Newsletter No. 3
Date: 1st November 2007
Respected Elders, Brothers and Sisters,
Jai Ganeshaya Namah!
Welcome to our third newsletter. On behalf of the management committee and
our pujaris I would like to start by wishing you all a happy Diwali, and a
prosperous New Year. May the Lord Krishna fulfil all of your wishes and dreams.
I would also like to take this opportunity to thank you all for your valued
support and participation in the functions held at the temple over the past
few months, notably the celebration of Ganesh Utsav and Visarjan Shobha
Yatra. This year Shobha Yatra was celebrated from the temple to the River
Aire and had a huge following as well as the support of local councillors, Mr
Kabir Hussain and Mr John Illingworth.
Navratri celebrations this year were extremely well attended even in the
absence of a group. In true Indian spirit this turned out to be a blessing in
disguise and an opportunity to discover our local talent who played the music
and sang to a very high standard. The committee and I would like to take this
opportunity to also extend our thanks to all the members who helped out at
the celebrations ensuring the events ran smoothly. Due to everybody’s
valuable support, this year we have raised nearly £4000 for the temple.
Durga pooja was also held at in community hall thanks to the Durga Pooja
committee and was enjoyed by all who were fortunate enough to attend.
The temple facilities have been improved by the completion of the disabled
persons’ access ramp to the community hall and it is now fully in use. The
small kitchenette next to the ground floor hall is still in the process of
completion and when completed will provide a valuable complement to the
facilities already in situ.
As you will remember from the previous newsletter the Namaste group are
holding events in the community hall and to build on this, venture discussions
are taking place to open a luncheon club. We hope to be able to bring you
dates and more details in the near future.
With regards to the redevelopment, we hope to be able to progress with the
first phase as soon as possible. I am pleased to announce that we have
received verbal assurances from the planning authority that our application is
likely to pass without complication. Architects acting on our behalf (P S Riyat
& Associates) have drawn up plans and a copy is displayed at the temple for
your perusal. Our construction is approximately 3700 square feet, and will
involve a two-story building. Current estimates of the building cost stand at
approximately £80 per square foot, and our anticipated total costs will be in
the region of £300,000. Mandir funds already accumulated will provide
around 50% of the costs and we hope the remainder can be easily raised with
the help of our 350 member families. If we can raise £500 per family (which in
our opinion is not an over ambitious target) we will be able to furnish the
kitchen and dining hall to a high standard. Please note we will still have our
old community hall to use until we begin the second phase. Please continue
to pledge your support to the temple.
Forthcoming events to make a note of are chopda pooja on Friday 9th
November followed by a firework display at 7pm at the temple to celebrate
Diwali, and on Saturday 10th November there will be the ankot at midday at
the temple.
On Saturday 17th November, there will be a celebration of Jalaram Jayanti at
the temple followed by bhojan prasadi.
This year, once again we have been kindly offered the hall of the Grammar
School at Leeds to hold our Diwali cultural programme. The event will be on
Sunday 18th November and tickets priced at £5 per adult and £3.50 for under
16s, OAPs and students. Please note the ticket prices will include
refreshments. Any members who wish to participate in the performances
should contact our secretary Mrs Chiragi Solanki as soon as possible. Part of
the funds raised will be donated to Hindu society of the school with the
remainder going towards the first phase of the mandir construction project.
Tickets for the Diwali show are available from Village Video (Cardigan Road,
Leeds), committee members or direct from the mandir.
On Friday 23rd November, the Sai group have cordially invited everybody to
join in the joyous celebrations of the birthday of Shree Satya Saibaba at our
community hall, which will be followed by bhojan prasadi. The function will
start promptly at 19.30.
On Saturday 24th November, there will be a celebration of Tulsi Vivah. Any
members wanting to be Yajmans should contact Amrishbhai or Jagdishbhai to
register their interest.
At the time of printing this newsletter, a number of members have still not
renewed their membership for the coming year. The committee urge you to
renew it without further delay to show your support and to ensure you
continue to receive our newsletters.
Leeds Hindu Mandir