Volume 39, issue 10, Page 1
Dear HTS members,
The year 2016-2017 was an eventful affair for the
HTS devotees. The beautiful temple calendar got us started
reminding about year-around colorful events. We went pa-
perless for monthly newsletter and keeping the traditions of
monthly pujas, celebrated Shree Hanuman Havan this year.
Overnight Shiva-puja with bhajans will be remembered for
years to come. Hindustani classical, Carnatic classical, Bha-
gavata naam sankirtan, and elegant Katthak dance perfor-
mances immersed our souls in everlasting bliss.
The Planning committee helped us get organized.
Hundreds of volunteers worked relentlessly for countless
hours to make the Arts in the Heart of Augusta, a great suc-
cess for HTS again. On a short notice our community came
together and demonstrated its support in raising funds for
the hurricane Harvey flood victims. As we prepare ourselves
for this year’s Diwali festival celebration and the Balashala
performance, I thank all of you for a peaceful year of broth-
erhood and urge you to stay engaged keeping the HTS a
vibrant devotional place.
Thanks as always.
Sincerely,
Mohan Wakade
H A P P Y D I W A L I A N D
A H A P P Y N E W Y E A R
P U J A S O F T H E M O N T H
S A T H Y A N A R A Y A N A P U J A 7 P M O C T 5
D E V I P U J A 7 P M O C T 6
K A R T I K E Y A P U J A 9 A M O C T 7
L A K S H M I P U J A ( B E N G A L ) 7 P M O C T 7
S A N K A S H T H I C H A T U R T H I 7 P M O C T 8
KARVACHAUTH 4PM OCT 8
V E N K E T E S H W A P U J A 7 P M OCT 14
D I W A L I P U J A * 5 P M O C T 2 1
TULSI VIVAH 6PM NOV 1
SATHYANARAYANA PUJA 7PM NOV 3
SKAND SHASHTI PUJA 9AM NOV 4
SANKASHTAHARA CHATURTHI 7PM NOV 6
DEVI PUJA 7PM NOV 10
VENKETESHWARA PUJA 9AM NOV 11
JAGANNATH PUJA/3RD
SUNDAY 10am
NOV 19
C A R N A T I C
M U S I C
C O N C E R T
O C T 7
4 P M
CULTURAL PROGRAMS
In this news letter
Call for Volunteers for Diwali Pg2
Diwali Program Pg2
Parking and transport for Diwali Pg2
BOT nomination form Pg3
Arts in Heats felicitations Pg4 & Pg5
Youth Group Information Pg7
Please carpool for the Diwali puja. Parking spaces limited, transport shuttles will stop and leave at designated
stops only. PREFERENCE FOR PARKING IN TEMPLE WILL BE GIVEN TO ELDERLY AND MOBILITY IMPAIRED
INDIVIDUALS ONLY.
Volume 39, issue 10, Page 2
PARKING AND TRANSPORATION FOR DIWALI PUJA OCT 21ST.
As there is increased traffic on the day of Diwali puja. The closest parking lots get filled very fast. There are three parking areas The Temple, The Reddy Garden, and Sue Reynolds. The EC committee requests the members to carpool. The EC has made The additional request is
not to walk on the Wrightboro road Follow the traffic rule Allow the transportation shuttle the right of the way. If you need help please ask the parking volunteer team. Please follow directions for parking.
Parking in temple premise will be given to elderly and handi-
capped only. Pl Do not show up with expectations of parking in
temple.
Call for volunteers for temple cleaning Oct 14th
We need volunteers to cleanup the temple, install Christmas lights starting on Oct 14th . We re-
quest a substantial help from the community to tackle some of the decoration, making garland,
taking care of maintenance issues. For participation please call Surekha Prasad (706) 414 - 7537 ) or
Sheila Kamath (706) 951 – 8245 ).
Diwali Puja Schedule Oct 21st
The Diwali Schedule of events are as follows:
4:30 to 5:00 pm Youth group photo booth
5:00 to 6:00 pm Laxmi Puja
6:00 to 6:40 pm Presentations
6:45 to 7:45 pm Balshala Cultural Events
7:45 to 8:00 pm Aarti
8:00 onwards Crackers for kid and Mahaprasad.
Please do not bring crackers, the Youth group will provide them
on the temple premises.
Updates will be
posted online at
temple website.
Puja Items to bring
If you are performing your puja
then following items are must:
Thali, Laxmi Coin or idol or any
quarter, Deepam with Ghee and
batti, one Agarbatti, Fruits two
types, Kumkum, haldi, and
akshatam and flowers.
Volume 39, issue 10, Page 3
As was done in the past HTS of Augusta would again host the "Smart Driver Course" from the AARP on
Saturday, November, 4, 2017, starting at 9:00 am at the Temple Cultural Center [1421 Lukes Road, off
Wrightsboro Rd.]. It is a highly effective and popular one-day (6-hour) course with excellent audio-visuals.
As before, participants get certificates that entitle them to ~10-15% reduction in auto insurance premium
from most insurance companies. If interested please send an email to [[email protected]] indicating
number of persons intending to attend.
Note: Those of you who have previously taken the class in November 2014 or earlier, need to take it
again now.
Cost: for AARP members $15, Non-AARP members $20.
You may contact B. N. Roy @ 706-868-8233, if you need additional details.
S A F E D R I V E R C L A S S E S
Carnatic Vocal Concert by Shri Harsha Nagarajan
Oct 7 4pm
The HTS committee is hosting Shri
Harsha Nagarajan on Oct 7th. Dr. Harsha
Nagarajan completed his initial training
in Carnatic classical music under Shri. Par-
amashivan & Shri. D. V. Nagarajan in Ban-
galore, India. He later continued learning
the nuances of Carnatic music from Shri.
R. K. Padmanabha. Dr. Nagarajan has
been undergoing advanced training from
Shri. T. K. V. Ramanujacharyulu, the re-
nowned violinist and vocalist from
Srirangam, India for the past 8 years.
Harsha won the AIR music competi-
tions in 2006 and has performed
many programs in AIR Trichy. He
moved to the US in 2006 and since
then, he has been performing con-
certs at various venues both in India
and the US. He was also one among
the few selected as an IndianRaga
fellow - 2013. For the cause of Car-
natic music, as the president of
SPICMACAY TAMU, he organized
more than ten funded concerts and
lecdems of senior artists.
Board Of Trustee (BOT) Nomination Form
Dear Members, You can download the BOT Nomination form for 2017 by clicking the link below.
BOT Nomination Form in Word Document
BOT Nomination Form in PDF
Please review the trustee qualifications listed on this page and as indicated in the constitution
(www.augustahts.org). Please note that your nomination form should be received by Nomination Commit-
tee: 1) Dr. Hemant Yagnick (706-284-5361) or 2) Mr.Rajnikant Patel (706-860-1976) or 3) Mr.Surendra
Gupta (706-399-9576) by 5:00 PM on Wednesday, October 11, 2017.
I N E V E N T O F
T H E D I W A L I /
A N N U K U T A .
T H E R E I S N O T
3 R D S U N D A Y
P U J A I N
O C T O B E R
Volume 39, issue 10, Page 4
The Hindu Temple Society gratefully acknowledges the valuable support of all
volunteers who put in long hours of tedious work to make Arts in the Heart of
Augusta a successful undertaking this year. Heartfelt thanks are extended to
all those who graciously helped with cooking, serving, transportation, clean-
ing and those who donated goods or helped through monetary contributions.
HTS also appreciates the dedication of talented Mehendi artists, the commit-
ment of the youth group, and the efforts of all participants/performers in the
cultural program.
A VOLUNTEER APPRECIATION LUNCH will be hosted at the temple on Satur-
day, October 7th at 12:00 noon. All volunteers are requested to attend.
APPRECIATION OF SUPPORT
Arts in the Heart of Augusta
V O L U N T E E R
A P P R E C I A T I O N
L U N C H
O C T O B E R 7 T H ,
2 0 1 7
More pictures on page 4
Volume 39, issue 10, Page 5
1421 Lukes road, Augusta GA30909
Phone: 706-860-3864
Email: [email protected]
https://www.facebook.com/hindutemplesociety
We are now paperless
PLEASE UPDATE YOUR EMAIL ID SO YOU DO NOT
MISS THE ISSUE OF NEWSLETTER.
Published by HINDU TEMPLE SOCIETY
Find us on
www.augustahts.org
Volume 39, issue 10, Page 6
Monday 7 pm Shiva Pooja
Tuesday 7 pm Hanuman Chalisa
Wednesday 7 pm Krishna Archana
Thursday Temple Closed Priest Day off
1st Friday 7 pm Devi Pooja
Friday’s 6:15 pm Krishna Chanting
1st Saturday 9 am Karthikeya Pooja
2nd Saturday 9 am Venketashwara Pooja
3rd Sunday 10 am Monthly Pooja
2nd and 4th Sunday 2 pm Jain Pooja
T E M P L E S C H E D U L E
T E M P L E H O U R S : 8 - 1 0 A M A N D 6 - 8 P M
T E M P L E I S C L O S E D O N E V E R Y T H U R S D A Y A N D L A S T S U N D A Y O F T H E M O N T H
Hindu Temple Society of Augusta Youth Group Open to all HTS Member’s Children Grades 8-12
Our Youth Group members work together to serve our temple, community and each other in four main
categories. Here is our plan of action for this year. We hope that your children will join and participate.
Temple Programs
• Holi – Organization and Funding
• Third Sunday Pujas – Serving, Cleaning Grounds, and Bhajans
• Diwali – Take Portrait Photos for all Families and Assist wherever needed
• Kite Flying Festival – Assist Organizers
• Balshala – Create Festival Presentations for the Children
Community Volunteer
• Arts in Heart Festival – Assist in the Mehndi Tent and Food Tent all Weekend
• Soup Kitchen – Join other Temple Volunteers
• Nursing Homes – Visit and Spend Time with Elderly
• Lydia Project – Assist this Organization in their Projects
• Can Food Drive – Assist Temple Organziers
Cultural Programs
• Arts in Heart Festival – Perform on Stage
• Diwali – Participate in Cultural Program
• Masti Bollywood Night – Organize, Promote and Perform in our Annual Show
Recreation and Leisure Activities
• Youth Group Carnival with Balshala
• Movie Nights
• Clarks Hill Lake Kayaking
• Christmas Party
• Sports – Basketball, Kickball and Dodgeball
We end the year with a trip for our kids to enjoy. In the past years, we have gone to the Georgia Aquarium,
Carowinds and the Big Escape Room Atlanta. To join please contact any of the following:
Co-Presidents: Sunay Kamalasanan and Ayushi Vashishtha
Youth Group Coordinators: Sanjeev Singhal and Varsha Kulkarni