rajini 44. Upadhyay, Ashish and Deepika

The HTCC is grateful to the above families who have signed up as members as of May 15. 2007 If you would like to sign-up as a member, please visit our web site and download, complete and send off your membership application with appropriate dues. We sure would appreciate your support for all our activities. Please also consider upgrading your annual membership to lifetime membership. The lifetime dues provide the HTCC with a strong ownership base and steady stream of revenue for delivering quality devotional, education, service and youth programs.

Pencil-in your calendars for the Third Annual Samuhika Satyanarayana Puja 5:00 - 9:00 p.m., Saturday, July 7, 2007 at Shanthi Mandir Puja to be led by Dr. G. Lakshman of Saskatchewan, Canada

We can accommodate 25 sponsoring families for the puja on a first-come-first-served basis. Please make reservations by sending a check for $51 favoring HTCC to Kusum Malhotra. She can be reached at <kusum65203@yahoo.com> and 445-1867. Puja will be followed by Prasad/Pot-luck dinner. Please contact Meena Thawani for help with the pot-luck dinner. Contact Meena Thawani at (660) 882-5317.

June 2 HTCC Tennis Tournament, Cosmopolitan Park, Saturday, 7:00 am sharp (see Page 11 for details)

June 2 Metta Bhavana - Bringing Loving Kindness into our Hearts and Minds - 2007Buddha Purnima Lecture, Speaker: Ginny Morgan, Show Me Dharma, Saturday. 10:00 am - 12:00 noon. Light refreshments provided (see also Page 6)

June 16 Art Workshop 1 - Wall Hanging Instructor: Renuka Jain, Saturday 10:00 am - 12:00

noon (see Page 11 for details) June 23 Art Workshop 2 - Foil Embossing Instructor: Indira Ramaswamy, Saturday 10:00 am -

12:00 noon (see Page 11 for details) July 7 Samuhika Satyanarayana Puja - This third annual

puja will be led by Dr. G. Lakshman, Saturday, 5:00 - 9:00 pm, Puja sponsorship sign up on a first-come-first-served basis, All others welcome to attend puja and pot-luck dinner (see details below)

July 21 HTCC Chess Tournament Saturday, 12:30 - 5:00 pm (see Page 11 for details) July 26 Guru Purnima Special Bhajan Thursday, 7:00 - 8:30 pm, Prasad welcome Aug 13-17 Math Workshop Instructor: Ashok Cutkosky, Monday - Friday 1:00 -

3:30 pm (see Page 11 for details) Aug13-17 Yoga Workshop for Youth Instructor: Ritcha Mehra-Chaudhary, Monday -

Friday 4:00 - 5:00 pm, Workshop will start after a 30 min. refreshment break following the Math Workshop (see Page 11 for details)

Aug 25 HTCC Youth Day / Bal Sabha / Bal Puja Picnic Cosmopolitan Park Dexheimer Shelter, Saturday,

4:00 - 8:00 pm. A day of fun to recognize and reward our youth All age groups (including adults). Potluck dinner contact: Varsha Pherwani at 256-8904 (see Page 11 for details)

Community Calendar (May 15 - August 31, 2007) Unless otherwise indicated, all events are at Shanthi Mandir, 2006 Holly Avenue, Columbia, MO 65202

P A G E 1 6 V O L U M E 2 , I S S U E 2

Shanthi Mandir Hindu Temple and Community Center

of Mid-Missouri (HTCC) 2006 Holly Avenue, Columbia, MO 65202-2043

http://shanthimandir.missouri.org, (573) 814-1AUM (286)

Directions: Take Exit 127 on Interstate 70, Head north on Rangeline Street, Right at first traffic light on Vandiver Drive, Left on Parker Street, Right on Holly Avenue, Shanthi Mandir sign will be visible on the right after 5-6 homes. (Note: Holly Avenue is immediately before the Sunrise Optimist building)

Please visit our web site and send us your e-mail address if you would like to be included on the Friends of the Mandir distribution list to receive timely program notices.

Shanthi Sandesh is a quarterly publication of the Hindu Temple and Community Center of Mid-Missouri (HTCC). It is published on behalf of HTCC by it’s Public Relations and Publicity Committee. Editors: Gagneesh Rawat/Arkasubhra Ghosh/B. S. Balaji <shanthimandir_news@mchsi.com> or <shanthimandir@yahoo.com>

Current Programs at the Mandir (May 15, 2007)

Devotional Programs Open prayer time/Aarti Tuesday 6:00 - 8:00 p.m. Sai Bhajan Thursday 7:00 - 8:00 p.m. Venkateshwara Suprabhatam/Vishnu Sahasranaamam Saturday 9:00 - 10:00 a.m. Open prayer time/Aarti Saturday 6:00 - 8:00 p.m. Kirtan (Monthly event) 1st Sunday 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

Educational/Youth Programs Bhagavad Gita Study Circle 2nd/4rth Saturday 6:00 - 7:30 p.m. Tamil Classes 1st /3rd Sunday 3:00 - 5:00 p.m. Hindi Classes 2nd Sunday 1:00 - 2:00 p.m. 4th Sunday 2:00 - 3:00 p.m. Bal Puja 2nd Sunday 10:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. Bal Sabha 4th Sunday 3:00 - 5:00 p.m.

Service Programs Volunteering at Central Missouri Food Bank 1st Tuesday 5:30 - 6:30 p.m. Shram Daan (Labor Donation) Special summer timing Friday 6:00 - 8:00 p.m. Narayan Seva (Sai Group - St. Francis Home Lunch) 2nd Sunday 11:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. Non-Perishable Food Collection (Ongoing continuously)

Fitness and Cultural Art Programs Yoga Sessions* (fee required - see web site) Saturday 3:00—4:30 p.m. Bharata Natyam classes (instructor fee required) Wednesday 4:00 - 8:30 p.m. * Second six-week class started April 21 and ends June 2 (except for May 26 due to the long Memorial Day weekend)