Newsletter No. 5                                                                                        9^th May 2008

Respected elders, brothers and sisters.

Jai Shree Krishna

Good News!  We have now received planning permission for phase one of our re-development project, the council recently gave us conformation that our plans have been accepted and initial preparations are now underway.  As mentioned in our previous newsletter the application to the council was for phase one of our project which consists of a single storey kitchen and two storey dining/function room.  The aim is to have a dining hall capable of accommodating 300 people along with a first floor function hall suitable for religious functions and weddings.  Plans have been made to incorporate adequate extraction facilities to allow use of a havan kund.  Again, please note that the full detailed plans are displayed in the main temple hall however for your convenience I have included a small planning diagram below.

Currently our architect is busy applying building regulations and preparing structural drawings for the construction team.  Upon completion of these plans we hope to have a more accurate assessment of the total project cost however as an initial estimate this is believed to stand between £300-400 000.  Whilst this is a large amount of money we believe that with the continued strong support of our 300+ members our dream can be easily realised.  There are many different ways member can contribute and for those who would like to contribute by way of instalments the relevant account details are available upon request. 

It is hoped that completion of phase one will be a great asset to the temple and that members of the community will use the facilities contained within on a regular basis.

On other matters, the poor lighting in the car park has been highlighted recently and I am pleased to say that with the help of the Leeds City Council Street Lighting Department four lamp-post style lights are to be installed.  In addition disabled access to the existing community building has been completed and is now fully functional, we are also hoping to install disabled toilet facilities in the community hall in the near future. 

As mentioned in our previous newsletter the Namaste group regularly hold meetings in the community hall and all members are welcome to attend.  For further information please contact Mr Mohanlal Lilapurwala, Mrs Usha Bhardwaj or Mrs Dibani Ghosh (01132307106).  Also the Bhojan Sangam group held its first meeting on Friday 9^th May and had over 45 people in attendance!  You’re continued support is very much appreciated.  For further information please contact Mrs Sarojben Patel, Mrs Induben Patel or Mrs Sushilaben Vakharia (01132750622).

Some notable recent events held at the temple include Maha Shivratri, Ram Navmi and Hanuman Jayanti.  All events were extremely well attended and thoroughly enjoyed by all present.  The Hanuman Jayanti was particularly successful as over £14,000 was donated by members to help with our building project.  The management committee would like to take this opportunity to thank all members who attended and especially the Bhajan mandals that played a very important part in making it a success.

Plans

Forthcoming Events

Hanuman Charata Manas – A 7-Day Katha by Shastri Rameshbhai

Monday 12th May to Friday 16th May 2008                      18:30 - 21:15

Saturday 17th May                    Katha                              10:00 - 13:00

Bhojan Prasad                    13:00 - 15:00

Maruti Yagna                      15:00 - 17:00

Sunday 18th May                      Purnahuti                        10:00 - 12:30

Saturday 24^th May 2008 12:00 pm to Sunday 25^th May 2008 12:00 pm

Akhand Ramayan Path (24hrs)

Bhog Prasadi to follow from Shree Rameshpal Sharda

Saturday 31st May 2008

Jaagran

All night Bhajans of Mataji from Prithviraj Sharma.

Saturday 7th June 2008 – 15th June 2008

Shiv Puran by Pujya Dayagiriji Goswami

Organised by Shree Ramdev Peer Bhajan Mandal and Garba group of Leeds.

Saturday 7^th June             Samaiya                                    17:00 - 21:15

Sunday   8^th June             Katha                                        10:00 - 12:00

             Bhojan Prasad       14:00 - 16:00

                    Katha                                                           18:30 - 21:15

Monday 9th June to Friday 13th June 2008                       18:30 - 21:15

Saturday 14th June          Katha                                        10:00 - 12:00

             Bhojan Prasad       14:00 - 16:00

                    Katha                                                           18:30 - 21:15

 Sunday 15th June           Purnahuti                                  10:00 - 12:30

                   Bhojan Prasad       14:00 - 16:00

You are cordially invited to celebrate all the above festivities.

Om Namah Shivay