DEEPAWALI CELEBRATIONS
Hindu YUVA at ISU celebrated Diwali in Iowa State University campus for two consecutive days with great zeal. On October 22 (the day before Diwali), the Fountain of Four Seasons outside Memorial Union was decorated with diyas (earthen lamps). The event witnessed a huge crowd including many Americans.
On the evening of Deepawali (October 23), we organized a pooja in Schilletter University Village Community Center. The event started with a wonderful presentation by our volunteers to explain the significance of Deepawali. It was followed by a brief lantern making activity which was enjoyed by everyone. The event concluded with pooja and aarti. Delicious prasadam (daal baati, dahi papdi, and kheer) was served at the end. The event was attended by around 90 people.
Memorial Union Diwali celebration features in Iowa State Daily
Pictures: Memorial Union Diya Lighting | Pictures: Deepawali Poojan
KHEL-KOOD: AN INDIAN TRADITIONAL SPORTS EVENING
Hindu YUVA at ISU organized ‘Khel-Kood: An Indian Traditional Sports Evening’ on October 16, 2014 in Parks Library lawns. Around 20 students played different traditional Indian games such as Kho-Kho, Langadi Tang, Rumaal Jhapatta, and Janjeer. It was really a fun-filled evening.
SPEAKER ON CAMPUS: NÄSADIYA SUKTA – THE CREATION HYMN OF RIGVEDA
Hindu YUVA at ISU in collaboration with Hindu Temple and Cultural Center (HTCC) of Iowa organized a lecture on Näsadiya Sukta: The Creation Hymn of Rigveda. Dr. Sachidanand Shastri, a retired physician in Chicago, was invited to deliver the talk. The event was held on September 27, 2014 in Gold Room, Memorial Union, Iowa State University and was attended by about 60 people, including a few Americans. Rigveda is the oldest book in Indian Civilization. The Näsadiya Sukta in Rigveda, commonly known as the Hymn of Creation, is a Hymn about Cosmogony that describes the state of universe on the eve and during its creation. Vedäs are considered revelations and this hymn is an illustration of such revelation. The Hymn is based on deep intuition and is not a result of an ordinary thought process. In his wonderful speech, Dr. Shastri presented the hymn in its original form as well as its English translation. He also discussed in brief about the Karma Yoga. Refreshments were served to everyone at the end of the event.
Brief Introduction to Dr. Shastri’s Lecture
Link to Video | Link to Pictures | Lecture Slides
The Ganapati Utsav at ISU concluded with Visarjan which was performed in Brookside Park here in Ames, IA on September 07, 2014. The event was attended by about 70 people, including a few Americans. The event began with Ganapati Darshan followed by Atharvasheersha chanting and some bhajans in the praise of Lord Ganesha. The most exciting part was the lezim dance (a traditional dance form) which was enjoyed by everyone. After the visarjan of turmeric Ganapati in the creek, prasadam was served to everyone. We are thankful to all the donors for their kind contributions for the event. The brief summary of expenditure can be viewed here.
Link to Video | Link to Pictures
Hindu YUVA at ISU began the celebration of Ganesh Utsav with ‘Shubhaarambh with My Ganesha‘ on August 30, 2014 at Schilletter University Village Community Center. It was attended by around 130 people which included university faculty, their kids, university students, and people from outside Ames. The event began with invocation prayers followed by the significance of the celebration of Ganesh Chaturthi in Maharashtra. Ankit Singhal, president of the Hindu YUVA chapter of ISU, briefed about the activities being conducted by the organization and also expressed the need for preserving, promoting and protecting our culture and dharma. One of the main attraction of the event was My Ganesha in which kids as well as ISU students made their own Ganesha idol with clay and decorated it with beads and sparkles. The event concluded with aarti and delicious prasadam was served to all the attendees. We are thankful to all the donors for their kind contributions for the event. The brief summary of expenditure can be viewed here.
Link to Video | Link to Pictures
SUMMER YOGA CAMP
India has given one of the most beautiful gift to the world in form of Yoga. Hindu YUVA organized a summer yoga camp from June 30 to July 18 in front of the Parks Library in the Iowa State University. It was taught by Ms. Seema Johar, a certified yoga practitioner from Patanjali Yog Sansthan, India. The yoga camp was free for all and it was attended by over 10 people daily. Please download the event brochure for more details. For additional information on various yogic postures, visit our Resources page or Facebook page.
TALK: UNDERSTANDING INDIA – WAS IT THE CRADLE OF HUMAN CIVILIZATION
India is the cradle of the human race, the birthplace of human speech, the mother of history, the grandmother of legend, and the great grand mother of tradition. Our most valuable and most astrictive materials in the history of man are treasured up in India only! ~ Mark Twain (American writer)
On April 02, 2014, Hindu YUVA organized a talk on a very interesting topic Understanding India – Was it the Cradle of Human Civilization? which has been affecting Indian history since decades. The talk was delivered by Dr. Shashi K. Gadia, Associate Professor in the Department of Computer Science at Iowa State University. This informal and non-technical talk summarized some of the studies on Aryan Invasion Theory (AIT), telling us about the centrality of India in human civilization. The talk attempted to answer why an absurdity such as AIT has been so ubiquitous for so long in the first place and suggested to restore and resume the study of history without the baggage of AIT. The short description of the event in the form of a brochure can be downloaded from here.
SPEAKER ON CAMPUS: SHIVAJI JAYANTI
The HY@ISU conducted a Speaker on Campus event on March 10, 2014 commemorating Shivaji Jayanti – birth anniversary of the great Maratha King, Chhatrapati Shivaji. Shri Swaroop Joshi who is currently the HSS Mid West Sambhag Yuva Pramukh (Youth Coordinator), was invited to speak on the life of Chhatrapati Shivaji. The event was held in Carver 0150, and was attended by interested ISU students and faculty members. A total of 20 members were present for the talk.
Shri Swaroop Joshi’s talk was eloquently put, with intermittent examples and stories describing the achievements of Chhatrapati Shivaji. After a brief bio-scope of the Maratha king, he drew attention to three major aspects of Shivaji’s administrative abilities: Charitryavan (Character), Vijayshali (Victorious) and Sangathan (Organized) that make Shivaji a role model for each of us even in today’s age. The complete description of the event can be downloaded from here.