HTCC’s Devotional Program, part of our 7th anniversary celebrations, was held on Saturday, February 23, 2013. The program included a havan officiated by Sri Sateesh Bhagwat of Chicago. He conducted the puja along with a large number of devotees, who were gathered around the havan kund. The devotional program started with Ganesh Puja. This puja was followed by Navagraha Puja and Havan Yajna, and accompanied by several prayers from the Vedas as offerings to the various Hindu deities. The Havan, a participatory event, was dedicated to the well-being of the community as we embark on our eighth year. The havan was fed with ghee, sticks, camphor and other havan ingredients. The puja was followed by a scholarly talk by HTCC member Dr. Annayya R. Aroor, who spoke about the significance of a yagna as described in the Vedas and the Bhagwad Gita.
In case you do not remember, Columbia was hit with a snowstorm that left 10″ of snow on the ground two days before the devotional program. We thank the stalwart devotees who braved the sometimes-snowy streets to come to the Mandir. The puja and talk were followed by arati and a pot-luck prasad-lunch.
