Sri Siva Vishnu Temple 6905 Cipriano Road, Lanham MD 20706 Tel: (301) 552-3335 Fax: (301) 552-1204 E-Mail: [email protected] Web Site: http://www.ssvt.org Newsletter Vol 24, No. 2 Chairman’s Report Summarized below is the presentation given by Rajagopala Rao Tripuraneni, Chairman, Board of Trustees to the General Council members of the Temple on December 20th 2014 MAHA SIVARATRI Tuesday February 17, 2015 MahaShivaratri morning Puja will start with a Ganesha Puja & Rudra homam at 9:30 am. The evening Special Pujas to Lord Siva will commence at 2:30 pm (yaagashaala), 3:15 pm (Siva Sannidhi) and continue till 6:30 am the following day. A sanctified Siva Linga will be available for devotees to personally offer their Abhishekam throughout the night. Entrance to the temple in the evening will be through the lower level. Dinner will be available from 06:00 pm onwards till 10:00 PM. Prasadams, coffee and tea will be available throughout the night. Details of the religious program are given below. Overview • Welcome General Council Members • Retiring Board of Trustees and Governance Board members – thank you for your valuable support and contributions • Nomination of new BOT members – in progress • Pria Ganesh will cover the status of financial affairs and Anjana Sriram will give an update on operations during the year • Focus on key 2014 events and Jeernodharanam 2015 Major Events in 2014 • Workshop by Rajiv Malhotra in October on Hinduism was well attended and was very successful • Another seminar for young adults was conducted by Murali Balaji from Hindu American Foundation • Ganesha puja by more than 300 children in the temple • Documentary on Bhutanese refugees screened in SSVT • SSVT led efforts in organizing a Diwali celebration in the Congress and in the State Department • Hosted all American dialogue of UHJT • SSVT coordinated CHTNA temples representatives from 43 temples attended the White House briefing on security, visa, and health insurance and visited SSVT Jeernodharanam Kumbhabhishekam (JK) Planning so far - Religious • Kumbhabhshekam with pradhana acharyas for Siva and Vishnu parivaras • Sri Shanmuga Sivacharya visited SSVT for initial planning and discussed with all priests • Sri Ramaswaroop Raghavacharyalu, who is chief priest of the Bhadrachalam Temple will be our Pradhana Vaishnava Acharya. • Kalakarshanam (balalayam) done in November • JK2015 dates are planned for May 26-31. Planning so far - Shilpis • The stapathi visited from India and spent about a week identifying the work program • Twelve silpis have already arrived and three more will come shortly • Scaffolding and Renovation work for the rajagopurams and Venkateswara gopuram has commenced • Stapathi has developed detailed work program to complete renovation work before Kumbhabhiskekam Task Force Involved in Planning • Religious programs will be determined with the Pradhana Acharyas and Temple Priests • A series of cultural programs are planned including a marquee jugalbandhi with Malladi and Gundecha brothers on April 18. • Sangeetha Upanyasam by Dushyant Sridhar to attract younger generation is also planned for May 25 • Annual Fundraising dinner to raise funds for JK2015 was successful Renovation and Reenergizing Temple • JK 2015 important and also symbolizes reenergizing SSVT in every area • Thanks to the excellent work of the Engineering Committee in maintaining the Temple and helping with the JK work • Plans to involve younger volunteers as much as possible (Continued on page 3) February 2015 Maha Sivaratri Morning Puja 09:30 AM Ganesha Puja, Mahaganapati Homam, Rudra Homam, Vasordhara Homam, Abhishekam to Siva, Archana, Deeparadhana First Kaala Puja 03:15 PM Ganesha Puja, Kalasa and Shanka Sthaapanam, Abhishekam to Nandi (Divine Bull) Mahanyasa with Trishati archana, Ekadasa Rudra Abhishekam (Abhishekam with 11 different ingredients to Lord Siva with recitation of Rudram 11 times), Alankaram, Trishati Archana (300 Names Archana), Mantrapushpam, Upacharam, Maha deeparadhana 09:30 PM Prasadam distribution Note: Rudra Krama Parayanam will be done by devotees during Alankaram 10:00 PM Bhajans Second Kaala Puja 11:00 PMRudra Abhishekam, Shankha Abhishekam, Vilwa Ashtotharashata Archana (108 Names Archana to the recitation of Vilwa Stotram) 01:00 AM Deeparadhana and Bhajans. Third Kaala Puja 01:30 AM Rudra Abhishekam, 108 Kalasa Abhishekam, Trishati Archana (300 Names Archana) 03:30 AM Deeparadhana and Bhajans Fourth Kaala Puja 04:30 AMAbhishekam to Chandikeswara, Parvati, Rudra Abhishekam, 108 Silver Vilwapatra Archana 06:30 AM Deeparadhana and Prasadam distribution Sponsorship: Rudra Homam & Morning Puja $ 25, First Kaala Puja $ 51 2nd, 3rd & 4th Kaala Puja $ 25 each Kaala. Rudra Homam & all four Kaala Pujas $ 125, All four Kaala Pujas $101 JK 2015: Schedule & Budget Schedule Shilpi Work (Exterior) Shilpi Work (Interior) Kumbhabhishekam Budget Total Budget Available Funds Support Needed November December January 2014 2014 2015 $200,000 February 2015 March 2015 April 2015 May 2015 $750,000 $550,000 Please visit http://www.ssvt.org/home/JeernodharanaPage.asp. Pledge today! 1 Sun 1 Mon 2 Tue 3 Fri 6 Sat 7 Mon 9 Tue 10 Wed 11 Fri 13 Sat14 Sun 15 Mon 16 Tue 17 Fri 20 Sat 21 Sun 22 Mon 23 Tue 24 Thu 26 Fri 27 Sat 28 8:00 AM 10:00 AM 7:00 PM 9:30 AM 10:00 AM 10:00 AM 7:15 PM 9:30 AM 9:30 AM 10:00 AM 4:00 PM 10:00 AM 10:00 AM 10:00 AM 10:00 AM 10:00 AM 4:15 PM 7:00 PM 10:00 AM 3:15 PM 10:00 AM 7:15 PM 9:30 AM 9:30 AM 10:00 AM 10:00 AM 7:00 PM 10:00 AM 10:00 AM 4:00 PM February 2015 Religious Calendar Madhva Navami Celebration (Please see details) Rama Abhishekam (Punarvasu) Satyanarayana Puja (Poornima) [Temple + one offsite] Subrahmanya Abhishekam (Thai Poosam) (Please see details) Mahalakshmi Abhishekam Andal Abhishekam (Purvaphalguni) Bhagavathi Seva Thai Poosam Celebration (Please see details) Sankatahara Chaturthi Homam Ayyappa Puja (Uttara Phalguni) Sankatahara Chaturthi Abhishekam Subrahmanya Abhishekam (Sashti) Sudarsana & Yoga Narasimha Abhishekam (Swati) Utsava Subrahmanya Abhishekam (Vishakha) Sarada Abhishekam Anjaneya Abhishekam (Moola) Ananthapadmanabha Abhishekam (Ekadasi) Mahapradosham Utsava Srinivasa Abhishekam(Sravana) Maha Sivaratri (Please see details) Parvati Abhishekam Bhagavathi Seva Chaturthi – Ganapathi Homam and Ganesha Abhishekam Navagraha Homam & Abhishekam *(Please see Note Below) Subramanya Abhishekam (Shashti) Utsava Subramanya Abhishekam (Krittika) Subramanya Shasranama Archana (Krittika) Krishna Abhishekam (Rohini) Durga Abhishekam Anantha Padmanabha Abhishekam (Ekadasi) *Please note that our Annual Calendar has mistakenly marked Navagraha Homam & Abhishekam on Feb 26 but it is on Sunday Feb 22, 2015. We regret this error and apologize for any inconvenience. March 2015 Sun 1 10:00 AM Rama Abhishekam (Punarvasu) Mon 2 7:00 PM Mahapradosham Tue 3 10:00 AM Nataraja Abhishekam (Sukla Chaturdasi) 6:30 PM Sarpa Bali (Please see details) Wed 4 Masi Magham 7:00 PM Satyanarayana Puja (Poornima)(Temple + 1 offsite) Holi Thu 5 10:00 AM Andal Abhishekam (Purvaphalguni) Fri 6 10:00 AM Mahalakshmi Abhishekam 10:00 AM Ayyappa Puja (Uttara Phalguni) Sat 7 4:00 PM Srinivasa Kalyanam Mon 9 9:30 AM Ganapati Homam (Sankatahara Chaturthi) 7:00 PM Ganesha Abhishekam (Sankatahara Chaturthi) Tue 10 9:30 AM Sudarsana /Yoga Nrismha Homam & Abhishekam (Swati) Wed 11 10:00 AM Subrahmanya Abhishekam (Vishakha) / (Sashti) Fri 13 10:00 AM Sarada Abhishekam Sat14 10:00 AM Anjaneya Abhishekam (Moola) Kaaradayan Nombu (Please see details) Mon 16 7:00 PM Ananthapadmanabha Abhishekam (Ekadasi) (Rest of March 2015 in next Newsletter) DAILY & WEEKLY ABHISHEKAMS Daily: Monday: Tuesday: Wednesday: Thursday: Friday: Saturday: Temple Hours Daily Abhishekams 9:30 AM Ayyappa, Siva, Anantha Padmanabha 9:30 AM 9:30 AM 9:30 AM 9:30 AM 9:30 AM 10:15 AM Weekly Abhishekams Ganesha, Sri Rama Durga, Anjaneya Andal, Sarada, Navagrahas Krishna, Subramanya Mahalakshmi, Parvati, Sudarsana/Yoga Narasimha Venkateswara Monday through Friday: 9:00 AM - 1:00 PM and 5:00 PM - 9:00 PM (except for special events) Saturday, Sunday, & Holidays: 9:00 AM - 9:00 PM Special Pujas Details Madhva Navami Celebration Thai Poosam Celebration (Makara Pushyam) The celebrations will commence with a Homa at 8 am followed by Krishna Puja at 9 AM in the SSVT auditorium. After the puja there will be a Pallaki procession around the Sri Krishna Sannidhi upstairs, Archana and Maha Deeparadhana and the celebration will conclude with music and Pravachanas. Please mark your calendars and receive the blessings of Sri Madhvacharya. 08:00 am Sri Hari Vayu Stuthi Homa 09:00 am Sri Krishna pooja and Sri Madhvacharya pooja 11:00 am Pallaki Utsava 11:30 am Maha pooja and Pravachana 12:15-01:15 pm Lunch/Prasada 01:15- 03:00 pm Dance, music and pravachanas on Sri Krishna and Sri Madhvacharya Sponsorship: $ 25 9:00 AM Ganesha Puja, Kavadi procession within the temple, Subramanya Abhishekam, Trishati Archana, Deeparadhana 12:30 PM Prasadam distribution 6:00 PM Subramanya Sahasranama Archana 7:00 PM Thirupugazh Bhajans, Vishesha Aarati 8:30 PM Prasadam distribution Sponsorship: Morning Puja $ 25; Evening Puja $ 15; Entire Day Puja $ 35 Sunday February 1, 2015 Thai Poosam Day (Makara Pushyam) Tuesday February 3, 2015 9:00 amGanesha Puja, Kavadi procession within the temple, Subramanya Abhishekam, Trishati Archana, Deeparadhana 12:30 pm Prasadam distribution 6:00 pm Subramanya Sahasranama Archana 7:00 pm Thirupugazh Bhajans, Vishesha Aarati 8:30 pm Prasadam distribution Sponsorship: Morning Puja $ 25; Evening Puja $ 15; Entire Day Puja $ 35 2 Saturday February 7, 2015 Sarpabali Tuesday, March 3, 2015 Sarpabali is the worship of 55 divine snakes (including Siva’s Vasuki and Vishnu’s Adisesha) to ward off the bad effects of Sarpa Dosha, to help mitigate and eradicate the problems of skin diseases, to help people in search of life partners find suitable spouses, for progeny (Putra Bhaagyam) and for the overall well-being of all. (Sarpa Dosha may be present due to harm done to snakes and other reptiles in the past births and due to other causes. Sarpa Dosha is recognized when all the other grahas in one’s horoscope lie between Raahu and Ketu. Sarpa Dosha is often a reason for late marriages). Turmeric powder, rice, milk, coconuts, fruits and flowers are the ingredients generally brought by devotees for Sarpabali. For the ingredients to be included in the Puja, they must be given to the priest before the Puja starts. Sankalpam for the Puja (when devotees can mention to the priest the problems to be overcome or desires to be fulfilled) will begin at 6:30 pm. Sarpabali Puja will be performed in the Kerala Tantric style from 7:00 to 8:30 pm. Sponsorship: $35 Kaaradaiyan Nombu Saturday, March 14, 2015 Kaaradaiyan Nombu, or Savitri Vratham, is a Tamil observance in which married woman prays for the well-being and long life of her husband. Kaaradaiyan Nombu 2015 date is March 14 and time of breaking of fast and to wear Saradu is between 7:00 PM and 7:30 PM. It is observed on the particular day when the transition between the Tamil months Maasi and Panguni takes place. Kaaradai is the name of a unique neivedya (holy dish) prepared on this day. Nombu means Vratam or upavasam (fast). Chairman’s Report (Continued from page 1) • Thank you for contributions – financially, time, and ideas • Please continue to participate in the JK celebrations. Your support is very important for the success. On behalf of the board of trustees, I extend sincere thanks to all the devotess, volunteers, committee members, coordinators, members of the Governance body and General Council for making SSVT their second home. I also take this opportunity to thank our priests, cooks, managers and other employees at the temple. May God bless you all! - Dr. Rajagopala Rao Tripuraneni, Chairman, BOT 2014 Report of ViceChair Operations Summarized below is the presentation given by Anjana Sriram, ViceChair, Operations, Board of Trustees, to the General Council members of the Temple on December 20th 2014. Overview • Achievements – Various Committees • What’s Happening - Administration and Management • What’s Coming Achievements Religious • Panchasana Panchavarana Puja (nithya parivara puja) – initiated by Sri Sivacharya and conducted by our priests • Reactivated the priest selection to establish a strong pipeline of priests • Additional priests on board • Documentation of religious procedures and requirements for important pujas being introduced • Streamlined assignment of volunteers so that more volunteers are trained to support religious functions • Improved coordination and collaboration to facilitate smooth functioning of RC Cultural • Well established events continue to attract large audiences for e.g Thyagaraja Aradhana, Nadatarangini, Muthuswamy Dikshitar and Shyamasastri Day, Swati Thirunal Day • New events successfully added for the first time – Annamayya, Papanasam Sivan, Haridas • Cultural events introduced during important religious events • Cultural events has been instrumental in bringing next generation children into the temple • A number of cultural programs by established artists - TM Krishna, Abhishek Raguram, Rama Pantula, Gayathri Venkataraghavan, Trichur Brothers and many more • Lecture by V. Sriram on Dikshitar Krithis was extremely well received Kitchen • Healthy food options being introduced • Where possible, bio-degradable containers are being used • Kitchen prasadham continues to be popular and attracts thousands of devotees Other Committees • PR – continues to train volunteers effectively • IT – messages regular email blasts on weekly events and routinely keeps the website updated • Publications – successfully moved to be accessible in the website – this is a great go-green effort that has also brought significant financial savings • Robotics – continued support • Great contributions continues from all other committees and taskforces like Flower, Hundi, Database, Maintenance, etc. What’s Happening - Administration • New priest scheduling process introduced involving one of the senior priests – well received by the priests and congregation – improved cooperation and service • Administration positions and processes - still evolving in light of new constitution requirements, growth, and renewed focus • Plans to bring the right skill set for improved services • Establishing clear TOR for various positions • Enabling adequate training and mentoring to ensure success What Else Was Done • Updated Operations Manual – to link policies and procedures with reality • Consistent application of policies and procedures and adherence • Ensure proper procedures are being followed for hiring staff, contractual labors, etc. • POC for volunteer sign-up and training • Establishing procedures, streamlining, and documentation for paving the way for future What’s Coming • • • • Recruit Neivedhyam Cook Asthana Nadaswaram Artists Providing space for Aparakarma rituals Renewed focus on IT including POS systems - Anjana Sriram, ViceChair Operations, BOT 2014 Treasurer’s Report Summarized below is the presentation given by Pria Ganesh, Treasurer, Board of Trustees, to the General Council members of the Temple on December 20th 2014. Sri Siva Vishnu Temple Finances - December 2014 Financial Highlights Present balances • Contribution pledges of $1.1 million (mostly from Venkateswara Mahotsavam and Life-time Poojas) • About $0.30 million of pledges still due • Endowment firmly in place ($1.1million) • Current outstanding congregation loans $774K Audit • Completed June 30, 2013 audit with unqualified opinion • June 30, 2014 Audit field work to commence in January 2015 • Setting the stage for timely completion of future audits within 365 days as contemplated in the amended By-Laws Work Practice and Process Improvements • Bank accounts consolidated • Extra credit card merchant accounts eliminated • Tighter controls for procurement and overall spending Endowment • • • • Endowment in place ($1.1 million) 2013-14 commitments of $150k still to be transferred on availability of funds Professional management by Merrill Lynch Active IMC and FC - members with strong investment background • • • • Contributions-to-date - $120K Work progressing, 12 (+3) Shilpis on board Expenses-to-date $110K Plus we need: - Construction materials - $250K - Shilpis cost, religious, annadhanam - $250K JK 2015 Financial Goals Short-term • Complete 2015 Jeernodharanam on a fully funded (no additional loan) basis • Make Temple debt free. Most loans fall due end-December 2015 • Finalize a precautionary Line of Credit Facility (we have not used in the recent past except for guarantees to the County for parking lot) Medium to Long-term • Develop endowment for long-term needs of Temple. 3 FINANCIAL POSITION Sri Siva Vishnu Temple Statement of Financial Position for 2014 (unaudited) (with audited financial information for 2013) 2014 (unaudited) ASSETS Current Assets Cash and Cash Equivalents Prepaid Expenses Accounts Receivables Investments Cash value-Life Insurance Total Current Assets Property and Equipment (net) Idols and Jewels Other Assets Total Assets LIABILITIES Current Liabilities Accounts Payable and Accrued Ex Long term liabilities Congregation Loans Total Liabilities $ 2013 (audited) $ 152,401 93,962 375,139 959,721 51,297 1,632,520 379,355 83,140 399,141 614,885 51,297 1,527,818 7,926,076 1,212,150 8,156,075 1,192,113 21,500 10,770,746 10,897,506 65,477 65,477 134,265 134,265 774,208 839,685 1,124,440 1,258,705 9,931,061 9,638,801 Capital Net assets Sri Siva Vishnu Temple Statement of Activities for 2014 (unaudited) (with audited financial information for 2013) 2014 (unaudited) $ 952,472 869,310 31,292 47,534 862,308 87,663 2013 (audited) $ 816,990 928,431 28,757 32,201 875,070 160,776 TOTAL REVENUES 2,850,580 2,842,225 REVENUE Contributions Religious Services Auditorium rental Cultural events Prasadam Donations Other Revenue EXPENSES Employee costs Repairs & General Maintenance Depreciation 778,037 242,523 400,000 743,133 259,315 417,665 217,567 81,715 58,720 34,374 33,258 95,388 207,884 190,739 64,150 197,062 - 232,409 155,909 94,092 34,124 44,703 86,383 200,874 253,466 95,306 181,583 121,159 TOTAL EXPENSES 2,601,416 2,920,122 Food supplies Other Cultural Seminars and Discourses Audit,legal & professional fees Interest & Bank charges Contract help Religious supplies and expenses Newsletter - printing & postage Utilities Loss on sale of property Total Liabilities and Capital 10,770,746 10,897,506 Net Income 249,163 (77,897) A Big Thank You! • Volunteers • Finance Committee and Investment Management Committee • Devotees • Priests, managers and employees Another successful year financially for the Temple!! Proposed Amendments to ByLaws (1) Article 3 (A) General Council – Membership • According to sub section2 ( c ) of this Article, membership includes Past Coordinators of devotee committees. • Proposed Change: Add the words: “ Present and” before the words “ Past Coordinators”. • Reasons for the Change: Most of the operational work of SSVT is carried through Devotee Committees; and it is appropriate to add the present coordinators in the GC, on the lines that GC includes present and past trustees. (2) Article 4 Governance Board—Appointment of Ombudspersons • According to Sub Clause B (3) of this Article, GB shall create and supervise an Office of Ombudspersons and appoint two persons to serve one year terms, with an option to continue for another year. • Proposed Change: Change the word “ one year terms” to “two year terms”. • Reason for Change: One year term for initial appointment is too short, as it takes ombudspersons considerable time to understand the functioning of SSVT. An initial appointment of two years, with an option to extend it by another year is therefore appropriate. (3) Audited Accounts: By Laws 9 (8) states that the Treasurer is “responsible for ensuring completion of external audit within 120 days of the end of the fiscal year as required by the laws of the State of Maryland”. • Proposed Change: Replace “ 120 days” with “365 days” • Reason for Change: IRS rules exempt a religious entity from having to submit audited accounts. Combined Federal Campaign requires an audited financial statement, but it should not be more than eighteen months old. It is extremely difficult for an organization like SSVT which is still managed predominantly by volunteers to finalize the accounts and get it audited within the 120-days limit, something which has not been achieved since inception. A realistic target is 365 days. (4) Audit Committee : Article 11 of By Laws provide that “ An Audit Committee consisting of three members with two members who have previously been Treasurers of the Temple and a member of the Board of Trustees who is not an officer of the Temple will be constituted by the Governance Board. Members of the Audit Committee are appointed for a period of one year and may serve only two years, if so appointed by the Governance Board…..” • Proposed Changes: Replace the words: “ with two members who have previously been Treasurers of the Temple” in lines 2 and 3 by the words: “with two members who have requisite financial and accounting qualifications”. Also, replace the words: “ for a period of one year and may serve only two years” in lines 4 & 5, by the words: “ for an initial period of two years and may serve for a total of three years”. • Reasons for Change: Choosing Audit Committee from only those TEs who have been former Treasurers is unnecessarily restrictive. Also, an initial appointment of one year does not give adequate time for Audit Committee members to grasp the intricacies of the SSVT organization and its finances. The proposed changes will allow a duration of two years extendable by mutual agreement by an additional year, for a maximum o three years. (5) Internal Audit; By Laws 11 (2) states that the BOT in connection with the Audit Committee will appoint an Internal Auditor for a period of one year which may be extended by one more year by the Audit Committee. • Proposed Change: The Internal Auditor will be appointed for a period of two years which may be extended by one more year by the Audit Committee. The BOT and/or Audit Committee will propose issues that need review by Internal Auditor. The Internal Auditor shall submit to the Chairperson of BOT, with a copy to President of GB, Quarterly Progress reports on all matters that are being reviewed by the office of Internal Auditor. GB may, at its sole discretion, invite the Internal Auditor for a discussion on the Internal Auditor’s findings. • Reasons For Change: One year is too short a term for the initial appointment as it takes time for the Internal Auditor to understand the working of any organization. The rest of the amendments are to clarify the reporting relationships and keep GB in the loop about important governance aspects of SSVT. 2015 Board of Trustees Chairperson: Rajagopala Rao Tripuraneni; Vice-Chairperson (Operations): Sasidharan Mattampillil (Sasi Menon); Vice-Chairperson (Policy): Bangalore Shivacharan; Treasurer: Pria Ganesh; Secretary: Nithya Nagarajan Trustees: Anjana Sriram; Anu Iyer; Charu Narasimhan; C.K. Dhananjayan; Chandramouli Ramaswamy; Ramachar Mukunda; S.V. Acharya; Sasikala Chandar; Uma Potarazu; Vasu Murhty; Vijaya Gollamudi; Vijaya Reddy. 2015 Governance Board President: K.G. Venkatraman (Ramani); Members: M.G. Menon; Chandra Sekaran; Prakash Hosadurga; Rajagopala Rao Tripuraneni; Sasikala Chandar; Anjana Sriram. V.N.RAJAGOPALAN V.N.Rajagopalan who passed away in Delhi on January 4, 2015 was a Founder Sponsor and a committed volunteer from the early years of the Temple. He worked on several projects for the Temple bringing his ability for incisive analysis and clear thinking. He was a Founding-member of the SSVT Education Comwmittee when it was formed in 2002 and served as its Coordinator during 2005 & 2006. He actively participated in the drafting of the new Constitution for SSVT in 2011; and served as a member of the General Council. A brilliant student of economics, he joined the IAS and thereafter the World Bank. He is survived by his wife Bavani, his son, daughter-inlaw and three grandchildren. He leaves behind a large circle of friends in the Washington area who will miss his warmth and wit. Robotics Club Activities & Schedule TEAM ILLUSION 1. Bowie Pantry Interfaith Canned goods collection. Any item brought to the temple will be picked up by the bag near the Education room and our students will work to deliver them. A huge banner will be present in the month of January and February requesting these items. 2. Feburary 17 End of Building the Robot and 3. February 28 Display at the National Building Museum Discover 4 - Pria Ganesh, Treasurer, BOT 2014 Engineering meant for children (http://www.nbm.org/families-kids/festivals/discover-engineering-family.html). Astronomy Planning: Three students have shown interest and we need two more for a training class. Plans are underway for telescope use in March and April. Hinduism lectures at temple meant for children and adults. Speaker Prof. Hebbar (started on New Years Day) and now every sunday at 3pm at the Orbit lane (Overflow would be in the Education Room). SSVT EDUCATION PROGRAMS Learn More about Your Roots & Culture Saturday Programs Program Time YOGA FOR ALL Initial part is Gentle Yoga; everyone can do irrespective of age or physical condition and consists of easy stretches, breathing exercises and meditation 7:30 am - 10:30 am Learn Spoken Sanskrit (Intermediate Level II) Vishnu Sahasranamam, Gopika Geetam, Aditya Hrudayam Learn Hindu Scriptures • Bhagavatam - Ekadasi Skandham... Udhavagita • Brindavana Mahatmyam • Valmiki Ramayan – Ayodhyakandam 10:00 am - 11:30 am 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm 2:30 pm – 5:00 pm 2:30 pm – 3:30 pm 4:00 pm – 4:30 pm 4:30 pm – 5:00pm Other Programs 1. Upanishad Series by Dr. Pradeep S. Kamath – Second Sunday, 10:30am -12:30pm 2. SAT Classes Meets every month on the 1st and 3rd Sundays 3:00 – 5:00 pm – SSVT Education Room SSVT encourages students to sign-up for guidance on SAT preparation. Classes are organized into two semesters: September - January and February - June. Email [email protected] to sign-up. 3. Balagokul Sloka Class On Sundays from 10:30 am – 12:00 noon (Please check) 4. Midweek Yoga at SSVT On Tuesday evenings – 7:00pm to 8:30pm Given the interest of those who attend the Saturday morning session, this new mid-week Satsang has begun since September 24. Shri Sabnis will be leading this session. Please e-mail Shri Sabnis ([email protected]) if you plan to attend. Session will be adapted to the needs of attendees. Homeless SEVA, Sandwich Program, Second Saturday, 2015 ■■ Each month, on the 2nd Saturday, volunteers make sandwiches for the homeless. Every time, roughly about 1500 sandwiches are prepared and delivered to Martha’s Table, a DC shelter. ■■ SSVT encourages all devotees especially youth to participate in the program. Please be at the Temple at 10:30 am. Devotees can sponsor this program by donating $175 to SSVT. ■■ For additional information, please send email to Email: [email protected] , Tribhuvannath Mishra, Contact Phone number-571.214.3198 5th Annual SSVT Maha Shivaratri Cultural Program Tuesday, February 17th, 2015 The Maha Shivaratri Festival will be held at SSVT from 6:00 pm onwards on Shivaratri night which, this year, falls on February 17, 2015. This event will be coordinated by Smt. Deepti Mukund, in a manner that emulates a similar festival being conducted in Bangalore for many years: where dance is performed all night long on Shivaratri night. This will be the 5th consecutive year this festival is being held at SSVT. All dancers are invited to come and dance to perform Nritya Puja to Lord Shiva on Shivaratri. This event brings together classical and folk dancers of all ages and genres on the same platform as a ‘Seva’ or offering to the Lord of Dance. The last four years’ events have been an unequivocal success, with many area teachers presenting Kathak, Kuchipudi, Bharathanatyam, Odissi and Folk at this event. This year even more participants have expressed interest in performing. Please do let us know if you/or your school will be able to perform at this event. At this time we are giving dancers’ 12 minute slots (15 minutes with intro). We will allocate more slots to a group if time permits. Please email the event coordinator at: Deepti.mukund@ gmail.com if you are interested. 2nd Annual SSVT Sri Annamacharya Festival Saturday, March 14th, 2015 On Saturday March 14th, 2015, SSVT will celebrate the 2nd annual SSVT Sri Annamacharya Festival, commemorating Sri Tallapaka Annamacharya, the mystic saint composer (1408-1503 CE). The day will highlight his contributions in music and/or dance format, through presentations. The festival is open to all rasikas of the greater Washington DC Metro area to attend and participate as individuals or groups. All Music / Dance items should be strictly limited to 5 minutes or less. Raga alapana or swara kalpana are not expected. Group participation is encouraged in order to accommodate a larger number of participants. The program agenda will include: Lighting of lamp, Saptagiri Sankeertana Nivedana (group rendition), individual / group participation, Grand finale evening vocal concert by Sri. Malladi Suri Babu, accompanied by Srikanth Mallajosyula (violin), Vijay Ganesh (mrudangam), and Sowmiya Narayanan (ghatam). This will be followed by Annadhanam. Admission is free. Donations Welcome! To register for individual singing, you may follow this link: http://tinyurl.com/annamayya15 and provide the required registration information. The deadline for registration for individual singing is March 8, 2015. Further program details and updates will be available via Temple notice board and website. For any further questions and group practice, please email annamayya@gmail. com or contact one of the following members of the Annamacharya Festival Managing Team: Prabha Maruvada – 301-693-1633; Dr. Ramakrishna Rao – 410-449-0451; Sudha Mallajosyula – 410-777-5345; Raghu Pantula – 203-751-2858; Sreedevi Dhawala – 703-203-3652. NOTE: Group practices for Saptagiri Sankeertana Nivedana are being coordinated by Pavani and Srikanth Mallajosyula. To participate in the group singing, you may contact Pavani Mallajosyula at 410-465-0045. 5 Upcoming Cultural Events Date & Time Tuesday, February 17, 2015 6:00 pm – Midnight Event / Artist 5th Annual Maha Shivaratri Cultural Program Dance Program by DC Area Dance Schools Coordinated by Ms. Deepti Mukund Saturday, March 14, 2015 All Day 5:30 pm 2nd Annual Sri Annamacharya Festival Multiple Artists Grand Evening Finale Concert: Sri Malladi Suri Babu (vocal) Sri Srikanth Mallajosyula (violin); Sri Vijay Ganesh (mrudangam); Sri Sowmiya Narayanan (ghatam) SSVT Auditorium Admission: Free Saturday, March 21, 2015 2:00 pm Ugadi Cultural Program Kuchipudi Dance Drama by Kuchipudi Dance Academy, conducted by Smt. Lakshmi Babu Grand Carnatic Vocal concert by Sri Abhishek Raghuram (vocal) Kum. Akkarai Subhalakshmi (violin); Sri Anantha Krishnan (mrudangam) SSVT Auditorium Admission: Free Saturday, March 28, 2015 5:00 pm Venue & Admission Fee SSVT Auditorium Admission: Free Saturday, April 18, 2015 5:00 pm Grand Marquee Concert in celebration of SSVT’s Jeeranodharana Kumbhabhishekam Grand Carnatic and Hindustani Dhrupad Double Jugalbandhi Concert by: Malladi Brothers and Gundecha Brothers Embar Kannan (violin); Neyveli Narayanan (mrudangam); Akhilesh Gundecha (pakhwaj) Saturday, April 25, 2015 and Sunday April 26, 2015 Sunday, May 3, 2015 5:00 pm 28th Sri Purandara Dasa and Sri Thyagaraja Aradhana (SSVT co-sponsored program with Nadatarangini) Grand Kathakali Dance Drama Kalyana Sougandhikam, By Guru Sadanam Balakrishnan and Troupe Note: The musicians in the Kathakali Troupe will also (separately) be performing a music-only concert at SSVT either on Monday, May 4 or Tuesday, May 5th (details: TBD and announced next month) 2nd Annual Papanasam Sivan Festival Multiple Artists Grand Carnatic Vocal Concert by Sri Bharat Sundar (vocal) Sri V.V.Murari (violin); Sri Trivandrum Balaji (mrudangam); Sri K.V. Gopalakrishnan (kanjira) Grand Veena Concert Recital by Sri Bonala Sankara Prakash (veena) Sri H N Bhaskaran (violin); Sri Patri Satish Kumar (mrudangam) Jeeranodharana Kumbhabhishekam Special Cultural Event: Grand Tala Vadhya Concert with Next Generation Percussionists, conducted and lead by Sri Patri Satish Kumar Jeeranodharana Kumbhabhishekam Special Cultural Event: Pravachanam/Religious Discourse in English by: Sri Dushyant Sridhar Saturday, May 23, 2015 4:00 pm - 6:00 pm 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm Sunday, May 24, 2015 5:00 pm SSVT Auditorium Admission: $ 20 ea. (Note: Donations of $ 150 or more as an event sponsor welcome) SSVT Auditorium Admission: Free SSVT Auditorium Admission: Free SSVT Auditorium Admission: Free SRI SIVA VISHNU TEMPLE 6905 Cipriano Road Lanham, MD 20706 Saturday, May 16th, 2015 SSVT Auditorium Admission: $20 (general), $15 (senior citizens/students) Venue: TBD Tickets: $ 101 (Premium) and $ 51 (Standard) Note: JK2015 Donor with sponsorship level of $ 1001 or more entitles you to 2 or more VIP concert tickets (depending on level of sponsorship) SSVT Auditorium Admission: Free Non Profit U.S. Postage Paid Permit #6038 Suburban, MD
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