Mettilotsava, VMS Annual Retreat, Pittsburgh, Memorial Day weekend, May 23-26-Update

[Guest guest]

Dear Sri Hari Bhaktas,

This is the gentle reminder to inform folks that our Mettilotsava-VMS Annual Retreat gathering is just about 3 weeks away. If you are planning to participate, please enter your details in our Participants List which you can access in the blog site http://jitamitra.org/mett2008

It is important for planning purpose to know our approximate head-count.

If in case you plan to stay in any hotel/motel in Somerset, this is the time to make the reservations by calling directly the hotel/motel of your choice in Somerset. Sri Janardhanrao has given the tel numbers of some hotels in Somerset in the above blog bsite.

Please contact the various coordinators given below if you wish to offer any help in the various activities in our gathering.

Please forward to others as appropriate and all are welcome.

Hare Srinivasa

Bindu

(tel 610-966-9299)

Program

Friday (May 23)

Arrival in the afternoon, settle down in cabins, games, hiking trails, simple pot luck dinner followed by campfire in the night

Sat (May 24)

7:00 am, Devarapooja

8:00 am, Breakfast

8:30 am - 12 noon, Group walking to the picturesque waterfalls

12:30 pm Lunch

1-3 pm, Games, Kitchen activities

3:00-6:00 pm, Childrens program, simultaneousely young adults program, Kitchen activities

6-7 pm, Philosohy Session, Panel discussion, Q & A session

7:8 pm, Flute Concert by Sri Prapancham Sitaram visiting from India

8:8:30 pm, Devaranaama bhajans by our own VMS singers, mangalarathi

8:30 pm, Sit-down Dinner

 

Sun (May 25)

6 am, Nirmaalya pooja

7 am, Depart to Sri Venkateshwara Temple

8 am, Gather at the foot-hills of Sri Venkateshwara Temple, Sri Hari Vayussthuthi paaraayana begins

8:30 am, Mettilotsava begins

10:00 am, Arrive in the main entrance of the temple at the top of the hills

10:30 am, After sankalpa, dharshan, mangalarathi of Lord Srinivasa, join Gajavahana seva of the Vasanthothsava in the inner courtyard

11:00 am, Depart to campsite, rest can stay back to see Sri Venkatesha abisekha followed by lunch in Temple cafetaria

12:30 pm, Devarapooja and theertha prasada in the campsite

3-4 pm, Coffee and snacks

4-5 pm, Young adults presentation and discussions

6-8 pm, " Sri Venkatesha Mahaatmya " pravachana by Sri Galagali Gopinath

8-8:30 pm, Devaranaama bhajans by our own VMS singers, mangalarathi

8:30 pm, Sit-down Dinner

9:30 pm, Campfire

 

Mon (May 26)

7 am, Devarapooja

8 am, Coffee, Breakfast

9-11 am, Campsite clean-up

12 noon, Depart

 

Please contact the following coordinators for various activities:

 

Childrens activities, Srimathi Ramma Srinivasarao, seema.Rao

Youth activities, Sri Sandesh Srinivasarao, sandrao1

Kitchen activities, Sri G. V. Srinivasan, srinivasans, Sri Sripadaraj, sripadlaw

Snacks, Srimathi Veena Raghav, v_raghav

Groceries, Serving food, Sri Sridhar Padaki, padaki_s

Philosophy session, Sri Jaikrishna, jay

Public address system, Sri Ramachandran, chitrarr