Fwd: Request for your kind input, guidance and advise, please ,,,

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This is for all your kind information, but any suggestion, guidance is appreciated ........ Namaste',Attached mail is for your kind information and support. Hope you understand my 'aavedana'. Please guide me with your kind and appropriate suggestions and explanation to prepare me to answer any and all relevant questions in this regard on the subject.It is believed, this Hindu Samaj Temple (Wappingersfalls, NY) is the only Religious Temple/Organisation that is following this meat & alcohol policy for fund raising event/dinner. Please let me know if you know of any other, so we can include them in our campaign.Please send any mail that you want me to forward to our local HinduSamajTemple Trustees and if you wish, we will keep you un-identified in our communications with them. In any case I need

your guidance and counsel.Kindlu consider this as an urgent call from a devotee under terrible distress.DhanyavadH,SeethaRamSeethaRam Balusu,845-849-1520 -Please call me at your convenience any time.============================================AN OPEN APPEAL TO THE Dear Community Members, especially, Community Leaders like Dr.Khurana, Dr.Sheth and Sri AravindShah and all Major Donors/Supporters : Namaste', NO ,

Please say no to: "Mamas & Madhya" / ( Meat & Alcohol ) In the name of or at Hindu Samaj Fund Raising Dinner etc. Events. No money is worth sacrificing our beliefs, tradition - 'sampradaya '. (You may kindly mail your contribution directly with strong Protest and JOIN the PROTEST lines ) PLEASE UNDERSTAND !!! THIS PROTEST IS BASED ON OUR RELIGIOUS BELIEF & TRADITION, NOTHING ELSE !!! !!! PLEASE JOIN US TO HELP BRING OUR COMMUNITY TOGETHER AND UNITED !!! Though we all have our own interests, belief system and practices individually, as a Hindu Religious Group we have certain other beliefs and traditions to practice and follow especially at a Temple or in the name of such a holy organisation, irrespective of any

inconveniences it may cause to some. Obstaining from Meat & Alcohol (Mamsa & Madhya - M & Ms) is one of them. We need to follow as was done over the ages and show the right path to our children. And not having meat and alcohol not only at the Temple but also in the name of such a holy organisation anywhere and at any time is important tradition. Again, here, we are not against any individuals personal choices, but our goal is to protect age old Hindu Tradition (sat Sampradaya). I am sure even a most addict of M & Ms can follow that for about fours each year at our Hindu Samaj Temple & Cultural Center Fundraiser. Current HinduSamaj practice is deviding the community especially our JAIN members among others. Please let us help our selves to unite the Hindu/Vedic Community. THERE IS NO RIGHTWAY OF DOING A WRONG THING . Pretending to believe, no body in the community is concerned about this serving meat and alcohol policy, Hindu Samaj is continuing this for

years, though this writer is protesting for the last seven years or so, though increasing the pressure slowly as I did not want to make the community look bad. All along, some Trustees are also against this policy but sold for positions and political allegiances, as it seems. Also, you may want to know how many Trustees are attending these fundraisers annually?, It is very interesting to see, this year this Event is currently headed by none other than Uma garu, Sushumna garu, Shaileshji (a JAIN), among others , who it is believed, were absent from almost all the earlier such fundraisers as a silent protest. (just a week or so early, this Fundraiser was headed by Smt. Indu Lal and Sri Anil Garg) {this info is based on HST mails}. It is as much interesting to note, though some of the Trustees are in strong disagreement with this policy, they vote for this M & M party without fail for the sake of their positions and political alliances. In

this respect the Board is now even debating to change the name of the Temple and/or to organize a separate Vegetarian Fund Raiser. Obviously they are missing the point, this belief is based on our Tradition, not on personal practice/belief or caste based, as they seem to imply. I request the entire Community to come forward in support of our age old Tradition and Religious practice observed in most of India and by most of the Religious (and may even by some Cultural) Organizations of not serving "Meat and Alcohol" in their functions/celebrations/fundraisers. For your information, attached below is a letter of appeal sent to the Board of Trustees of Hindu Samaj Temple & Cultural Center. Kindly take time and read. If you have any questions that I can answer, please do not hesitate to contact me. What Can you do to HELP the CAUSE?C onsider the following : Reply to email from HST Temple with your protest. Please DONOT attend the current (even if you paid already) and future such fund raisers with meat and alcohol. If you wish, please send a check with your contribution directly to the Temple address some time in December and with a note of protest of this policy. If you are an Honoree, please REJECT in protest of this meat and alcohol policy. (We salute you anyway). If you agree to join the protest, please send me an e-mail with what you would like to do, like, join the protest line, sending the emails to other organizations, other communities and news papers etc. etc. !!! PLEASE UNDERSTAND THIS IS BASED ON OUR BELIEF IN TRADITION, NOTHING ELSE !!! !!! PLEASE JOIN US TO HELP BRING OUR COMMUNITY TOGETHER AND UNITED !!! !Hari AUM Tat Sat! SeethaRam ============================================================ this year - sent +/- 10/2/07 --- AN OPEN APPEAL TO THE Board of Trustees of HinduSamaj Temple: Namaste', Once again, I come to you, the respected Board of Trustees of Hindu Samaj Temple, with a repeated but a humble request as in the past several years, to consider to stay away/refrain from serving and/or consuming Meat and Alcohol (Mamsam and Madhyam - M & Ms) at the upcoming (and in future) Fund Raising Dinners (and/or other such Events) for the Hindu Samaj Temple and Cultural Center. Kindly consider the following, again: 1) This Practice & Policy of serving

'Mamsa and Madhya' (Meat and Alcohol) is against our Vedic/Hindu Religion to conduct in the name and/or under the umbrella/Banner of our sacred Temple's name. Individually we my have our own Social beliefs, different customs and practices which should be understood by others, no doubt even if they are not accepted by all. But collectively as Vedics/Hindus-Aryas-Jains, we follow certain common minimum standards of following with respect age old beliefs, traditions and practices if not scriptures/sashtras, which include abstaining from 'Mamasa & Madhya' at or in the name of our Religious Temple/Organization, irrespective of the Location . 2) As I am sure you agree that 100% of the Hindu Samaj's membership and it's supporters who attend this Fundraiser will consume various available soft drinks and vegetables without hesitation. But, serving alcohol and meat will undoubtedly leave out many other HinduSamaj members and supporters, if not

entire communities like Jains as they are staunch believers in "Aahimsa" etc. So, the point is, unless you, The Board of TRUSTEES of HinduSamaj want to DEVIDE the COMMUNITY intentionally, you would consider and take immediate action to rectify the hitherto followed ill practice and change the course of misguided direction. There is no other Temple in our area follows

this practice. 3) We placed TRUST in you as our Trustees and expect you to seek guidance from the Learned Gurus, Priests and/or Religious Leaders, if necessary and lead us in to the right path without giving up for the pressure from a few in the community. However, it should also be recognized that this is not one of the items open for Democratic process as this is strictly a Religious practice. 4) You say, if we do not serve 'Mamsa & Madhya', people will not attend, I say , it is insulting not only to the HinduSamaj community but also it's outside supporters as we all know well, Americans will only respect our Tradition when explained and even they don't mind foregoing meat and alcohol for one night. Also, this argument supports the fact, that HinduSamaj is selling 'Mamsa & Madhya' to raise funds for the Temple's projects etc. and/or to expand Temple's Cultural Center

(Bharateya/Vedic Samskruthika Mandapa). 5) Oh yes, you also say, that we are also a Cultural Center, but please remember foremost we are a Religious Organization and hence HINDU SAMAJ is a Temple at first and Cultural center etc. next. And especially as our Cultural Center is built as part and parcel of the Temple as it shares the same roof and other facilities, it is an un-divisible and un-questionably a Vedic/Hindu-Cultural Center, as it stands now. 6) Yes, some of the members hesitantly attended these Fund-Raisers as they are also Recognition Events for the respected community leaders like Dr.Sheth, Dr.Khurana, Sri Mandava, Sri Shah etc. etc. families, just to show respects to them, but in no way in acceptance of this particular policy and practice of HinduSamaj to serve meat and alcohol in these events. What is next?, serving meat and alcohol at a Deepavali function? as it is also outside! 7) I also heard some of you and

your friends making statements like, SriRama eat meat etc etc.. I don't know the truth, nor should we care. I do not question the God's and Godly People (Avatara Purushas) of their acts and/or intentions which are meant for 'Loka Kalyanam'. At least you and me are not at that stage in any respect. If you believe otherwise, you should be in a Mandir as a God but not in the Board room as a Trustee. 8) Just because this HST practice has been going on for long, will not make it right, but remember at the same time there were members objecting for this as long also. Things can and

will change for good and let's change it NOW. This is in no way to change any individual of their own beliefs and practices (though one wishes the change is that easy!), but to accept, respect and follow our ancient tradition and practice, no more but definitely no less. Just check and let us know, how many of the thirteen or so Trustees attending these Fund-Raisers every year for the last ten years?. I believe many are not attending in helpless and silent protest due to the fear of unknown from the very well known! Remember, THERE IS NO RIGHTWAY OF DOING A WRONG THING!!! 9) How much money is raised through these so called Fund-Raisers is a different matter. I requested the Trustee, a year or two ago for the information on these events for the last ten years and still waiting for a response. I request the new Board Members to look in to this also. However, lately, some Donors are waiting to give the money at this event, though, they would

give the same donation as committed donors anyway and any out side donations comes around that time is included in these totals to make it look good. Talk about creative accounting by HST. In this respect, I request the Board and especially the Treasurer, to keep clean records and accounting by not commingling of funds. 10) Last but not least, WE DONOT NEED A GOPURAM BUILT or even another brick laid within our HSTemple's property WITH THE FUNDS RAISED FROM THE SALE OF 'MAMSA & MADHYA', period. We are neither that poor nor disparate. Once again, pleas LEAD us the RIGHT PATH to the PEACE and UNITY, not DIVIDING COMMUNITY, just for your political goals. Choice is yours, you are at the Drivers seat and we all hope you drive soberly and help us reach the destination safely!!! Need I say more?. I sincerely appreciate a response from the President and also from the Committee and any others so interested to express their own views

(speak out) either way, so I/we can understand your viewpoint on this. DhanyavadH, SeethaRam SeethaRam Balusu, RamBalusu, 845-849-1520. (mail sent On Gandhiji's Jayanthi, no response yet) ============================================================ PS: - Please accept my sincere apologies for any duplicate mails.SeethaRam Balusu - Pok', NY. (845) 849-1520Vision 20/20 by Year 2020 - a SEF Volunteer ---Give a Gift of Vision--- Please REPLY only to: Aemail=================================== SeethaRam Balusu - Pok', NY. (845) 849-1520Vision 20/20 by Year 2020 - a SEF Volunteer ---Give a Gift of Vision--- Please REPLY only to: Aemail===================================