It is the year 2000 AD. Do you know where your children are? Of course you do. If your child was born in 1986 he or she will be in High School. If current trends are any indication that child is likely to be an honors student and graduate among the top ten. If your child was born ten years earlier in 1976, then that child will be out of college, probably with more than two degrees, be employed and in the initial stages of setting up a household. It sounds too wonderful and too good to be true. It is also too simple.

Growing up in a world with parents who are not natives poses its own problems, raising questions in young minds, creating confusion in regard to their identity: who am I? why am I different? is being different a handicap in terms of peer acceptance, jobs and security in general? Can they face the disadvantages of a different color, different physical appearance and a heritage not entirely clear or simple to them? What do they feel when the child next door hugs the visiting grandparents, an aunt or an uncle? What do they feel when their friend Mary or Joshua is confirmed or Bar-mitzvahed in full splendor fussed over by families on both sides? What must they feel when their neighbor's driveway is full on Christmas morning or a Thanksgiving Day? Will there be a small void in their innocent hearts, a permanent question mark in their minds?

Most probably they will grow up to be fine young people, but we want them to be strong in spirit: cheerful and outstanding citizens of this great country. I say this not only because it is the obvious wish of any parent, but mostly because our children have the potential to develop a combination of qualities so powerful that can help them to be, in modern parlance, awesome. Because there is, to my knowledge nothing that can equal the combination of brahmateja and kshatra veerya. They can and should absorb brahmateja (spiritual radiance) because they are the legitimate inheritors of what we call Dharma. They have the opportunity to derive kshatra veerya,(physical prowess) because we as parents have been blessed with the capacity to provide.

The security and well being of our children are and should be our primary concern. We shall do everything in our power to make sure that the future generations of American Hindus have a firm, solid foundation so that the basic tenets of the heritage that helped us will be there for them when they need it most. Let us recall the support system we had when we were children: parents, relatives by the dozen, friends, teachers, as they tried to mold our character silently, patiently and naturally.

Without the strength of character, could we have accomplished all that we have so far and still possess the capacity to continue in the pursuit of happiness? How did we receive that strength? It developed in spite of no organized effort, gradually, unconsciously and unmistakably because all the supporting components, i.e. family, relatives, festivals, social gatherings, religious gatherings, religious observances, music, stories, temples, people around in the community, schools, teachers, all contributed to that strength. It is the combination of that rich background and the education we received both at home and outside that has put the Indian community in the top 6% of the economic ladder in the U.S. This is no mean accomplishment. God has been kind to this community and we have every reason to be grateful and to celebrate and enjoy the good life. That is our earned right. God willing we shall continue to prosper because there are many more miles to go and many more contributions to make as we set down our roots deeper and deeper in this country.

In this process we must take care to secure the future of our children and their children so that they may grow up without any of the voids I referred to earlier. We must help lay the foundation upon which a confident and stable Indian community can grow. Our point of view is simply this. We believe that the equation of life is complete only when we bring Dharma into it. That is what has sustained us for over 5000 years in good and bad times and that is what we believe will sustain our children. We want the future generations of American Hindus to receive the same nourishment that I and you received from our philosophy. We want them to grow up with a strength of character which will more than equal the material prosperity into which they are born. It is my conviction that the institutional complexes planned around temples in North America will be the source of such strength and nourishment.

There is nothing new in us being so optimistic. It is our way of life. How can anyone who read the story of Savitri ever consider us to be pessimistic? But I do run into people who refer me to books that consider Hindus to be basically pessimistic people. When I point to them what we Americans of Indian heritage have accomplished in the communities across this country, they attribute that to our Americanization. There is some truth to it but my point is that we are basically an optimistic people. That is why our ancestors, the Pandavas, were able to face 11 divisions of their cousins with their only 7 divisions. How can anyone who read the story of Savitri ever consider us to be pessimistic? Of course there were personal moments of doubts and despair and will continue to be. That is life. Arjuna did express serious doubts about the war but Srikrishna charged him to do his duty. Duty he did and we have the nectar called Srimadbhagavadgita. When Hunuman saw the ocean his first reaction was downright negative but when the old Jambavan asked him: Do you realize how strong you really are? Then Hunuman could cross it. In fact, when he could not locate the Sanjeevini tree, he plucked the whole mountain and brought it! No indeed, that is not pessimism. That is the same, celebrated "can do" American spirit our ancestors expressed 5000 years ago. The Indians in the U.S. have come full circle and demonstrated once again that spirit.

In the state of Connecticut, since the day of inauguration of the Connecticut Valley Hindu Temple Society in May 1979, we have conducted all major festivals beginning with Makara Sankranti in January to a Kalpavriksha party in December every year, conducted Satyanarayana pujas in private homes, and enacted twice the pageantry "Coronation of Sriramachandra", held Diwali bazaars, and Thyagaraja and Tansen music festival. The introduction of Kalpavriksha as a yearly event for children is original to the Connecticut Valley Hindu Temple Society. It was first introduced in 1982 and is conducted during the Christmas season. The children help decorate the "Sacred Tree" with articles representing those that came up during the legendary churning of the cosmic ocean. The children have a chance to show off their talents through skits, music, dance, coloring, essay and puzzle contests. A tradition has been established creating an occasion entirely for children. For four years we met on the first of every month to listen to the stories from our epics, the Ramayana and the Mahabharata. We conduct classical dance classes every Sunday, except during summer. In all these activities particular care is taken to get the children involved in order to encourage them to understand the procedures. Sanskrit verses are translated into English and the children are encouraged to repeat the verses and help in performing the worships. This is very crucial because in most cases, pujas conducted in public are the only chance most children get to listen, observe, participate and understand. We have been associated with Wesleyan University and cosponsored a Mandolin concert, a Saxophone concert and a Rajasthani folk music group in connection with the Festival of India. I am certain that many Indian communities across North America have similar programs.

Indian Communities must now look into the 9Os and beyond and prepare a master plan reaching the year 2000 AD. Before we do that, I believe we need to take a few initial steps. First of all, a point that is so obvious is also easily missed and it is the fact that the institutions we are building across America can come to life only when all of our people identify with them and use them. Mere buildings and associated paraphernalia do not a temple make.

So it is essential that people, all of our people, including non-Hindus, feel free to come and enjoy themselves as they worship the Lord to seek comfort, to seek freedom and peace of mind. Not only should the talk of such an institutional complex be the topic of pleasant conversation in everyone of our households but, more important, every Indian family should feel that they are part owners of the property as well as the adventure. They should walk on the property, play on it and feel a sense of ownership and pride. They should feel no difference between their home and their "community home". This beautiful relationship between every household and the project is an essential first step. Another step I recommend is that the community meet once every week or month on a Friday evening or Saturday afternoon to simply get together, relax and enjoy each other's company. There should be, preferably, no speeches but on occasion--and only on occasion --there could be brief musical interludes. The idea is simply to meet, socialize, know each other better, talk about our programs, bring new families and exchange ideas. While honest differences of opinion should be aired freely, the joy of meeting and talking about common interests, common concerns should be the prevailing mood. The main goal should be to have a good time, to share our experiences, to have a laugh and to be ourselves. We could have 52 hosts assigned, if need be, to cover the year and the hosts could attend to such details as snacks, drinks, a film, a slide show or a music program if they care to. The central theme ought to be to lighten the burden and remove the tensions accumulated during the week. I hope it will also tend to unify us all into a fun-loving, joyous community participating in the adventure of building a secure future.

One of the most essential needs in each community is to provide a basic education to every child in regard to reciting a few shlokas and studying an accurate translation of the Sanskrit shlokas into English. I am convinced that this language of the devas has a certain positive effect on the mind and therefore I recommend that this occur in every household. After all our children learn all sorts of music and sports. Why not this? If it is introduced as a fun thing and an "in" thing it will happen. Every child should be taught how to invoke a God and perform a simple 15 minute puja. The best choice in each home is the family deity. Again this should be an enjoyable activity the child does on a daily basis at the beginning of a day or at the end of a day. The same thing goes for our music. Music is a very important component of our culture. Our children learn western music and it is very important they do that, but they should not be alienated from their own musical heritage. Not everyone will find it easy but the point is that they should be exposed to our musical notes, melodies and forms. It requires careful introduction, choice of good teachers and a lot of encouragement. In Connecticut we are lucky to have Wesleyan University and its famous World Music Department. Many American students have progressed to the point they can perform and teach. Our own children should not feel strange about the system. Let us introduce them to that beautiful experience now and someday they will be grateful that we did. The same comments apply for our dances, both folk and classical.

Similarly, our children should be encouraged to develop a taste for our food. Food is another important component of any culture. The aromas and the tastes of properly prepared Indian food can please the eyes and satisfy the palate. It may seem an uphill task to have our children learn to cook and enjoy tasty Indian dishes but an effort

should be made through cooking classes and competitions. Shouldn't a masala dosa or a paani poori have a fair chance to compete with the hamburger or hot dog?

Let us observe the level of motivation our children display in participating, competing and excelling in activities such as music, drama and sports within their school systems as a part of their extra-curricular program. We as parents get involved in ferrying them back and forth while they train and we attend events connected with these programs. The key to the success of these events is that the child gets credit for participation and these become a part of a student's record.

The Indian community needs to persuade local school boards to recognize and approve some of our own inter-cultural activities such as music, dance, studies of epics etc. as a part of a community sponsored program. With such an approved program, the school system as well as the community will benefit and our children will look upon the learning experience as normal and engage in it with the same spirit they show when they sign up for a piano lesson or a play or a research project.

Lastly we need an outreach program. By this I mean contact with local church and synagogue groups. It is essential that we develop a fund of goodwill and understanding within the so-called mainstream. The more people know about our customs, the less distrust or negative attitude will remain and we will all be better for it.

The most important element in all these ideas is rooted in the need to identify ourselves with the program to build an institutional complex known as a temple. With that identification and conviction we should be able to bring all our people together. When that happens, when we unite with a common purpose, when the predominant feeling among us is that this project is a labor of love to prepare ourselves and our children for the 21st century, then I have every reason to believe that the good Lord will show us the path and we will continue to make progress.

Our record in America to date is excellent. There is a lot that has yet to be accomplished. The future appears bright and promising. Exciting times are ahead. Let us have a lot of fun making it happen and above all let us make sure no one in our community misses that fun.

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