Journey of faith builds new temple
June 19th, 2007,Article from the Daily Herald about the Hindu Temple of Lake County, which opens this weekend.
The HTLC is the brain-child of the Indian Cultural Association, which my father founded when I was a small child, and led as President until I was about 14. He was asked to assume the position again about eight years ago, I think, and this weekend, the $4 million dollar dream will become a reality.
Many other people helped this project, of course, but to my young eyes, it was my father who lead the way. Some of my earliest memories are of helping my dad outline services, establish youth programs and mail flyers. The children I played with were the sons and daughters of other board members, and when I was 10, I often lead or designed the youth programming for the weekly programs we held in whatever space we could find.
There are children who grew up seeing me as a role model, and I suspect some who even idolized me. It’s weird to think that I left a legacy for people to follow by the time I was 12. The ICA was also the target of my spiritual rebellion as a teenager, when I began to understand the politics that pollute any such organization. One of the few parts of my life that I rarely discuss, my own spiritual path has in many ways mirrored the growth and stagnation cycles of this project.
Now, the project flourishes, the dream becomes solid. This weekend, thirty years of effort are celebrated as a success.
What more is there to say? Oh, just one more thing: expects pictures.