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Om. Bhuuh Bhuvah Suvah! Tat, Savituh Vareenyam!
Bhargo Deevasya Dhimahi! Dhiyoo yoo nah Prachodayath!

Gayatri Mantram: Rgveedam-111.6.10

Om! We meditate upon the light Divine of Savitar (Sun), who pervades the three worlds. May He stimulate our intellects and lead us to righteousness.

Editor’s note:

The New Year is fast approaching. Many activities are planned for the New Year’s Day. Come and participate in our annual Navodaya festival. The priests as well as the devotees spend enormous amount of time decorating the premises for the New Year celebrations. Please join us at the temple and have an auspicious beginning for the upcoming year.

December was a quiet month at the temple. A special dinner was held on Sunday, December 11, 2005 in honor of Dr G.V. Raghu, a practicing obstetrician-gynecologist from Warner-Robins, Georgia, and Mrs. Geeta Raghu. The Raghus are leaving for India on a two-year sabbatical in pursuit of spiritual enrichment. Dr Raghu, who served as the president of the temple, was honored with a plaque for his dedication, selfless-service and long standing commitment to the temple. Mrs Geeta was cited for her untiring efforts to propagate Sanatana Dharma among the children and youth through the Balavihar classes. May the Lord be with them in all their endeavors.

January will be a busy month at the temple. Please check the special event calendar and make plans to be part of the celebrations.  The educational committee is sponsoring several seminars in matters important to each and every family. Please take the time to participate and share your experiences with others. We suggest that you register for these seminars in advance.

Wishing you a wonderful and prosperous New Year!

Sheela Lingam and Seshu Sarma
Publications and Public relations committee

“Each one must have a path but the path is not the goal.

Open your heart and close your mouth.

Dedicate your life to service. That is what I mean when I say: Hands in society and head in the forest. Consider Grama Seva as Rama Seva.

Service to man is a greater and higher spiritual path than meditation, penance, worship or chanting”

                                                                                  Satya Sai Baba

Seminars on “Focus on the Family”
Every 3rd Sunday of the month: 1 PM to 3 PM 
Venue: Educational Center of the HTA 
Admission is free 
Sunday, January 22, 2006: Retirement Planning: Tools, Tips and Guidelines 
The first hour of the seminar will provide an overview of the retirement strategies. The second hour will be devoted to the Medicare Prescription Drug (Medicare, Part-D) program. This will provide useful answers to the retirees as well as the families who have to take care of their elderly relatives. 
Presented by Rajesh Jyotishi and his team from Shalin Financial. 
Sunday, February 19, 2006: Preserving our heritage: Teaching religion, language, and culture at home. 
1.How important is it to teach religion to our children? 
2. What do we expect when we enroll our children in music and dance classes? 
3. Why does teaching mother tongue to our children not seem to be as important as other things such as religion and culture? 
Presented by P. Seshu Sarma, MD and other panelists to be announced. 
Sunday, March 19, 2006: Educating our children: School choice, managing expectations, and psychosocial issues. 
Suvrat Bhargave, MD, Child Psychiatrist (Moderator) Kalpana Raju, M.Ed. (Principal, Roswell Elementary School and an expert on special education), and Ami Kadaba, Westminster School, Atlanta. (Panelists) 
This seminar was very popular when it was presented in 2002 and is being presented again due to the many parental requests. Registration is encouraged. Please call the event coordinator or go to the temple website to register. 
For more information P. Ravi Sarma, MD 404 864 2544 
The Hindu Temple of Atlanta, 770 907 7102.

Special Events for January, 06

Navadoya 2006: New Year’s Day Celebrations - Sunday, Jan 1st, 2006

The Hindu Temple of Atlanta invites everyone to come and celebrate the Navadoya Festival (New Year’s Day celebration) with family and friends on Sunday January 1, 2006, from 10 am to 7 pm. Navodaya Festival is an annual event of the HTA.

Spearheaded by Kusuma Kotte with the help of a group of enthusiastic volunteers, Navodaya became an instant hit at its very inception in 2004. The upcoming festival is the Third Annual event. As in the past, many spiritual and cultural programs and special activities for children are being organized. There will also be vendor booths for jewelry, sarees, fashions, kitchen appliances and many more. Food bazaar is one of the most attractive features of this festival.

The following are the contact numbers of Navodaya Coordinators: