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Letters
What are we doing with our temples?
Dear Editor:
A right question is asked at the right time by some matured and thinking community leaders. A question so generic may offer a wide variety of responses and sugges- tions. Hence, an animated dialogue, in the nature of brain storming, is highly essential before it is too late.
Jain Digest - with a valuable piece of paper, a ritualism, dogma studies, celebracertificate for a degree called M.B.A. tions, bhajans/prayers, fund raiswith one determination to migrate ing, and providing free food to atto the U.S.A. as soon as possible. Itract the crowd. The resourceful returned as an immigrant in 1969 second generation, born/brought and my family followed to become up in the U.S.A. is largely sitting out naturalized citizens.
as they don't like to willingly parSlowly, but surely, the ticipate in mechanical, repetitive, dreams, economicand social, started and meaningless activities unrelated becoming a reality. My strength to the daily life. They have the difwas a sound work ethics, a strong ficulty in communicating with the family, and a hard conviction of large majority of unwilling, insecultural/religious values. Now, at cure, greedy, and hypocritical first the completion of age 65, I am a generation, primarily due to lanretired senior citizen, and have time guage, beliefs, traditions, authorito reflect. A mind-boggling and tarianism, and close-mindedness. horrifying issue hovered over the
Temples appear to be in the topof my mind for about 10 months. losing business of real estate as the What do we need to do to lay a resources are meagerly utilized. This strong foundation for the next and has to change. Status quo and standfollowing generations? I am ready | ing still is totally unreal. A hold up to share a few humble suggestions by a few in command should be and thoughts with the community | unacceptable. "Religion" is only of which I am proud.
one part of the total concept of "cul
ture." I would suggest a meaningWashington Metropolitan fulchange in the nomenclature, from Area in particular, will spend Temples' to 'Cultural/Community around $10 million, the precious Centers.' The vast temple landsand scarce resource, as a penance for resources need to be opened up to a 'guilt syndrome' by the first genera- wide variety of following education Indian Immigrants, by the year tional and cultural activities in ad2000, building Temples - Hindu, dition to only 'strictly religious' acSikh, Jain, etc. I estimate that the tivities. population growth will number over 60,000 by then.
Ten Commandments: Currently, traditional
1. Sports like volleyball, temple/religious activities include basketball, tennis, swimming, etc.
Background:
A gradual flow of Indian immigrants started pouring into the U.S.A. starting from 1965 when immigration laws were relaxed and channels were opened up to the eagerly waiting Statue of Liberty in the New York harbor. I was one of them, a naive idealist, who sailed in looking for a place in this land of opportunities as a student in 1961. I travelled extensively and looked minutely in details and my mental horizonsexploded. I returned home
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