Archive for the ‘Hindu’ Category

Attend Temple Proposal Meeting

Sunday, January 12th, 2014

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Temple and Community Center Meeting

Sunday, January 12, 2014

Leon County Community Center

This morning I along with 50 people attended a meeting organized by the Tallahassee volunteers to consider a proposal to build a Hindu Temple and Community Center in Tallahassee. This meeting had been planned for about a month and the invitation was sent to close to 150 individual e-mail addresses. The meeting room was opened around 10 AM and the volunteers set-up the room for the meeting.

After an initial meet and greet with coffee between 10 AM and 10:30 AM, the meeting proper began at 10:30 AM. It began with a prayer. The tentative agenda was displayed using a computer projector.  There were introductory speeches by prominent members of the community.

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Then I presented a slide show prepared by the volunteers. I took about 18 minutes to complete it. It was presented in such a way that the questions will be handled at the end of the presentation since several frequently asked questions and answers were prepared. So FAQ followed by presentation.

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Once the FAQs were completed the floor was opened for discussion. Since I had a prior commitment to host the ACT Thank You Party, I had to leave the discussion around 12 Noon.

FSU ISA Diwali Banquet

Friday, October 25th, 2013

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FSU ISA Diwali Banquet

CGE Globe Auditorium

Friday, October 25, 2013, 7-9 PM

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We attended the Florida State University Indian Students Association Diwali Banquet in the evening. Originally we were not aware of the event and were planning to go home. But Neil stopped by the afternoon and invited us to the banquet. VtS had his Halloween face painted but we went anyway.

There was dance and song entertainment by the students. We had later dinner. VtS became a member of ISA too.

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Ceremonies for Appa and Amma

Sunday, April 28th, 2013

Ceremonies for Appa and Amma

Saturday and Sunday, April 27 and 28 2013

Vedaraniam

Tamil Nadu, India

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Thayumanaswamy Rajalakshmi passed away on Tamil New Year’s day on Sunday, April 14, 2013 at 9:00 AM in Chengal Pattu, Tamil Nadu, India on the lap of her son, Thiyagarajan. The cremation with full Hindu religious rites was held on Monday, April 15, 2013 at 12:00 Noon in Vedaraniam as per her wishes and her ashes were disbursed in Bay of Bengal. The tenth and eleventh day Hindu religious rites were held together with her beloved husband’s on Saturday and Sunday April 27 and 28, 2013 in the ancestral home and at Vedamirtha Lake in Vedaraniam.

Appakutty Somasundaram Thayumanaswamy Pillai passed away on Thursday, April 18, 2013 at 6:00 PM in Chengal Pattu, Tamil Nadu, India surrounded by all his children, just four days after his second wife passed away. The cremation with full Hindu religious rites was held on Friday, April 19, 2013 at 6:00 PM in Vedaraniam, his ancestral town, as per his wishes and his ashes were disbursed in Bay of Bengal. The tenth and eleventh day Hindu religious rites were held together with his beloved wife’s on Saturday and Sunday April 27 and 28, 2013 in the ancestral home and at Vedamirtha Lake in Vedaraniam.

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He is survived by two sons Somasundaram (Gnanabhanu) of Tallahassee, FL, USAand Thiyagarajan (Anita) of Chengal Pattu;three daughters Swarnambal (Rathnakumar) of Tambaram, Thillaikkarasi (Shanmugavelu) of Trichy, and Ambika (Vijaay) of Thanjavur all in Tamil Nadu, India; eight grandchildren Gayathri (Sri Ram) of Tambaram, Niveditha and Muthu Kumaran of Trichy, Vivek Thayumanam of Tallahassee, FL, USA, Vidhushini and Arjun Thaimanam of Chengal Pattu, and Sibi Kiran and RishiHrithik of Thanjavur; and one great grandson Abhay Krishna of Tambaram.

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Amma Passes away

Sunday, April 14th, 2013

Amma Passes away

Tamil New Year Morning

Sunday, April 14, 2013, 9 AM

விஜய வருடம், சித்திரை மாதம் 1- ஆம் தேதி, ஞாயிற்று கிழமை காலை 9 மணி

Chengalpattu, Tamil Nadu, India

Amma

Thayumanaswamy Rajalakshmi Aachi

Thayumanaswamy Rajalakshmi (aka Bhooma) was born in Thirupayanthan Gudi, Madras Presidency, India on Wednesday, January 8, 1941 as the third child of T. S. Vedanayagam Pillai and Seetha Lakshmy Ammal. She grew up in the farming village with several of her brothers and sisters and was well liked both by her parents and siblings. She completed eighth grade in the local middle school and was a studious student. Bhooma’s father was a farmer and her mother maintained a household with nine children where Bhooma took up the responsibility of being a big sister to many of her younger siblings.

On September 8, 1965, she married Appakutty Somasundaram Thayumanaswamy Pillai of Vedaraniam and moved to Vedaraniam (aka Thirumarai Kadu). There she had a dual role of a wife and a step mother to young children, Swarnambal and Somasundaram. Bhooma excelled in both by showering affection to the newly motherless children and a wife who needed to run a larger household by herself. Bhooma also took care of her mother-in-law until latter’s death in 1968. She gave birth to three wonderful children Thiyagarajan in 1966, Thillaikkarasi in 1968 and Ambika in 1976.Until her death,she took care of herself and her beloved husband even as his health was failing. She was an excellent cook and a pious person following the Hindu religious customs and worship. She was a great role model to all her children and never complained about anything.

Thayumanaswamy Rajalakshmi passed away on Tamil New Year’s day on Sunday, April 14, 2013 at 9:00 AM in Chengal Pattu, Tamil Nadu, India on the lap of her son, Thiyagarajan.

Hindu Religious Path

Friday, March 29th, 2013

Hindu Religious Path

Talk at FAMU School of Architecture

Class of Prof Ted White, Friday, March 29, 2013, 11:15-12:05 PM

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I was an invited speaker at FAMU School of Architecture in Prof Ted White’s class. I spoke for about an hour on Hindu Religious Path. I covered basic concepts of Hinduism, about Hindus, rituals, festivals and beliefs.

There were about eight students who took the class. After about 35 minutes of talk we had about 15 minutes of question and answer session.

Thirtieth Interfaith Thanksgiving Service

Tuesday, November 20th, 2012

Thirtieth Interfaith Thanksgiving Service

Trinity United Methodist Church

120 West Park Avenue

Tallahassee, FL 32301

7:00 to 8:30 PM, Tuesday, Nov 20, 2012

 

Today I attended the Thirtieth Interfaith Thanksgiving Service at the Trinity United Methodist Church. During the service people from several faith spoke about today’s theme “Walking in the Light”.

 

I read some verses from Thiru Manthiram that spoke about God (Shiva’s) form as Light. There were speakers from Christian, Islamic, Baha’i, and Judaic faiths in the service.

 

Tamil Sangam Diwali Party

Sunday, November 13th, 2011

Tamil Sangam Diwali Party

Saturday, November 12, 2011

Tallahassee, FL

The Tallahassee Tamil Sangam celebrated the Diwali with a evening party on Saturday, November 12, 2011. About 50 families brought in pot-luck dinner items, snacks, party supplies, and fireworks to the party.

The program started at 6:00 PM at the Rec Hall in FSU Alumni Village. The snacks were served first and around 7 PM all the kids were invited to a short fireworks fun. Many parents brought their own fireworks (only those approved in the State of Florida). The adults watched over the fun in a basketball court (concrete floor).

Then at 7:45 the dinner was served and then the kids put on two dance items. Then the dessert was served. By 9:30 we completed the party and everyone pitched in to clean

Durga Pooja Celebration

Friday, October 15th, 2010

Durga Pooja Celebration

Friday, October 15, 2010, 6:00 – 8:00 PM

Tallahassee, Florida

 

We were invited to join in the Durga Pooja (Puja) celebration at a close friend’s residence. They have been doing the poojas for a long-time. So I went to their house after I came back from work. They have been performing the pooja for most of the day and I joined them during the time for the “Aarathi”. Several others joined us around 7 PM. There were songs about goddess Durga and everyone performed individual aartis.

There was special prasad for those who had gathered. I had to leave around 8 PM as I had to go to Navarathri celebration at the Gujarati Samaj later in the night.

Pew Forum on Religion

Monday, October 4th, 2010

Quiz from Pew Forum on Religion

Monday, October 04, 2010

Tallahassee, FL, USA

Following the much publicised recent results about Americans and their knowledge about religion that showed that even though most Americans consider themselves very religious their knowledge of religion was NOT that high, I thought I would test my own knowledge about religion. Since birth I have been a follower of one faith, the one I was born into, and about half of my life I spent in a country where that faith has been the predominant one. Then during second half my life, I am living in a country where my faith is not the predominant one.

So, I went to Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life and took the 15 question quiz about religion. Several questions related Judo Christian faiths and there were about 4 questions about Eastern religions. After finishing the test, I was surprised to learn that I answered correctly 14 out of the 15 questions.

 Glad to know that at least I know something about religion. Thank God!!!

Pongal Celebration

Saturday, January 23rd, 2010

Pongal Celebration

Saturday, January 23, 2010

ARH, Tallahassee, FL 32306

We celebrated Pongal Festival this evening.