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World AIDS Day Interfaith Service

Tuesday, December 1st, 2009

2009 World AIDS Day Community Interfaith Service

World AIDS Day Interfaith Service
December 1, 2009, 2009 7:00 p.m.
Unitarian Universalist Church of Tallahassee

2810 North Meridian Road, Tallahassee, FL 32312

Sponsored by the Big Bend Cares & Canopy Connection

Twenty-first annual Community Interfaith Service for 2009 World AIDS Day (Tuesday, December 01, 2009) was observed in many places in Tallahassee, FL. One such service sponsored by Big Bend Cares was held at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Tallahassee, 2810 Meridian Road between 7 and 9 PM. During the service members from several religious faiths and communities offered words/prayers of hope, healing, relief from suffering in the fight against HIV. The service was led by pastor from Gentle Shepherd Metropolitan Community Church. We then heard messages from people around the world who are suffering from the disease. Then members of th Christian, Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, Jewish, and Pagan communities offered prayers and encouragements. There Interfaith choir sang songs as well.

Representing Hindu faith, I read a Sanskrit prayer for praise of God. Then read Thirugnana Sambanhar’s Thevaaram in Tamil and meaning in English as a prayer for healing the suffering. I ended my speech from a quote about human being’s greatest gift is “service to others”. Then as the service ended everyone was given a red rose in rememberance of those who have passed away and for keeping hope for who are fighting the disease. That was followed by light refreshments.

 

 

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Hinduism and personal view

Sunday, November 1st, 2009

Hinduism and personal view

Private Church Speaker

Sunday, November 1, 2009, 6 PM

I was invited to speak about what Hinduism means to me personally to a private church gathering of people who were interested in other religions of the world. We all (about 8 people) met at a private residence and spoke for about an hour.

I started the speech by playing a musical rendition of the Gujarati prayer song (favorite of Mahatma Gandhiji) “Vaishnava Jana Tho” and spoke about my personal practices and views of Hinduism in general and how does it affects me here in the USA.

Later I concluded the speech with the Aavuyaiyar’s Invocation to God “கடவுள் வாழ்த்து – பாலும் தெளிதேனும்” . Following the song we had Q and A session for about 15 minutes. We ate some cookies and I departed home with a feeling that I was able to listen to people of other faith while telling about what I follow.

Thanks to the person who made this possible.

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2009 பொங்கல் விழா

Saturday, January 17th, 2009

2009 பொங்கல் விழா

சனிக்கிழமை, சனவரி 17, 2009

தலகாசி, அமெரிக்கா

 

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Dr Mano and Mrs Priya arranged for a Pongal vizha for Tamil loving people of Tallahassee, Florida, USA. The celebration began with about 50 people gathering together for an evening of drawing of kolam, prayer, play for kids, preparation of sweet pongal, and eating of a communal dinner.

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First nine separate teams of ladies and children participated in kolam drawing competition using colored kolam powder on black plastic sheets. The friendly event kept the whole crowd interested in the activity. The teams worked on their kolam for about an hour. Three non-partisan judges evaluated the team’s work and prizes were given to first (1 team) and second place (3 teams).

 

பொங்கல் விழா ஒளவையாரின் “பாலும் தெளி தேனும்” கடவுள் வாழ்த்துடன் துவங்கியது (விவேக் மற்றும் சோமு). பின்னர் குழங்தைகள் விளையாட்டுப் போட்டி நடந்தது.  இனிப்பு பொங்கல்  தயாரான உடன் அனைவரும் உண்டு களித்தோம்.

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2009 பொங்கல் நல்வாழ்த்துக்கள்!!

Wednesday, January 14th, 2009

2009 பொங்கலோ பொங்கல்!

புதன்கிழமை, சனவரி 14, 2009

தலகாசி, புலாரிடா, அமெரிக்கா

அனைவருக்கும் 2009 பொங்கல் நல்வாழ்த்துக்கள்! வாழ்க வளமுடன்!

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20th World AIDS Day Service

Monday, December 1st, 2008

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2008 World AIDS Remembrance Day 

Big Bend Hospice

Monday, December 1, 2008, 7 PM

1723 Mahan Center Boulevard
Tallahassee, Florida 32308-5428

 First let me offer a Hindu prayer for Lord Ganesha the remover of obstacles and sorrows.

Prayer for Lord Ganesh | Remover of Obstacles

(In Sanskrit)

Gajananam Bhootha Ganathi Sevitam

Kapittha Jambu Phalasara Bhaksitam

Umasutam Shoka Vinasha Karanam

Namami Vigneshwara Patha Pankajam

Meaning: He who has an elephant face and who is worshipped by the Bhootha Ganam!

He who consumes the essence of kapitha and Jumbu fruits!

He who is the son of Goddess Uma (Parvathi)!  And, He who removes the sorrow in all of us!

O! Lord Vigneshwara who is an embodiment of all the above, we pray at your Divine feet.

Then let me offer a Hindu prayer to Lord Shiva to remove the pain and suffering:

Prayer for Lord Shiva | To remove pain and suffering (In Tamil)

2008ன் அ.ஐ.டி.எஸ் நினைவு நாள்

பாடியவர்: திருஞான சம்பந்தர்

பாடல்: தேவாரம் (தெய்வ அன்பு) 

பாடப்பற்ற இடம்: திருநெய்தானம்

பாடிய காலம்: 7-வது நூற்றாண்டு 

கோலம் முடி நெடுமாலோடு கொய் தாமரையானும்

சீலம் அறி அரிதாய் ஒளி திகழ்வாய் நெய்த்தானம்

காலம் பெற மலர் நீர் அவை தூவித் தொழுது ஏத்தும்

ஞாலம் புகழ் அடியார் உடல் உறுநோய் நலியாவே 

Thirugnana Sambandhar’s Thevaram at Thiru Nithanam

Author: Thirugnana Sambhandhar

Song Collection: Thevaram (God’s Grace)

Song’s location: Thirunithanam

Song’s Time: 7th Century CE

Song’s Language: Tamil 

O! Lord Shiva you appeared as great Light in front of both the beautifully haired Lord Vishnu and Lord Brahma who sits on the lotus flower.

When we the devotees who live throughout the world worship you with flower and water.

O! Lord who resides in Thiru Nithanam temple you will remove the pain and suffering.

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Visit Gujarathi Samaj Hindu Temple

Sunday, October 5th, 2008

Gujarathi Samaj Hindu Temple in Tallahassee

Gujarathi Samaj Hindu Temple

9100 Apalachee Parkway

Tallahassee, FL

We visited the newly finished Gujarathi Samaj Hindu Temple in Apalachee Parkway. We arrived there around 6:00 PM during the Dushera but couldn’t find people inside. So we decided to come some other time.

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Speak at Saint John’s Episcopal Church Group

Wednesday, October 1st, 2008

Speak at Tallahassee Saint John’s Episcopal Church Group
Religions of the World Class
Rev. Canon Lee Graham’s Group
Wednesday, October 1, 2008; 6:30 -7:45 PM

 

Somasundaram and Rev Lee Graham

I was invited as a guest speaker at the World Religions Class organized by Rev Lee Graham, Rector Emeritus of Saint John’s Episcopal Church of Tallahassee. Father Graham’s class of about 30 people asked me to present for a Question and Answer session about Hinduism and Hindu Beliefs.

The Questions were either from the Group or from Rev Graham himself. I was given the Questions few days earlier and I prepared the Answers and delivered them as a informal speech. Following the speech I entertained impromptu Q&A as well.

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2008 India Association Holi Festival

Sunday, March 23rd, 2008

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2008 IATLH Holi Festival

Saturday, March 22, 2008
10:30 to 1:30, Tom Brown Park
Tallahassee, Florida

India Association of Tallahassee (www.iatlh.org) sponsored 2008 Holi Festival was held in Station 13 in Tom Brown Park, Tallahassee, Florida on Saturday, March 22, 2008 between 10:20 AM and 1:30 PM.  Over two hundred people attended the colorful celebrations. Several volunteers prepared pot-luck lunch consisting of delicious food items like idli, sambar, vadai, chole, chappathi, chicken curry, vegetable rice pilaf, and desserts like cup cakes, cookies, and ice cream.

The Association provided Holi colors, drinks and cutlery. The participants young and old college and high school students throw colors on each other and later played with water. In general every body had fun time.

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Holi article in Tallahassee Democrat

Saturday, March 15th, 2008

Holi Festival Article

Tallahassee Democrat

Saturday, March 15, 2008

Today my article ( holi-tdcom.pdf) about Holi appeared in our home town newspaper Tallahassee Democrat.

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Boghi Festival – Precursor to the Pongal Festival

Monday, January 14th, 2008

Bogi or Boghi Festival

Monday, January 14, 2008

Tallahassee, FL 32317

We started to clean our house on Sunday in order to prepare for the Bogi and Pongal festivals that are on Monday, January 14, and 15, 2008 respectively. Since this was the second week after we reached US from our vacation to India, it gave another reason to throw away old items and clean the house.

Historically the day before and the day of Bogi we cleaned our house at Vedaraniam and occasionally even white-washed it during that week. Usual cleaning meant removing cob-web (ottadai adipathu), deep sweeping the brick floors, then washing it with plenty of well water. Going up the attic and throwing away old magazines, newspapers, and other stuff.

So we more or less did the same thing except there were not that many cob-webs to clean out. We collected old clothes for donation, we did lots of laundry, we swept and moped the wooden floor and tiles at our home. We also did pooja with VTS doing the aarathi with incense stick. Then we ate sweet pongal and vadai.

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