Hindi Comedy On Tap for Asian Indians in Akron and Cleveland Ohio

International Hindi Association, Northeast Ohio Chapter President Dr. Anoop Kumar Announces Hasya Kavi Sammelan 2013 at Bamboo Garden in North Olmsted, Ohio

This year's Hasya Kavi Sammelan in Cleveland will feature three poets. 

Dr. Suresh Awasthi of Kanpur is a leading satirist in India who has entertained and awakened the conscience of millions of people with his humor containing a deep penetrating satire. Eleven books to his credit, Dr. Awasthi is a maestro of haasya-vyang. He is also a Hindi professor and a journalist.

Dr. Kunwar Bechain is a renowned lyricist and poet from Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh. Dr. Bechain is also known as the king of ghazals, and has published several books. He has traveled to various countries outside India, and mesmerizes the audience with his creative and original poetry. He received President’s Award & worked as head of the Hindi department in MMH College, Ghaziabad.

Shri Sanjay Gupta is a leading humorist from Faridabad. He has entertained the audience at places like I.I.T., NDTV, Delhi Door Darshan, and Radio Salam Namaste. He has made numerous trips outside India, and has written several books. He keeps the audience spellbound with his humor and satire.

International Hindi Association's Hasya Kavi Sammelan at Cleveland Shiva Vishnu Temple

Audience at Hasya Kavi Sammelan at Cleveland Shiva Vishnu Temple in 2012

Audience at Hasya Kavi Sammelan at Cleveland Shiva Vishnu Temple 2012

Established in 1980 in the United States of America, the International Hindi Association (IHA) or Antarashtriya Hindi ‘Samiti’, is one of the most vibrant Hindi institutions in the world. Its programs and activities focus on fostering the cultural heritage of India through promotion and propagation of Hindi and its literature among Indians abroad to ensure that future generations are not only able to speak Hindi with pride but can also learn and enjoy the reflections of Indian culture abundant in Hindi prose and poetry written through generations. The activities such as Hindi classes, youth camps, poetry recitals (kavi sammelans), literary symposiums and publications promote and inculcate human values inherent in the Indian culture.  International Hindi Association is a non-religious, non-political, and non-profit lingo-cultural organization is run entirely by volunteers with the support and patronage from its growing membership worldwide. 

Sree Venkateswara Temple of Cleveland to Open in May 2013

Balaji Venkateswara idol at Tirupati Temple, India.
However, Balaji is a myth; like Spider, Batman, etc; imaginary

S. V. Temple aka Sri Venkateswara Temple of Cleveland located at 4406 Brecksville Road in Richfield, Ohio is scheduled to open on May 22, 2013.  This Hindu temple area is approximately 3000 sft on a 7 acres of land lot. 

Venkateswara means "the Lord who destroys the sins of the people".   According to the Hindu scriptures, Vishnu, out of love towards His devotees, incarnated as Venkateswara and appeared for the salvation and upliftment of humanity in this Kali Yuga age. He is considered the Supreme form of Vishnu in this age.  Venkateswara's consort is Lakshmi aka Padmavathi.  Lakshmi is said to exist in several other forms. The most famous amongst them are Sridevi, Bhoodevi, and Neeladevi

The pranapratishtapanam program at first Sree Venkateshwara Temple in Northeast Ohio is scheduled to be held from May 22 through May 28, 2013.  According to Hindu Scriptures, special rite(s) are performed before deities are placed in the Sanctum Sanctorum of a temple, referred to as Prana-Pratishta, to infuse divine force into the deities. "Prana means ‘breath’ and Pratishta means ‘establishing’/’stabilizing’. So, Prana Pratishta is literally the process of ‘establishing the breath’ within the sacred image. In other words, it is bringing the sacred image to life! A theological explanation that recognizes the all-pervading and omni-present God, yet reflects on the idea of establishing the breath of the deity within an image, lies in the deeper meaning that the rites and ceremonies uncover. The pur-pose of the ceremony is therefore not so much to establish the Deity within the image, but to awaken the mind of the participants, us devotees, through the power of ritual, to the presence of divinity within that sacred image. At the beginning of the ceremony people see only stone or metal, but at the end they see God! The real installation takes place not in the stone or metal image, but in the minds of the participants.

There is an auction for first Pattuvastram offering to Lord Venkateswara with a starting bid of $5,000.  Starting bid for first Pattuvastram for Sridevi and Bhoodevi is $2,500.  There are other auctions and inaugural pooja sponsorships available for devotees.   

Mailing address for donations etc. is P.O. Box 305 Richfield, OH 44286.  Checks should be made payable to Sree Venkateswara Temple of Cleveland.

Richfield, Ohio is a village in Summit County, Ohio, United States.  This area is approximately equidistant between the downtown areas of Akron and Cleveland.  Richfield is part of the Akron Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Before you go to any temple, here is a must read related post on the meaning of Venkateshwara: http://clevelanddesis.blogspot.com/2013/05/brahman-hindu-god-and-relational.html