Oct 26th PDF Final Annual Report 2015

HSMN Annual Report 2015 1

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TABLE OF CONTENTS 

TRUSTEE EXECUTIVE COUNCIL CHAIRPERSON’S MESSAGE 4 

TRUSTEE EXECUTIVE COUNCIL - 2015 5 

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE 6 

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE - 2015 8 

FINANCE COMMITTEE 10 

RELIGIOUS COMMITTEE 14 

FOOD COMMITTEE 18 

EDUCATION COMMITTEE 22 

CULTURAL COMMITTEE 28 

COMMUNITY OUTREACH COMMITTEE 29 

PUBLICITY AND COMMUNICATIONS COMMITTEE 32 

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY COMMITTEE 33 

VOLUNTEER SERVICES COMMITTEE 37 

ADMINISTRATION COMMITTEE 38 

HSMN DONOR LIST 41 

TRUSTEES 43 

BUSINESS SPONSORS 44 

HSMN UPCOMING PROJECTS 44 

OPPORTUNITIES TO GET INVOLVED 49 

Annual Report compiled by Pooja Bastodkar 

Cover page by Shruti Iyer 

© Unless otherwise indicated, all materials on this Annual Report are copyrighted by the HIndu Society of 

Minnesota. All right reserved. No part of these pages, either text or image may be used for any purpose other 

than personal use. 


Trustee Executive Council Chairperson’s Message 

Ms. Mythili Chari 

Namaste! 

Greetings from the Hindu Temple of Minnesota! We established the Hindu Society of Minnesota, over 

35 years ago to celebrate our heritage and to inculcate our traditions of service, peace, nonviolence 

and tolerance. Our community has grown immensely since then. We built a grand temple in Maple 

Grove, Minnesota over 9 years ago. Our temple represents a visual symbol of our core values of 

community service and spiritual growth. We celebrate the diverse practices of Hindus across the 

world with tolerance, respect and love. 

Now as our community grows bigger and more vibrant, we have big dreams! We dream of having our 

own eco-friendly community of homes, our own Brindavan, where we can all live together and enjoy 

the benefits of proximity and companionship. We dream of our own community center where we can 

conduct marriages and concerts; where we can laugh and sing. We dream that our children have 

more room to learn, to play and to grow! 

We are operating from a position of strength. We will build a happy, healthy and harmonious 

community that will be an inspiration to our generation and generations to come! These dreams are 

happening with dedication, engagement and team work by all of us in our community! 

Our financial status is stable. Our annualized 2015 Revenues will be around $2 Million and our 

expenses approximately $1.1 Million. We spent about $350,000 in Capital expenses including our 

beautiful new Rathalaya and Ratha. Our loan is around $2.8 million dollars, 75% of our loan is from 

our own community and 25% is from a bank. Our goal is to pay off the bank portion of our loan by 

2016! 

Thank you to all members of our Executive Committee and the Trustee Executive Council for all the 

milestone accomplishments! 

No dreams are without challenges. We need your time and dedication, your money and your 

engagement to build a better tomorrow in the world around us. A world that is beautiful and safe for 

our children and our children’s children. We urge you all, therefore, to get involved, focus on the 

greater good, volunteer and show us how we can do better! 

Wish you a very Happy Diwali and a joyous New Year! 

With warm wishes 

Sincerely, 

Mythili Chari 

Chairperson, Trustee Executive Council 

Hindu Society of Minnesota 


Trustee Executive Council 

Mr. Bhavesh 

Damania 

Vice Chairman 

Mr. Sudesh Chabra 

Secretary 

Ms. Mangala Pai 

Fund Raising 

Mr. Pramod Mathur 

Public Relations 

Ms. Shashi Gupta 

Membership 

Mr. Raj Saraf 

Property 

Management 

Dr. Ravindra Kalia 

Strategic 

Mr. Vishal Arora 

Finance/Investment 

Mr. Satya Garg 

Nominations 

Mr. Byron Byriah 

Immediate Past Chair 

Members at Large 

Dr. SK Dash 

Ms. Latha Iyer 

Mr. Pankaj Jain 

Mr. Narendra Garg 

Dr. Subashini 

Mahipathi 


Executive Committee President’s Message 

Mr. Purna Gurram 

Namaste! 

As the 27 th President of The Hindu Society of Minnesota, it is indeed my privilege and honor to welcome 

each one of you to this year’s Diwali celebrations. What a great journey for Hindu Society of MN, we have 

come a long way in these 37 years. I am happy to present you this year’s Annual Report and status of our 

organization. 

True to our mission statement, we are preserving and promoting religious, spiritual, education, social and 

cultural activities for the benefit of the Hindu community and also bringing closer relations with our 

neighbors and State of Minnesota. 

I am very happy to report that the status of our society is very strong and very close to becoming a 

community owned (with members’ loans) instead of mortgaged to a bank. This is only possible because of 

your unrelenting support to your society and temple. Thank you. 

2015 has been another fabulous and satisfactory year and we've accomplished a lot with the support of 

our Trustees, Members, Sponsors, Devotees and Volunteers. This was possible with the support of 

various committee members and our staff. 

Religious Committee led by Dr. Raj Suryanarayanan, with the support of our beloved Priests led by 

Chief Priest Shri. Murali Bhattar, conducts various religious services to our ever growing community in 

Minnesota and neighboring states. As part of the Hindu Temple’s anniversary celebrations, this year, we 

celebrated Nabakalebara of Lord Jagannath, Balabadra, Subhadra, and Sudarshan. As part of these 

celebrations we also introduced a new Ratha (Chariot) and Rathalaya (to house the Chariot). Thanks to 

Dr. Dash Foundation and Smt. Sarojini Sathanandan for their generous donations. 

Annadanam (Food) Committee led by Smt. Sarojini Sathanandan serves prasad to the devotees and 

visitors with the help of sponsors and various volunteers. Our Temple cook Mr. Ramesh makes delicious 

prasad for various religious and cultural events. 

Education Committee led by Shri. Vishal Agarwal ably runs our temple school HATS (Hindu American 

Temple School). Due to ever increasing demand for enrollment in the Sunday school, the temple 

committee is considering to add more classrooms next year. This year we have introduced Manabadi 

(Telugu classes) at the temple. Hindu Youth of Minnesota (HYMN), the youth wing of the temple, is as 

vibrant as ever and conducts Ratri before Navratri and other events at the temple. They also help in 

various activities of temple school. 

Cultural Committee led by Mrs. Kanak Dutt and supported by Meenakshi Jana conducts various cultural 

programs. This year’s Holi cultural program was huge success. Another highlight of this year is the 

introduction of Kaala Art Show as part of annual Cultural Heritage day. This event was led by Pooja 

Bastodkar and Shalini Jain, and received many accolades. The Cultural Committee is also instrumental in 

bringing this Diwali show to you. 


Outreach Committee led by Mr. Pradeep Sukhani organized various fund raising events to support 

various causes. This year this team raised funds for supporting the victims of Nepal earthquake and also 

supported organizations like Sankara Eye Foundation, Mana Village, and Asha for Education. Kids 

participated in a car wash to raise funds for these noble causes. Volunteers also helped pack hundreds of 

food packets at Feed My Starving Children. 

Information Technology (IT) led by Mr. Rajesh Selvaraj ably supported by various volunteers makes 

sure that temple website, front desk and other IT infrastructure are always in working condition. This 

committee is also working to build a new website which will be launched soon. 

Admin Committee led by Mr. Amar Naidu is responsible for smooth front desk operations at the temple 

with the help of our Front desk coordinator, Mr. Manie Vaidhyanathan. 

Public Relations and Communications Committee led by Mr. Bharath Krishnamurthy supports the 

temple’s ever growing need for publicity of various events with help of committed volunteers like Ms. 

Shruti Iyer. 

Volunteer Committee is the backbone of our temple. This committee ably supported by various 

volunteers, makes sure to get volunteers for various religious and non-religious events. Thank you 

volunteers! 

Treasurer, Mr. Shankar Gopalakrishnan and Vice-treasurer, Mr. Baskar Gopalan ably manage temple 

finances with the support of Finance Committee. 

Manager’s Office managed by Shri. Narender Venkatapuram and Administrator Mrs. Anu Panda 

supported by Ganga Durai, Bruce, and Josh provide all the support for smooth running of temple 

operations. 

Special Mention: 

Ambassador’s visit - It was indeed an honor to welcome his Excellency India’s Ambassador to U.S.A Shri. 

Arun Kumar along with his wife and Consul General of Chicago to our temple in August. 

Annual Report – Honorable mention to Pooja Bastodkar for leading this effort. 

New Ratha and Rathalaya – An honorable mention to Smt. Sarojini Sathanandan, as well as Dr. Dash 

Foundation for their generous donation 

Kaala Art Show – Honorable mention to Pooja Bastodkar for leading it and making it a grand success. 

History Wall project – Honorable mention to Sushmi Aggarwal, Past President, leading this effort with the 

support of various volunteers. 

Holi event – Honorable mention to Suparna Chaganti, Past Vice President, for stepping up and leading 

the cultural programs during the absence of Cultural Chair, Kanak Dutt. 

My sincere thanks to the Trustees, Members, Devotees, TEC and EC members, Volunteers, Sponsors, 

Manager, staff and to our beloved Priests for their unstinted support extended to me. 

Happy and Prosperous Diwali to you and your loved ones! 

Purna Gurram 

President 

HSMN Executive Committee 


Executive Committee 

The executive committee is comprised of five elected officials (President: Purna Gurram (GP), 

Vice-President: Akshaya Panda, Secretary: Sridhar Koneru, Treasurer: Shankar Gopalkrishnan, Vice- 

Treasurer: Baskar Gopalan), and is responsible for executing the strategy and vision for the HSMN 

through the elected officials and its various sub-committees. 

From L to R - Vishal Agarwal, Amar Naidu, Purna Gurram, Kanak Datt, Pradeep Sukhani, Akshaya Panda 

Executive Committee Past President 

Executive Committee President’s Message 

Sushmi Agarwal, past president (2013-2014) congratulates the 

2015 Executive Committee for all their hard work. 

Mrs. Sushumna Tandon Aggarwal 

Namaste! 

It is indeed my privilege as the 26 th President of the Hindu Society of Minnesota (HSMN) 

to present the Annual Report on the 36 th Anniversary of the organization. HSMN was founded in 1978 and primarily 

operates through the temple in Maple Grove, MN which serves as a religious, educational, cultural and 

social destination for thousands of Twin city residents. 

The Executive Committee (EC) consists of Fifteen (15) members. Five officers, namely, President, Vice- 

President, Secretary, Treasurer, Past President and ten (10) members. All members of EC, except past president, 

shall be elected by the HSMN membership at its annual meeting. In case of vacancies during the term, 

the TEC HSMN with Annual advice Report from 2015 EC shall fill them for the remainder of the term. The Members of EC will be elected 8 

democratically for one-year term and they can serve only one more year in the same capacity or a position.

Executive Committee Vice-President (Aug-present) - Akshaya Panda 

Akshaya has taken the role of Vice President since August. He has been a 

volunteer for HSMN since the ground-breaking ceremony in October 2003. 

He volunteered at the old temple in Polk Street for three years, and then 

became involved in many religious and non-religious activities at the new 

temple since 2006. He’s coordinated five Holi and Diwali functions between 

2003 to 2005, and also took an active role in Maha Rudram in 2012, Lakshya 

Panchakshari for Lord Siva in 2013, Vishnusahasranama Yagnam in 2014 

and Navakalebara of Lord Jagannath in 2015. He’s been a past Chair of 

Communications in the Executive Committee and also been a member of the 

Religious Committee (Relcom) for the past 4 years. 

Executive Committee Vice-President (Jan-June) - Suparna Chaganti 

Suparna served as Vice President from Jan-June. She has performed in 

various HSMN events in the past and has been volunteering at the temple in 

various capacities since its beginnings in Maple Grove - in the kitchen, at 

religious ceremonies and cultural shows. She’s been involved in HATS as a 

dharma teacher, and enjoys working with the young kids that attend the HATS 

programs. 

Executive Committee Secretary - Sridhar Koneru 

Sridhar Koneru lives in Brooklyn Park Minnesota for last 8 years with his wife 

Nandhini Davey.He is an IT Consultant by profession and an avid supporter of 

various Non profits in Twin cities as well as in India. 

He has been volunteering for HSMN for the past 3 years and considers 

himself fortunate for getting the opportunity to serve the community through 

HSMN. Other than volunteering, he spends his spare time either running or 

playing volleyball. He encourages young Indians around Twin cities to 

volunteer more at HSMN and help determine its course for the future. "It is 

your Temple, contribute your time and efforts to make it better". 


Finance Committee 

Bios: 

Shankar Gopalakrishnan, Treasurer: He has been volunteering at the temple 

since 2002 in various roles. Starting at the front desk, he subsequently supported 

in the construction of the present temple as well as vice-treasurer. He coordinates 

special religious events in addition to serving as the treasurer. 

Baskar Gopalan, VIce-Treasurer: Baskar is an IT professional in the Twin Cities 

and has volunteered at the temple since 2006. He is passionate about using his IT 

skills to help the temple transition into the digital age. As vice-treasurer, Baskar 

manages the revenues of the HSMN and deposits in the bank on-time with the help 

of various volunteers. 

About: 

An important role of the finance committee is to manage and maintain the temple’s mortgage. In the 

interest of increasing the community’s ownership and involvement in the temple, the Hindu society of 

Minnesota has been paying off substantial portions of the 

mortgage to the bank by borrowing money from the 

community by paying annual interest rates as high as 3%. The 

near-term goal of the temple is to pay off the bank mortgage 

by Feb 2016, a significant accomplishment considering that 

the initial mortgage sum was nearly $9 million when the 

temple was inaugurated in 2006. As of end of September the 

Bank loan is less than 25% of the total loan. 

Achievements: 

1. Continued to improve the front desk kiosk system and integration with Quickbooks. Posting all 

transactions automatically into QuickBooks which result in better accountability. 

2. Increased number of devotee accounts by 6 folds inside our QuickBooks accounts. 

3. Introduced check scanning process through which all checks which are coming to vice treasurer 

will be scanned and deposited with in 1 or 2 business days. It reduces delay in depositing checks 

and improved our cash flow. 

4. Involving more volunteers to help us for Hundi collection and for entering checks in to our 

quickbook system. 

5. Created awareness among various committees and groups about how our accounting system 

works so that they plan ahead of time on what information needs to be captured and reported. 

To participate in Temple Loan Program, check: 

https://hindumandirmn.org/Portals/0/Documents/General/Loan%20Program%20Details.pdf 

For more details on Temple Finances please reach out to Treasurer@hsmn.org 



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Religious Committee 

Chair: Dr. Raj Suryanarayanan 

The RelCom typically meets every two weeks. In addition to the members, the temple priests, 

President (EC), Treasurer, TEC Chair, temple Manager, temple Administrator and Front Desk 

Coordinator serve as ex-officio members. 

Thanks to the generous support from you and other devotees, and the dedication of our priests, 

religious activities continue to flourish in our Temple. With the addition of Shri Gowri Sankar last 

summer, we now have six priests. Our 2015 anniversary function was highlighted by 

NABAKALEBAR, a divine re-consecration of the deities of Lord Jagannath, Balabhadra, Subhadra 

and Sudharshana. A custom-made Ratha was constructed in Toronto, Canada and is now housed in 

a Rathalaya, specially constructed for the storage of our Ratha. 

Our Temple hosted the 4 th Hindu Mandir Priest Conference on May 15 th and 16 th , 2015. Over 50 

pundits, adults, and youth delegates attended this conference, representing various Temples and 

Hindu organizations across the nation. The conference was organized into 4 sessions: Role and 

Relationship of Priests, Sustaining Hindu Temples, Community Links, and Hindu American Youth 

viewpoint. Pundit Roopnauth Sharma, Chief Priest of Ram Mandir of Mississauga, Canada and 

Professor Anant Rambachan from St. Olaf College MN were the keynote speakers. There were also 

eloquent presentations by the six priests from our Temple as well as Smt. Nagalatha Murali, wife of 

our chief priest. 

We also initiated a new tradition in our Temple – Pavitra Utsavam, an important ritual seeking 

forgiveness from the Supreme for various lapses and omissions throughout the year. From now on, 

this will be an annual tradition. 

May the Supreme bless you and your family with excellent health and happiness. 

Biography of RelCom chair. Raj Suryanarayanan (Sury) has been a resident of twin cities for over 30 

years and lives in Roseville, MN. He is a faculty member in the College of Pharmacy at the University 

of Minnesota. He has been a member of the religious committee since its inception. He and his wife 

Shanti have two daughters - Priya is pursuing degrees in theology (graduate) and medicine and 

Meera is a graduate student in divinity. 



Services at Temple 

Services Outside Temple 

Ashtothara Archana/puja for any deity 

Vahana puja 

Namakarana (naming ceremony) 

Anna Prasana (first feeding) 

Kesha Khandan (Mundan), symbolic first hair cut 

Varshabhdika (death anniversary) Hernia 

Shradha 

Abhishekam to any deity on designated days 

Rudra Abhishekam/Pradosham sponsorship 

Sri Sathyanarayana puja group 

Monthly scheduled Sri Lakshmi puja, Sri 

Bhoodevi puja, Sri Ganesha puja 

Sahasranama Archana to any deity 

Any other private pujas 

Havan/Homam: Maha Vishnu, Sri Lakshmi, Sri 

Sudarshana, Sri Ganesh, Ayushya 

Kalyan Utsavan 

Shashiabtha Poorthi (60th birthday) & 

Sadhabishegam (80th birthday) 

Marriage Ceremony (wedding) 

Namakarana (naming ceremony) 

Anna prasana (first feeding) 

Kesha Khandan (Mundan), symbolic first hair cut 

Hernia Shradha 

Varshabhdika (death anniversary) Shradha, One 

Day 

Varshabhdika (death anniversary) Shradha, 

Three Days 

Sri Sathyanarayana puja 

Any other private pujas as requested 

Kalyan Utsavan 

Havan/Homam: Maha Vishnu, Sri Lakshmi, Sri 

Sudarshana, Sri Ganesh, Ayushya 

Shashiabtha Poorthi (60th birthday) & 

Sadhabishegam (80th birthday) 

Marriage Ceremony (wedding) 

Upanayanam (Janeu, thread ceremony) 

Srimantham (baby shower) 

Griha Pravesh (house warming), Shanthi 

sanctification 

Bhoomi puja 

Upanayanam (Janeu, thread ceremony) 

Varshabhdika (death anniversary), 1st year 

anniversary 


Our Temple Priests 

Chief Priest Sri Ronur Murali 

Bhattar 

Phone: (763) 898-3959 

Email: ronurm@yahoo.com 

Sri Gowtham Sharma 

Phone: (763) 445-9396 

Email: gowtham20@gmail.com 

Sri Jignesh Joshi 

Phone: (952) 847-3922 

Email: 

jignesh8joshi@yahoo.com 

Sri Govardhan Mayuram 

Phone: (763) 447-7399 

Email: km.govardhan@yahoo.com 

Sri Abilash Ramachandrabatter 

Phone: (763) 269-9676 

Email: 

abhilash.bhattar04@gmail.com 

Sri Gowri Sankar 

Phone: (612) 701-9077 

Email: gowrisankar33a@gmail.com 


Annadata (Food) Committee 

Chair: Ms. Sarojini Sathanandan 

Bios: 

The Food (Annadata) Committee is chaired by Sarojini Sathanandan. The Food 

Committee manages Temple Chef, Religious Food Services, Cashier, Sponsors 

and Volunteers who contribute to Food and Annadata program on a regular 

basis. 

Along with Sarojini, Kalyani Tuttagunta plays a vital role in maintaining the 

kitchen calendar and coordinating with sponsors for all online bookings. 

Ramesh Mallasandra is our new Temple Chef. Ramesh is a qualified chef in 

preparing various prasad and food for all religious and cultural events. Ramesh 

has many years of experience working as Religious Chef in India and USA. 

Ramesh previously served as Chef in Mahalakshmi Temple of Delaware and in 

famous Devagiri Venkateswara Temple in Banashankari, Bangalore. Tirupati 

Vada, Coconut Barfi and Mysore Pak are Ramesh’s specialty. All snacks 

prepared by Ramesh are available for purchase from Kitchen Front Desk and 

Vending machines in upper and lower levels of Temple. Ramesh helps Temple 

by marketing and selling snacks on weekdays. 

Laxmikantha (Lax) Chokkady is Food Chair’s designated Food (Annadata) 

Committee volunteer. Lax Chokkady has many years of experience volunteering 

and serving in several Temples and non-profit organizations. 

About: 

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Responsible for managing Temple Chef, Temple Kitchen and Dining services 

Handles and manages all monetary aspects of Kitchen and Dining operations 

Manages all Food sponsorships, communications with sponsors, sponsoring teams, help with 

menu, supplies, food preparation, serving, cleanup and overall upkeep, safety and maintenance 

of kitchen and dining 

Handles all special events such as Cultural Heritage days, Fundraising events, Dosa Camps, 

Community outreach and Education partnership events 

Manages purchasing, inventory, storage and organization of Kitchen and Dining supplies 

Supports and handles major Temple festivals and special religious and cultural events 


Achievements: 

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Temple Food Chair successfully moved all Food and snack sales to iPad based payment 

system 

Hired a qualified cook with several years of cooking religious food for large congregation and 

events 

Added perimeter security, security measures and processes to maintain security around 

Temple kitchen and dining properties and supplies. Provided support to each and every 

aspect of temple kitchen and dining operations 

Increased revenue, identified growth areas and reduced expenses 

Installed vending machines to sell snacks to devotees. The snacks are available in vending 

machines in upper and lower levels of Temple and also available in Kitchen and Dining hall on 

weekdays and weekends 

Moved all cash transactions to self-service Token machines and eliminated interactions with 

cash 

Streamlined and simplified food sponsorships, religious food catering and management of 

kitchen and dining services 

Updated rules and guidelines for temple food sponsorship, food safety, kitchen and dining and 

religious food catering 

Identified and appointed several permanent volunteers as well as identified eligible persons 

for Job shadowing for future Chairperson and committee members for the Food Committee 

Moved all Food committee, sponsor and devotee communications to online via email or forms 

to reduce paperwork, reduce errors and eliminate communication issues. 

Arranged a permanent cashier for Kitchen front desk operations who is accountable for all 

transactions which happen in kitchen and dining hall during regular weekend food services 

and during festivals and events 

Replaced or repaired ovens, cookers, stoves, appliances, dishwashers, freezers and made 

sure they are used regularly 

Kitchen was given several facelifts this year with regular maintenance and operations were 

brought to an orderly manner to keep kitchen clean and tidy 

Food Committee and Temple Kitchen now uses policies, standards and procedures which are 

on par with large non-profit organizations and exceeds quality and services provided by 

leading temples in North America. 

Temple Food Chair and Annadata Committee appreciates sponsors, volunteers, devotees and 

supporters and looking forward to a great new year. Temple Food Committee is looking for your food 

sponsorship, in-kind donations, volunteer time and monetary donations. 

To sponsor food at the Temple, go here : http://www.hsmn.org/Services/FoodServices.aspx 



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Educational Committee 

Chair: Vishal Agarwal 

Bio: 

Vishal Agarwal is a medical devices professional in the Twin Cities, and has been a long time 

volunteer at the Hindu Temple. 

About: 

HATS is a volunteer-run program at the Hindu Temple, started in 2009, and aims to “promote the 

understanding of the ethical, philosophical, religious, cultural and spiritual traditions of Hindus among 

Hindu and non-Hindu students and seekers, through systematic education”. HATS programs which 

run on Sundays, are based on a graded, well-organized, 14 year curriculum in Hindu dharma, ranging 

from ‘Recognition of Hindu Dieties’ (4-5 years) to ‘The Heart of Hindu Dharma’ (adults). HATS also 

holds language lessons in 7 languages, including Hindi, Gujarati, Kannada, Marathi, Sansrkit, Tamil, 

and Telugu. Future plans include extending HATS programs to Saturdays, and achieving 

accreditation to enable students to gain school credits. The HATS curriculum has received 

widespread recognition both in North America and India with several temples/organization across 

North America expressing interest in adopting the curriculum in their programs. 

In the next one year, there are plans to construct additional rooms to enable a greater intake of 

students in the school. HATS teachers also taught Hinduism to Jewish students at their weekend 

school in St. Paul in March 15’ and several students assisted IAM (India Association of Minnesota) 

during the Flinthills Children Festival in St Paul in June 15’. 

HYMN (Hindu Youth of Minnesota), the Mandir teenager group, organized several events this year, 

including a hugely successful Navaratri Garba & Dandiya attended by 500 people in the Mandir on 9 th 

October 15’. They also raised funds for providing relief to victims of the Nepal Earthquake in May 15’. 

A group with a lot of momentum and great ideas, HYMN endeavors to impart important skills like 

team-building, cultural program organization and leadership to our teenagers in addition to keeping 

them engaged in Dharmic activities. HYMN has an elected council of teenagers that works under the 

guidance of adults and college students from our community. 

The Education Committee also organizes: 

• Spiritual discourses delivered on most Sundays by renowned scholars such as Prof. Ananth 

Rambachan, Prof. Prasanna Kumar, and Dr. Shashikanth Sane; most discourses are available as 

podcasts on the temple’s website. 

• Yoga classes held on Tues and Thurs nights by volunteers instructors such as Mythili Chari, who 

trained at the BKS Iyengar’s Prashanth institute in Bengaluru, India. 

• Mediation classes offered as part of the HATS programs; volunteers from Science of Spirituality, 

Arvind and Ashvini Naik guide the participants through meditation 

• Graduation ceremony to honor high school and college graduates 


• Summer Internship Program for high school students - Initiated in 2013. The internship program 

partnered high school students with adult volunteers at the temple to learn new skills and gain 

insights into the operations of the Hindu Temple 

• Continues to organize HSMN summer youth camp, a tradition which started in 1983 

• Continues to organize Summer Science Fair 


Congratulations to our graduates! 

May you be successful in all your future endeavors; you are our future! 


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Cultural Committee 

Chair: Kanak Dutt 

Bio: 

Ms. Kanak Dutt has been with HSMN since the inception of the Hindu Temple. She and her family 

have been an ongoing great support to most events at the temple. This year, she’s headed the 

Diwali show at the Minneapolis Convention Center. 

Along with Kanak, Meenakshi Jana has been aiding the Cultural Committee for the past two years. 

She’s been a great source in putting together the Holi program earlier this year. 

About: 

The Cultural Committee organizes major cultural events and cultural shows for Hindu holidays such 

as Holi and Diwali, which are the major events showcasing the vast talent in the Twin Cities area. 

Events: 

• Holi and Diwali Cultural Events: Provides opportunity for various cultural groups in the Twin 

Cities to perform in front of a large group of audience 

• The temple hosts an annual “All in One, One in All” religious-cultural music program to foster a 

sense of unity among all the Hindus that visit the temple; devotional songs in honor of the dieties in 

the 18 mini-temples modeled after famous temples from various regions of India are sung by 

children in the respective languages of India to convey the sense of a university brotherhood 

(Vasudaieva Kutumbhakam). 

• Cultural Heritage Day: A full day event held in an indoor/outdoor carnival style! The event 

featured the cultural traditions, music and dance, and foods from various parts of India, and held 

demonstration events to educate the general public on yoga, Ayurveda, flower garland preparation 

techniques, wearing a sari, Rangoli and Henna tattoo 

• Sangeetha Seva: Conducted Annually 

• Hosting Internationally Acclaimed Artists & groups: From time to time, HSMN invites 

internationally acclaimed artists to perform at HSMN. In 2015, we had pleasure of hosting Rakesh 

Sai Babu, a renowned Chhau dancer from India. 


Community Outreach Committee 

Chair: Pradeep Sukhani 

Bio: 

Pradeep lives with his wife Geeta as well as 8 year old son, Atharv and 4 1/2 year old daughter, 

Aarna. Both Geeta and Pradeep love to travel around the world to experience different cultures, 

languages, food and make friends. As a local business owner, Pradeep enjoys working at various 

business forums, Chambers of Commerce and is very passionate to showcase HSMN as the entity to 

small businesses should be associated to keep growing. Pradeep also loves to take brand HSMN out 

in the local community and do charitable activities. 

About: 

The community and outreach committee was formed in 2009 with the goal of facilitating the 

connection of the Hindu community with the Minnesota community at large, and also with the global 

Indian community. It has coordinated volunteering activities on behalf of the Hindu community at 

various charity organizations across the Twin Cities. A prominent example of outreach activities is the 

temple tour, which occurs every weekend at 9:30am, and is led by long-time volunteers and 

knowledgable Hindu community members such as Prof. Ned Mohan, Mr. Punjabhai Patel, Ms. 

Nayana Ramakrishnan, and Rad Ganesh. The Temple tours typically attract up to 20 people on 

weekends, whereas tours on weekdays, which attract school students and church groups, can 

include as many as 40-50 people. 

Achievements: 

1 Partnered with Minnesota Area Telangana Association (MATA), Minnesota Andhra Association 

(MAA), Association of Nepalese in MN (ANMN), ASHA for Education (MN Chapter) to help 

raise thousands of dollars through car wash and lemonade sales during every June weekend 

to benefit ASHA for Education, SANKARA FOUNDATION (www.giftofvision.org), MANA 

VILLAGE, Nepalese earthquake victims 

2 Partnered with (Association of Nepalese in MN, ANMN) to help raise funds for Nepalese 

earthquake immediately after the disaster. 

3 Outreach event on 5/31 at Feed My Starving Children 

4 Hosted Counsel General of India Chicago and Indian Ambassador at the temple. 

5 Partnered with IAM for IndiaFest, Cultural Heritage Day, Connect India etc 



The Damania family wishes you all a very 

HAPPY DIWALI! 

Best Wishes from 

Bhavesh, Arati, Tarlika, 

Siddharth, Ankita, and Samarth 


Publicity and Communications Committee 

Chair: Bharath Krishnamurthy 

Bio: 

Bharathkumar is a management and technology consultant specialized in helping clients reengineer 

business processes and implement packaged enterprise resource planning solutions. He enjoys 

travelling, outdoor and community building activities. Bharathkumar and his wife Sowmya Gopinathan 

are the proud parents of their new born daughter Leya. They have been associated with HSMN for 

the last 2 years and are active members of the community. 

About: 

The primary focus of the publicity and communications team is to strategize, advertise and promote 

the HSMN brand within the twin cities and beyond. The team is responsible for all written and digital 

content and overall communication within and outside the HSMN organization. It is our mission to 

support the different committees within HSMN (cultural, food, religious, education, administration, 

outreach, IT and volunteer) and create necessary PR and communication material to inform the 

community, promote events, invoke participant engagement and contribute to community. 

The team comprises of uniquely talented volunteers who come together and contribute to a greater 

cause by providing their time and talent. Core members include Shruti Iyer (Shruti is an awesome 

young talent with great creativity. She is an active college student, employee and volunteer), Riya 

Shahdadpuri (Riya is a constant support and helps the group with outward communication, gifted 

dancer and mom) 

Year 2015 for publicity and communications group will not be complete without the contributions from 

Vatsal Goankar. Vatsal was the past chair and continues to be an active consultant for this committee. 

We continue to benefit from his experience and recommendations. 

Achievements: 

• Effectively use social media to promote HSMN presence and activity 

• Successfully promote and engage on several events like Holi, Cultural Heritage Day and Diwali 

• Revive HSMN presence on Twitter and Instagram 

• Engage with local news, radio and TV station 

• Engage with local event information websites 


Information Technology Committee 

Chair: Rajesh Selvaraj 

Bio: 

Rajesh is an IT professional and has been associated with the HSMN as a devotee for the last 5 

years and as a volunteer for the last one year. 

Achievements: 

• Broadband - Satellite internet system we rolled out last year with complementary WIFI was such a 

success, it even brings down the network in recent times due to Temple Guest users. Considering 

the distance of the Temple from the nearest broadband hub we have our challenges to get a wired 

connection. We are exploring our options to increase the broadband speed. 

• iPAd Kiosk’s: iPad based Kiosk's introduced last year continue to support our non-religious 

transactions and helping us to improve the user experience. We will soon roll out the option to 

accept chip based cards. 

• Ticketing and Seat assignments for Major events: We introduced a new ticketing system last year 

for Diwali and we received compliments for the ease of usage and convenience. We continued 

using it for our 2015 Holi celebrations and 2015 Diwali event as well. This online Ticketing system 

provides the ability to choose the seats and print the tickets at home. 

• CCTV Security Cameras: We added a new CCTV camera system in the first floor of the Temple 

this year for enhancing the security. 

• Website Overhaul and Mobile friendly newsletters: The design for our new website is nearing 

completion and the new website will be up and running very soon. 

• Cloud based solutions: The vision for IT committee is to move the solutions to the Cloud 

platform. We have successfully moved some of the solutions to Cloud and working on the others. 


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Volunteer Services Committee 

Volunteers give their time and energy to make all events a grand success. HSMN EC sincerely 

appreciates their efforts and help. Volunteers are the backbone to HSMN and we thank you all! 

Chaudhary Immigration Attorneys 

….wish HSMN a very happy Diwali! 

(612) 206-3721 

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Administration Committee 

Chair: Amar Naidu 

Bio: 

Amar Naidu has been volunteering in the temple for the last 8+ years, during which he has served to 

a great extent of all the major needs of the temple. He is currently serving as the Executive Admin 

Chair. 

• He is a liaison between the facility and the kitchen area and ensures that the devotees enjoy 

coming to the temple by helping in preparing/serving. 

• He is always the first person on every Sunday early morning to make sure all the classrooms have 

tables and chairs for the HATS class. He makes sure the auditorium is filled with chairs. 

• Amar makes sure that on the weekend the dining area is clean and setup with the tables and 

chairs. Takes out trash and refills the supplies. 

• Auditorium has been improved with curtains, 2 TVs, overhead projector. A new overhead projector 

has also been added to the boardroom, thereby giving an overall revenue boost for the temple. The 

greater presense of front desk coordinators has been instilled for smoother operations for visitors. 

New Ratha: Hindu Temple's new Ratha (chariot) is a multi purpose vehicle to carry various 

deities of our temple. The chariot was made in Canada and introduced during the 9th anniversary 

celebrations of our temple. 


Administrative Support 

Administrative Support 

Narender Venkata (Manager): has been Manager: volunteering Narender with Venkata the Hindu society of 

Minnesota for over 30 years. He is one of the construction committee members 

of the Maple Narender Grove Venkata: temple. has been volunteering with the Hindu society of Minnesota for 

over 30 years. He is one of the construction committee members of the Maple Grove 

temple. 

Anima Panda (Temple Administrator): Anima (Anu) has volunteered at the 

HSMN Anima since Panda, she arrived Temple in Administrator: MN 12 years Anima ago. (Anu) She’s has volunteered passionate at about the HSMN the since 

she arrived in MN 11 years back. She is passionate about the temple and enjoys helping 

temple and enjoys helping the devotees. She helps in handling all the periodic 

devotees. She helps in handling all the periodic communications with the Devotees 

communications with the devotees, and also helps with phone and email queries 

and also helps with the phone and email queries from the Devotees 

from the devotees. 

Ganga 

Vanishree 

Durai (In-House 

Bhat, Temple 

Craftsman): 

Store Manager: 

Ganga 

Vani has 

was 

stepped 

one 

in 

of 

to 

the 

take 

original 

the responsibility 

craftsman 

involved of in store the manager construction since the of the Sukraya temple. store He opened stayed this back summer. to continue Her pleasant to take and 

care of friendly the temple personality and and is the positive go-to attitude person has for helped any the help Temple in the store temple. sales a He lot. 

recently crafted the moortihis on the doorways in front of the Shiva and Balaji 

temples. 

Bruce Sandahl, Maintenance and Upkeep: Bruce has been a long time 

devotee Ganga of the Durai, Temple In-house and Craftsman has been (Shilpi): helping Ganga out since was one the of time the original when the shilpis Temple involved 

the Polk in the street. Indianization His tireless of the Temple. contribution He stayed in maintenance back to continue and to upkeep take care of of 

was at 

the Temple and is the go to person for any help in the Temple. He recently crafted the 

the Temple is invaluable. 

Moorthis on the doorways in front of the Shiva and Balaji Temples. 

Josh Montgomerry, Kitchen and Dining Help: Josh been a great help in 

kitchen and dining areas for the last several years. He is one of the key persons 

for any Bruce events Sandahl, involving Maintenance the kitchen and Upkeep: and dining Bruce areas has been to go a long smoothly time devotee and he of the is 

the one Temple who ensures and has been everything helping out is cleaned since the time and when put back Temple in the was right at the place Polk street. after 

the events. His tireless contribution in maintenance and upkeep of the Temple is invaluable. 

Josh Montgomerry, Kitchen and Dining Help: Josh has been a great help in kitchen 

Manie and Vaidyanathan, Dining areas for Front the last Desk several Coordinator: years. He is one Manie’s of the key responsibilities persons to make sure are to , 

ensure any enough events volunteers involving Kitchen are and at the Dining front areas, desk to during go smoothly. the hours the temple is 

open, providing training to front desk volunteers and coordinating with various 

EC committee members on event management and finance related issues. 

Manie Vaidyanathan , Front Desk Co-ordinator: Manie’s responsibilities are to ensure 

enough volunteers are at the front desk during the hours the temple is open, Providing 

training to front desk volunteers, and coordinating with various EC committee members 

on event management and finance related issues. 

HSMN is looking for a volunteer to attend and manage the Hindu Temple store 

on Saturdays and Sundays between 10am-3pm. 

? 

Please email manager@hsmn.org if interested or have any questions. 


HSMN’s Event Management Service 

THE HINDU TEMPLE OF MINNESOTA 

NOW 

The Hindu Temple of Minnesota now offers…. 

FULL RANGE EVENT MANAGEMENT SERVICE 

for…. 

Weddings 

Birthday parties 

Anniversaries 

Baby Showers 

OFFERS FULL RANGE EVENT MANAGEMENT 

SERVICE. 

THE 

OFFERS 

TA 

MENT 

, 

BY 

ECIAL 

YING 

ARE 

MPLE. 

WEDDING, BIRTHDAY PARTIES, 

ANNIVERSARIES, WEDDING & BABY 

SHOWERS, ETC. WE WILL MAKE IT SPECIAL 

FOR YOU. 

ALL THE MONEY GOES TOWARDS PAYING 

DOWN OUR TEMPLE LOAN. 

MANAGED BY VOLUNTEERS WHO ARE 

PASSIONATE ABOUT HELPING OUR TEMPLE. 

GIVE US AN OPPORUNITY AND BE READY TO 

BE WOWED. 

CONTACT 

NAINA VARANASI 763 226 6210 

KAMLAKAR KANAJAM 732 543 6320 

GANGA DURAI 763 300 9757 

DY TO 

HSMN Annual Report 2015 40 

THE HINDU TEMPLE OF MINNESOTA 

We will make it special for you. 

All the money goes towards our temple loan. 

Managed by volunteers who are passionate about helping our temple. 

Give us an opportunity and be ready to be wowed! 

Contacts: 

Naina Varanasi - (763) 226-6210 

Kamlakar Kanajam - (732) 543-6320 

Ganga Durai - (763) 300-9757 

W 

ANN 

SHOWE 

ALL TH 

OF 

MAN 

PASSION 

SH 

GIVE US 

A 

CONTACT 

M 

PA 

NAINA V 

GIV 

KAMLAK 

GANGA D 

CON

MAJOR DONORS 2015 

Aggarwal, Ashish 

Anireddy, Ramesh 

Baineedi, Dr. Praveen 

Balasubramanian, Raj & Anandi 

Boyapati, Seetharama A 

Chari, Varadarajan & Mythili 

Dash, Dr. S.K. 

Garg, Satya 

Kantak, Anand 

Mysore, Pratap G. 

Naidu, Pratap 

Nookala, Aruna 

Nookala, Marthand 

Pradhan, Anjan 

Ramakrishnan, Nayana 

Routray, Chittaranjan 

Sathanandan, Sarojini 

Satish & Jeyashree Venkatasubramanian 

Tamirisa, Prabhakar 

LIFETIME TRUSTEES 

Murty Annavarapu Shivram 

Arun Bhargava 

Puttaiah Byraiah 

Mythili Chari 

Varadharajan Chari 

Ram Gada 

Neena Gada 

Latha Iyer 

Sunita Kantak 

Venkata Murthy 

Pratap G Mysore 

Godan Nambudiripad 

Karthik Chowdary Nimmagadda 

Aruna Nookala 

Dr. S.M. Murthy Tadavarthy 

Chandra Mouli Vaidyanathan 

Naina Varanasi 

Sastry Varanasi 


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TRUSTEES 

Vishal Agarwal 

Vijenera Agarwal 

Jugal Agarwal 

Rajiv Aggarwal 

Sushmi Aggarwal 

Vishal Arora 

Rakesh Atreya 

Naman Atreya 

Raj Balasubramanian 

Amanda Balasubramanian 

Arun Bansal 

Pooja Bastodkar 

Kumar Belani 

Kiran Belani 

Sandeep M Bhandari 

Neera Bhandari 

Ajay Bhatia 

Venkata Bhoopatiraju 

Dharam Bobra 

Kapila Bobra 

Vasanth Chaganti 

Suparna Chaganti 

Ranjan Chakravarty 

Ramesh Chandan 

Amit Chandra 

Madhusudan Chari 

Raj Chaudhary 

Vinaya Chepuri 

Sudesh Chhabra 

Panzy Chhabra 

Chidambaram Chidambaram 

Ravindra Chintapalli 

Suresh Dabade 

Alka Dabade 

Bhavesh Damania 

Geetha Damodaran 

Dr. S.K. Dash 

Kalpana Dash 

Kuldeep Dhar 

Vijay Dixit 

Kanak Dutt 

Madhavi Elgonda 

Siddharth Gandhi 

Krishnan Ganesan 

Rad K Ganesh 

Satya Garg 

Narendra Garg 

Shankaranarayanan 

Gopalakrishnan 

Baskar Gopalan 

Ramesh Gupta 

Sashi Gupta 

Purna Gurram 

Sridhar Iyengar 

Balu Iyer 

Kesri Jain 

Pankaj Jain 

Jay Julakanti 

Anirudh Kakanavaram 

Ravindra Kalia 

Sagarika Kanjilal 

Ramankutty Kannankutty 

Chandra Kanodia 

Sunil Kasturi 

Rajeev Kaul 

Kanchan Kelakar 

Ajit Ketkar 

Gopal Khanna 

Basant Kharbanda 

Anil Khurana 

Dharma Kodali 

Sridhar Koneru 

Gopi Kotaru 

Venkata Kothur 

Arancode Krishnan 

Kishore Krishnappa 

Vibhu R Kshettry 

Ramesh Kuba 

Kanta Kuba 

Kulgod Narasimhamurthy 

Kumar Kadaba 

Renu Kumar 

Sitaram Lakshmanan 

Debasish Mallick 

Devendra Mangalick 

AC Mangalick 

Sanjeev Mangalick 

Rajeev Mangalick 

Nagender Mankala 

Pramod Mathur 

Samir Mehta 

Bhabani Misra 

SY Mody 

Valli Palanisami 

Vatsal Munshi 

Kamakshi Murthy 

Rup Kumar Nagala 

Sanjay Nagalia 

Ramararathinam Nagarajan 

Gauri Nagargoje 

Kaladhar Nalla 

Sukanya Conjeepuram 

Natarajan 

Mahendra Nath 

Asha Nath 

Shri Niwas 

Aruna Nookala 

Devan Padmanabhan 

Mangala Pai 

Swami Palanisami 

Hari Pallempati 

Akshaya Panda 

Punjabhai Patel 

Ramkumar Peruvemba 

Sriram Pidaparti 

Anjan Pradhan 

Mukund Prajapati 


TRUSTEES - CONTINUED 

Dr. Dhanush Prasad 

Baji Puram 

Prakash Puram 

Kamala Puram 

VS Rajendran 

Nayana Ramakrishnan 

Natarajan Raman 

Jayashree Ramanujan 

Chittaranjan Routray 

Kamal Sahgal 

Sirish Samba 

Shashikant Sane 

Kumud Sane 

Gajendra Sanil 

Mamta Saraf 

Raj Saraf 

Kusum Saxena 

Krishna Saxena 

Ramakrishnan Seshaaiyar 

Dharmesh Shah 

Sushila Shah 

Dharmesh Shah 

Atul Shroff 

Har Narayan Shukla 

Bika Fateh Singh 

Ritu Sinha 

Siva Sivagnanaguru 

Shanthi Sivanandam 

Ravi Sripada 

Anitha Srivastava 

Mani Subramani 

Lalitha Sundaram 

Shanti Sury 

Raj Suryanarayanan 

Sanjay Syal 

Kamlesh Syal 

Rohit Tandon 

Rajiv Tandon 

Preeti Tandon 

Prashanth Upadrashta 

Lakshmi Kumar Vadhula 

Utpal Vaidya 

Bhaskar Velamakanni 

Narender Venkatapuram 

Geeta Vora 

HSMN Thanks all the Business Sponsors for Diwali 2015 

Wells Fargo UPS - Priya/Venky Ailu Pioneer Dental 

Gemko International GCK Law PLLC Andy Prashad 

American Family Insurance Small World Learning Center LightingHouse 

TBS Mart International Foods 

Chaitanya Polumetla 

Photography 

Century Link 

Mounds Park Academy Stone Bay Builders Hopkins Honda 

India Palace Payroll Post Pradeep Sukhani 

KJ Management 

Chaudhary Immigration Attorneys 

Stay tuned for upcoming events in 2016 

January (New Year) May (TBD) September (TBD) 

February (Executive 

Committee Orientation) 

March (Holi Cultural Event) 

April (Business Friends of the 

Temple) 

June (Graduation Day, Annual 

Outreach Program) 

July (Annual Outreach Event, 

Temple Anniversary Event) 

August (Cultural Heritage Day, 

Kalaa Art Show, Youth Camp, 

Science Camp) 

October (Dandiya Night, 

Bollywood Night, Diwali Cultural 

Event) 

November (Volunteer 

Appreciation Dinner) 

December (TBD) 


IT’S BEEN A FABULOUS 2015! 



As part of the Cultural Heritage Day celebrations, HSMN held the first ever, Kalaa Art Show, an 

opportunity for artists - both amateur and professional, to showcase their artwork to a greater 

audience. Kalaa Art Show displayed 54 pieces of artwork in varying mediums - acrylics, watercolors, 

oil, pencil, and mixed media, and also six ceramic works. The artwork was wonderfully diverse - 

scenes of Radha Krisha, a relaxing reading Ganesha, beautiful scenic fall landscapes, Tanjore 

paintings, calm morning sunrises, and Warli art, to name a few. 

Hindu Society's 

Chairperson Mythili 

Chari, President Purna 

Gurram along with 

members and staff 

welcomed Indian 

Ambassador to USA 

His Excellency Mr. 

Arun Kumar along with 

his wife and Consul 

General of Chicago to 

our beautiful temple in 

August. Ambassador 

Arun Kumar was 

impressed with the 

architecture and 

ambience of our 

temple and 

congratulated the 

community for building 

such a beautiful 

temple. 


The First Annual Building Bridges Gala was a success on October 10, 2015. A full house of 

physicians, families and community supporters gathered at the Hindu Mandir of Minnesota to raise 

nearly $7000. The guests enjoyed an informative keynote address by Gurumurthy Hiremath, a 

renowned Pediatric/Congential Interventional Cardiologist at the University of Minnesota, a fantastic 

music performance by Gorinka Shrivastav & Fazel Haris, and a lively dance performance & workshop 

by Renu Kumar and the RGK Modern Indian Dance Academy. We appreciate all of their time and 

talent! HSMN would like to sincerely thank our sponsors and volunteers for their generosity. Many 

thanks for Building Bridges 2015! 



Opportunities to get involved with the Hindu Society of Minnesota 

Opportunity Contact Name Contact Email 

Become a member, Life member or a 

Trustee 

Shashi Gupta 

membership@hsmn.org 

Be a Food Sponsor Sarojini Sathanandan sponsorfood@hsmn.org 

Be a Mini-Temple Sponsor Narender Venkata manager@hsmn.org 

Be part of the Loan Program Byron Byraiah byron.Byraiah@hsmn.org 

Sponsor your Temple Shankar Gopal treasurer@hsmn.org 

Be a part of the volunteer base Amar Naidu volunteer@hsmn.org 

HATS classroom sponsor Akshaya Panda vicepresident@hsmn.org 

Website Sponsor Rajesh Selvaraj webmaster@hsmn.org 

Opportunities to get involved with the Hindu Society of Minnesota 

Contacts 

Website 

Chairman 

President 

Manager 

Administrator 

Religious Services 

Food Services 

Webmaster 

Cultural Activities 

Communications and Publicity 

FrontDesk 

Temple Gift Store 

www.hindumandirmn.org 

chairman@hsmn.org 

president@hsmn.org 

manager@hsmn.org 

admin@hsmn.org 

religiouschair@hsmn.org 

sponsorfood@hsmn.org 

webmaster@hsmn.org 

cultural@hsmn.org 

PR@hsmn.org 

frontdesk@hsmn.org 

store@hsmn.org 


HSMN HONORS DR. S.K. DASH FOR HIS OUTSTANDING 

CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE COMMUNITY, SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 

Support the 

HINDU SOCIETY OF 

MINNESOTA on 

Dr. Dash, born in Odisha, came to USA in 1979 and earned a doctorate in 

nutrition. Currently living in Edina, Minnesota, he embodies the “American 

Dream” as an innovator, entrepreneur, community leader and philanthropist. 

His vision and relentless efforts led a little known probiotic company in 

seventies to an industry worth $35 billion today. 

Probiotics are generally regarded as a good bacteria for digestive health and 

immune functions. Dr. Dash got the idea of commercializing the probiotics 

while he was working as the director of Food and Drug for South Dakota 

State. At the time, he discovered a probiotic product that was licensed as a 

drug to treat E.coli infection in pigs. Dr. Dash felt it has the potential to be a 

good antidote for digestive health and immune function for humans. 

Subsequently he established UAS Laboratories, a leading probiotic 

company, in Minneapolis in 1979. 

“The financial challenges and inability to hire probiotic scientists and 

executives” slowed the growth, according to Dash. Today, he says with 

pride, the company is a global leader with presence in 55 countries including 

USA and India. When asked about future research and development in 

probiotics, Dash said he is funding innovation centers and endowed chairs 

at IIT- Bhubaneswar and South Dakota State University, USA. 

Dash says “helping others and giving to the have-nots” means a lot to him. 

He recounts a “satisfying” endeavor of helping hundreds of students for 

higher studies in the USA. 

The adoption of his village and helping build shelter homes, a school, a 

micro bank and temple sets a fine example of corporate social 

responsibility. As for his leadership in the local community, Dash regularly supports activities financially to preserve and 

promote Indian heritage and culture in the US. Examples include Odisha Society of America, Indian Association of 

Minnesota, Minnesota Historical On Thursday, Society and Hindu November Society of Minnesota 12, your among donation others. Dr. to Dash has served in various 

roles including the past chairman of Hindu Society of Minnesota and is very actively involved in Hindu Society projects 

the Temple will mean even more 

today. Dr. Dash was honored as the Distinguished Alumni of South Dakota State University on October 24, 2014. He was 

also awarded an Honorary 

Give 

D.Sc. 

to 

by 

the 

Utkal 

Max Day 

University 

is Minnesota’s 

in February 

biggest 

2015 

day of 

for 

charitable 

his contribution 

giving. When 

to probiotic research, 

philanthropy and love for Odisha. you donate to the Temple on November 12 through GiveMN.org, 

your donation could be matched by a few of the Temple's generous 

Over a period of time, Dr. Dash sponsors--thereby has made contributions doubling your to gift! the Also, following if your community gift is randomly organizations- selected 

in an hourly Golden Ticket drawing, GiveMN will give an additional $1,000 

South Dakota or even State $10,000 University to the Temple. That makes your SitaKantha impact even PolyTech bigger, and School no (Odisha) 

Indian Institute of 

gift 

Technology 

is too small. 

(Bhubaneswar) 

There are two ways to make a tax-deductible 

AshaUSA 

donation: 

(Minneapolis) 

Hindu Society of Minnesota 

Indian Music Society (Minneapolis) 

India Association 1. Give of Online. Minnesota 

Katha 2. Mail Dance your Academy gift. (Minneapolis) 

Odisha Search Society for the of America Hindu Society of Minnesota on Pangea Kindly make World checks Theater to HSMN (Minneapolis) 

Fakir Mohan GiveMN.org University or (Odisha) visit 

c/o Jagannath Mangala Pai Society | 10530 of Troy Americas 

Kalinga Hospital https://givemn.org/organization/hindusociety-of-minnesota 

Bank (Bhubaneswar) to easily make a one- 

55311 Minnesota | (763) 425-9449 Historical Society 

Foundation (Bhubaneswar) 

Lane Vanguri N, Maple Foundation Grove, MN of America 

Regional Blood 

Utkal 

time 

Samilani 

gift or 

(Odisha) 

to renew a sustaining gift. If 

Sangeetha 

www.hsmn.org 

Kannada Koota (Minneapolis) 

applicable: you may state the designation of your gift 

Bijaya, Basundhara 

(e.g. 

& 

trustee 

Adruda 

dues, 

orphanages 

mini-temple sponsorship) 

(Odisha) 

in the 

SEWA (Minneapolis) 

Four high memorial/tribute schools (Odisha) field. 

Modern Dance Theater (Minneapolis) 

Padmaja Dance Academy (MInneapolis) 

For more information, contact Mangala Pai, Fundraising Chair: fundraisingchair@hsmn.org 952-221-0935 

THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONTINUED SUPPORT AND INSPIRATION! 


On THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 12, your donation 

to the Temple will MEAN EVEN MORE 

PRESERVE 

The Heritage 

STRENGTHEN THE SPIRIT 

for current & future generations 

PROTECT 

The Future 

Your donation will be matched by our temple’s generous sponsors - 

until the matching gift runs out. 

Your donations increase the Temple's chances of 

winning GiveMN's prize money of 

1. Give Online: 

- Go to GiveMN.org 

- Search : Hindu Society of Minnesota 

OR 

- Go to: 

https://givemn.org/organization/ 

hindu-society-of-minnesota 

$1,000 - $44,000 

Make your one-time or sustaining tax-deductible donation: 

2. Mail your gift: 

- Mail checks to: 

HSMN c/o Mangala Pai, 

10530 Troy Lane N, 

Maple Grove, MN 55311 

If applicable, you may state the designation of your gift (e.g. trustee dues, mini-temple 

sponsorship) in the memorial/tribute field on GiveMN.org or on a note with your check. 

Contact: Mangala Pai, 

Fundraising Chair 

www.hindumandirmn.org 

P: 952.221.0935 

fundraisingchair@hsmn.org

Oct 26th PDF Final Annual Report 2015

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