News
The One in Many – Vrindavan Revisited
CMDFW Picnic 2008
CMDFW’s Annual Picnic, Holi celebration and Walkathon was held on April 26th at Myers Park in McKinney, Texas. The day of the picnic promised to be warmer than last year, although the according to the forecast it was sandwiched between two stormy days. As in previous years, we defied the odds and picnic day dawned clear and sunny, and stayed picture perfect for the entire duration of the event.
Planning for the picnic started in earnest in early February by the core team, consisting of representatives from all the Balavihar sessions including the satellite center at Coppell, and the Walkathon team. Projected attendance was 1500, which rose steadily once online registration opened. By the registration cut-off date we had crossed the 2000 mark, although actual attendance ended up being closer to the original projection.
The event started with opening prayers, followed by the Walkathon. As a result of the persistent marketing efforts by some young Balavihar students, the team easily exceeded their goal of raising $5000 for a local charity, City House. Most picnic attendees sported the special order navy blue Walkathon T-shirts with Pujya Gurudev’s signature Om in orange, exhorting us to, “Walk the talk.”
By the time Walkathon ended, games were already underway in the two picnic locations – the Show Barn and the Pole Barn pavilion. It was a short jog from one location to the other. Guests did comment that perhaps they should get Walkathon credit for the sprint between the two locations! The highly efficient Food Team was ready with the boxed lunches right on time, which were available for pick-up without much of a wait. Not surprisingly, the only line that formed was at the tables serving a wonderful array of delicious mithais brought in by the picnic attendees! The other popular hangout places were the two corn grilling stations, which are always a hit with the crowd.
Inside the Show Barn, the hub of activity was the Arts and Crafts center run by the volunteer team from our Coppell Center. Right next to this station, were the indoor games which included games such as “Tilak for Swamiji,” “Hungry Ravana” and Candy Catch. You could even get a picture of yourself taken as Hanumanji. Great props handmade by our diligent Games Team! At the other end of the Park at the Pole Barn Pavilion, outdoor games where underway accompanied by foot tapping music played non-stop by our tireless DJ! By 2:30 it was time to wrap up the games and get ready for the grand finale – Holi!
This year we had a surprise treat from a magnanimous donor, who had pichkaris shipped from India for us. The kids put the pichkaris to good use, filling them up with colored water and drenching young and old alike with great delight, much like the escapades of Krishna Kanhaiya in Vrindavan, when the Lord himself wielded pichkaris on his exultant devotees! Soon everyone was anointed with gulal and colored water. It was hard to tell people apart as everyone took on the colors of Holi. The many identities truly melded into ONE, as even the playing of the colors took on a spiritual undertone.
CMDFW Acquires Property in Melissa
A Mission on the Prairie
The CMDFW Board of Directors (BOD) had been considering the purchase of acreage for further expansion of the mission for the past two years and had looked at several properties in the process. The dream was realized this year with the acquisition of 28 acres of land in Melissa TX.
The beginning…
It started with a casual conversation near the corn roasting grill outside the barn at Myers Park in McKinney during the 2007 Chinmaya Mission Picnic. One of the board members, Sunil Maini initiated the discussion with another member, Mr. Sante Chary and Manju Menon about how wonderful it would be to have a place of our own to host the Holi celebration for 1000+folks who had turned out for the event. Shortly thereafter, Mr. Chary put us in touch with a nonagenarian, with a penchant for story-telling, Mr. Ervin Bryan Arnold. Mr. Arnold lived on a 28-acre farm in Melissa, Texas, just 3 miles from Central Expressway and was interested in selling his property. We engaged in several conversations with Mr. Arnold and discovered that his property was flat as only a prairie could be, had a 2,000 SF home in good condition, an 800 SF garage, a 6,000 SF barn (wow!), a pond and great frontage on Rd FM 2933. The price was quite reasonable. The wheels were set in motion…
Melissa who?
The only Melissa any of us had encountered before this was the name of a person, not a city! So we started our due diligence. We found that the City of Melissa, off Exit 45 on Central Expressway is doing everything needed to become the next destination for selective developments. They already have a thick set of planning and zoning guidelines which cities like Plano and Frisco started writing only after the first several years of missteps in development! Collin County Development is working with TXDOT on plans for an Outer Loop Highway that will have at least 3 exits to Melissa on Hwy 75, Hwy 121 and Hwy 5. FM 2933 on which the property is located is slated to become a 6-lane road in the future. Recent market activity showed that the price quoted by Mr. Arnold was the lowest for the area. Armed with all this information, our savvy developer, board member, Mr. Nanoo Patel asked the CMDFW BOD take a serious look at this property.
To buy or not to buy?
We set up a series of appointments to visit the property with board members. After the first visit, our Acharya Uddhavji was already contemplating an organic farm to rival Central Market! Everyone liked what they saw. There was no doubt that the property had a great upside potential in the near-term and most definitely in the long term. However, some questions remained. Would the location work for our existing and growing congregation? Would it be a fiscally responsible decision? How do we balance this purchase with the need for more space in the Coppell/Flower Mound area? These were weighty issues not to be taken lightly or hastily. The CM BOD deliberated over the next few months, seeking input from several members and ultimate guidance from Pujya Guruji Tejomayananda. By October, we got the green light from Guruji. It was indeed the right time and right use of funds for CMDFW to acquire a property that would allow immediate start of a satellite center, while providing ample room for future development.
Mission accomplished… for now
Finally, in November 2007, the CMDFW Board made an offer to purchase the property, which was accepted by the owners. The closing date was set for sometime in February 2008. Sadly, in the mean time, the high-spirited, Mr. Arnold passed away. We were able to complete the title transfer formalities with his heirs and finally closed the deal on February 19, 2008. It was a momentous occasion for CMDFW. Now the real work begins, as we start the transformation of the prairie into a place of worship, learning, satsang and retreat with blessings from Pujya Gurudev and continued support from our members.
Meanwhile, there is a good possibility that Mr. Arnold is busy regaling Gurudev about the good times he had on the prairie, while Gurudev is telling him that the best is yet to be!
For pictures of the property, closing & bhumi puja please visit our photo gallery.
CMDFW Annual Banquet 2007
Chinmaya Mission D/FW held its Annual Banquet on Sunday, December 9 th 2007 at the Hilton Anatole Hotel. This year’s banquet was attended by approximately 375 people. The banquet has become an annual get together of the Chinmaya family in the DFW metroplex. It is an opportunity for us to showcase the activities of the mission, raise funds for future growth, and enjoy an evening of entertainment and good food.
The program started with the chanting of Guru Paduka Stotram by some of our Balavihar children. It was officially inaugurated with the traditional lighting of the lamp by our keynote speaker, Swami Ishwarananda, Resident Acharya of CM, Los Angeles. He gave an inspiring talk about the value of social service. He emphasized the point that social service is not just pitching in when there is a natural calamity. Imparting spiritual education to children and adults is also social service. Participants of last year’s Gita Chanting Competition recited selected shlokas from the second chapter of the Bhagavad Gita. Our dance and music students entertained everyone with their devotional and melodious presentations.
Several Shlokathon trophy winners were recognized for their outstanding achievement: Amogh Krishnagiri, Hrishikesh Iyer, Sangeeta Kurada, Sneha Kurada, Sriram Rajagopalan, Jayram Rajagopalan, Jayashree Rajagopalan, Rohan Asundi, Tanvi Asundi.
Ashok Dandekar, President of CMDFW, presented an overview of our activities. He talked about the phenomenal growth of our Balavihar program, which has reached an enrollment of 865 registered students in 2007. He also announced that the CMDFW Board has approved plans to buy a 28 acre piece of land in the northeastern suburb of Melissa. There is an existing house on the property, which will be used to start a satellite center in the future.
Another highlight of the evening’s program were the touching testimonials given by one of the parents of 3 Balavihar students, Pallavi Chavda and one of our high school students, Aditya Rahalkar. Pallavi spoke about the tangible and intangible benefits she and her family have enjoyed by coming to Saaket, and concluded by saying that the mission has become a “welcome habit”. Aditya has been attending Balavihar since he was a first grader. He spoke eloquently about how coming to the mission has made a positive impact on his ucchara (speech), vichara (thinking), and achara (conduct). He concluded by offering $121 that he had saved from his allowance!
The fundraising efforts were led by Sunil Maini and Pankaj Asundi and raised approximately $175,000 towards the growth of the mission’s activities. The concept of the Chinmaya Family Tree was also introduced during the course of the evening. The family tree will have the names of donors in three categories – phalam ($3000), pushpam ($1500) and patram ($750). It will be unveiled by Swami Tejomayananda during his planned visit to Dallas for Saaket’s tenth anniversary celebration in 2009.
The Banquet Planning Committee would like to thank all the donors and volunteers for making this year’s banquet a memorable event and we look forward to seeing everyone at our next banquet. In the meantime, please visit our photo gallery to see some glimpses of Banquet 2007, and do continue to support Saaket.
CMDFW First Saaket Parivar Satsang
Saaket Parivar of Chinmaya Mission DFW enjoyed their first satsang with our Resident Acharya, Brahmachari Uddhav Chaitanya on Sunday, June 24, 2007 at the home of Sanjeev and Alka Khanna. The satsang gave all the parivar members an opportunity to enjoy bhajan and bhojan with Swamiji and other like minded members.
The intent of Saaket Parivar is to fulfill our pledge of “standing together as one family” by “giving more than what we take”, creating a family feeling amongst the members, while at the same time, raising funds for the monthly operating expenses of Saaket. The suggested donation is $100 per month, which works out to be a little more than $3 a day. “No more than the cost of a coffee at Starbucks”, as Swamiji put it. The mission of the Mission is to preserve and impart the timeless wisdom of our scriptures to one and all. Three dollars a day is not much to help sustain an institution which has touched and blessed the lives of countless adults and children alike around the world!
Swamiji gave an enlightening talk about the background, meaning and significance of the Gayatri Mantra. The Gayatri Mantra is one of the most ancient and well-known mantras. Before going into the specifics of the Gayatri Mantra, Swamiji told us that a mantra is a formula that protects the one who chants it. The Gayatri Mantra can be chanted at three different levels, but at all levels, the intent is the same: to sharpen our intellect and lead us to the supreme Truth. At the adhibhautik or physical level, the Gayatri Mantra invokes the Lord Sun. At the adhidaivik or divine level, it is an invocation of Gayatri Devi. At the adhyatmik or subjective level, it is an invocation of the supreme Self.
Swamiji also shed light on how the Lord functioning as Brahma, the creator uses His shakti of knowledge manifested as the Goddess Saraswati, as Vishnu, the preserver uses His resource shakti manifested as the Goddess Lakshmi and as Shiva, the destroyer uses His shakti to dissolve and transform manifested as the Goddess Kali. Swamiji went on to explain how our scriptures provide us with a complete package for sadhana: the formula or mantra, the method or tantra and the tools or yantra.
The discourse was followed by a delicious potluck lunch. As you can see, the first satsang was a memorable one.
Please contact Alka Khanna at alkakhanna@sbcglobal.net to become a supporting member of Saaket Parivar. As mentioned earlier, there is a $100 per month commitment. As a gift, each family is given a subscription to the Mananam series.