VTMBH Article: Body
The Flushing Hindu temple at Queens is one of the first temples built in the United Statesand John Liu is no stranger to it, having visited it several times including once to attend a friends wedding.
His April 30 visit, however, was official. Liu visited the temple as the first Asian to have been elected to the City Council of New York, and his visit was display of solidarity with the Indian community that had backed him during the election.
After paying respects at the temple, he sat with Dr. Uma Mysorekar, president of the Hindu Temple Society of North America which manages the temple, among others, to discuss problems the temple is faces.
Parking, Dr. Mysorekar told Liu, is the single biggest problem. She also asked the newly elected councilor to help arrange additional police patrolling on weekends in the area to ward off incidents of jewelry and purse-snatching. She suggested in front of the temple be made one way, adding explanations by officials while denying her requests were contradictory.
Liu promised to take these matters up with the officials concerned, and suggested the Chinese and Indian communities in Flushing, which he termed as the place where people from all parts of the world live together.
Indians should attend Chinese events and vice versa for better understanding, he suggested.
We should not live as islands, but join together for our rights, Liu said, adding that a first step in this direction could be for leaders of both communities to meet and suggest ways to enhance interaction.
Liu said he was thrilled at the chances of New York holding the 2012 Olympic Games.
In the event New Yorks bid wins, Queens will be the center of events, and Flushing will benefit in terms of accelerated development, he pointed out. Before September 11th, the chances of getting the 2012 Olympics were bright. After September 11th, the chances are even brighter, he said.
He promised to allot, from funds available to him, money for the temples youth program.
A month after the September 11th attacks, the temple chariot was destroyed in a case of arson. Dr. Mysorekar pointed out that the authorities have not managed to trace the culprits and the case is considered closed. The chariot was not insured and the fire also claimed the house it was kept in.
Maybe the Lord wanted a new chariot, Dr. Mysorekar said philosophically.
A replacement is being built in India, and will be transported in July.
The temple has plans for expansion, including the construction of a Rajagopura, Mysrorekar told India Abroad later.
Immediate plans include construction of staff quarter for six families, which will also house a library and senior citizens facility, at an estimated cost of $1.2 million. The temple employs 22 people.
A full time librarian will be appointed and books on Vedanta procured for study and research. Even now, Dr. Mysorekar said, the temple gets many books but lacks storage space.
The proposed senior citizens home will accommodate 35 people. It is intended as a day careelder citizens can be kept when people go to office, and picked up again in the evening.
His April 30 visit, however, was official. Liu visited the temple as the first Asian to have been elected to the City Council of New York, and his visit was display of solidarity with the Indian community that had backed him during the election.
After paying respects at the temple, he sat with Dr. Uma Mysorekar, president of the Hindu Temple Society of North America which manages the temple, among others, to discuss problems the temple is faces.
Parking, Dr. Mysorekar told Liu, is the single biggest problem. She also asked the newly elected councilor to help arrange additional police patrolling on weekends in the area to ward off incidents of jewelry and purse-snatching. She suggested in front of the temple be made one way, adding explanations by officials while denying her requests were contradictory.
Liu promised to take these matters up with the officials concerned, and suggested the Chinese and Indian communities in Flushing, which he termed as the place where people from all parts of the world live together.
Indians should attend Chinese events and vice versa for better understanding, he suggested.
We should not live as islands, but join together for our rights, Liu said, adding that a first step in this direction could be for leaders of both communities to meet and suggest ways to enhance interaction.
Liu said he was thrilled at the chances of New York holding the 2012 Olympic Games.
In the event New Yorks bid wins, Queens will be the center of events, and Flushing will benefit in terms of accelerated development, he pointed out. Before September 11th, the chances of getting the 2012 Olympics were bright. After September 11th, the chances are even brighter, he said.
He promised to allot, from funds available to him, money for the temples youth program.
A month after the September 11th attacks, the temple chariot was destroyed in a case of arson. Dr. Mysorekar pointed out that the authorities have not managed to trace the culprits and the case is considered closed. The chariot was not insured and the fire also claimed the house it was kept in.
Maybe the Lord wanted a new chariot, Dr. Mysorekar said philosophically.
A replacement is being built in India, and will be transported in July.
The temple has plans for expansion, including the construction of a Rajagopura, Mysrorekar told India Abroad later.
Immediate plans include construction of staff quarter for six families, which will also house a library and senior citizens facility, at an estimated cost of $1.2 million. The temple employs 22 people.
A full time librarian will be appointed and books on Vedanta procured for study and research. Even now, Dr. Mysorekar said, the temple gets many books but lacks storage space.
The proposed senior citizens home will accommodate 35 people. It is intended as a day careelder citizens can be kept when people go to office, and picked up again in the evening.