With an abundance of natural beauty and charm, rural India is home to 65% of the nation’s population. Its luscious green fields, clean air, organically grown produce, fresh milk, simplicity, spirituality, and cooperation among peoples and bright sparkling stars against clear blue skies evoke memories of opportunity and boundless freedom. But as India’s bustling urban centers fight to join the ranks of global metropolitan megacities, the basic developmental needs of its villages are being neglected, with many of them still lacking essential affordable social services and infrastructure (e.g. education, healthcare, clean water etc.). Unfortunately, the charm of countryside living is slowly fading away. Recently a shift noticed as peoples suffering and suffocation in the city and the fear of the pandemic has prompted migrants to try to rebuild their lives in their villages…

The building of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya insinuates Ancient Indian Pride

Hindus have waited for centuries to realize their dream of building a Ram temple in Ayodhya. Here a mosque was built by Mugal invader over the Ram temple and now the original state of the temple is being reinstated according to the honourable Supreme Court of India verdict. The Ram Temple is linked with Indian ancient culture and building the temple will help the people of India to rebuild and reconnect with their ancient past.

It will be a momentous day of pride for millions of Indians and Hindus in the world when Prime Minister Narendra Modi lays the foundation stone for the great Ram Mandir (temple) on August 5, and sets the stage for the grand return of Lord Ram to the temple, which is planned to be completed within the next three years. Besides the “Ram Lala” in the core, the temple will have a two hundred and fifty-one meter Shri Ram statue, accompanied by a cultural, historical, and spiritual museum. This particular temple holds great significance during the Hindu festival called Diwali.

The main purpose of Diwali is to observe Lord Ram’s return from 14 years of exile and the victory of good over evil. Many believe the ‘Bhoomi poojan’ on August 5^th signifies Lord Ram’s “rightful return from exile”. As a matter of pride, love, and peace, many Hindus and people from other faiths around the world will light up their houses with diyas or candles to mark the special event while maintaining social distance norms. This is a landmark for all Ram bhakts (devotees) and followers of our ancient culture. It is also a great homage to all those who sacrificed their lives to reach this proud peaceful moment.

This is a proud moment for me as I have memories of visiting “Ram Lala” in Ayodhya many times with my parents and most recently in 2019 with my family. I believe that faith grants us peace; and providing service to others brings balance to the inner self and goodwill among people.  The unfortunate part of our current education system in India, is that it doesn’t give us an adequate understanding of what our ancient history and culture are.  Unfortunately,  much of Indian history is taught to us in terms of the invaders of our land and I hope that this will change with the new Indian National Education Policy 2020.

Although I live in Canada and engaged in many citizenship volunteer activities in the areas of education, environment, spiritualism, and diversity, I always admire and proudly bring forward my ancient roots, cultures, and religion without lessening others. I believe that our ancient culture is very flexible, has respect for all, and can be an ally to liberalism. I strongly encourage our fellow friends to understand our culture, religion, traditions, history, governance, and bring forward the hidden message of service, love, and peace among all. Congratulations to all for this proud moment of building the temple during the auspicious time of Shri Krishna Janmashtami and Raksha Bandhan.

Temples across Canada planned to celebrate the foundation laying ceremony of the historic Ram Temple in Ayodhya, while a large number of Indians in Bruce and other places would lit diyas and candles and watch the live telecast from Ayodhya, to celebrate the Bhoomi pujan on August 5. In the USA digital images of the Ram Temple is going to be displayed around the US Capitol Hill and many cities across the country with the prominent one is Images of Lord Ram and 3D portraits of the grand Ram Temple in will be beamed across the billboards in the iconic Times Square on August 5. The Sanatan Centre, Kincardine (https://sanatancentre.com/) has also called for a virtual collective prayer across Canada and in the world to rejoice the upcoming Shree Ram Mandir Poojan at Ayodhya and will organize sharing their joy, history, understandings, and experiences about our ancient culture that was focused around Ram Rajya and universal brotherhood.

Please join us, making this event memorable in the world.

Please join us for Satsang on Thursday evening at 6:30 pm.

(Now on Zoom)

Come and Celebrate Canada’s 151^st birthday! Show your gratitude and pride!

Canada Day, formerly known as Dominion Day, marks the historical date in 1867 when Canada gained independence from Great Britain. This important holiday celebrates the birth of Canada as an independent nation and is celebrated each year on July 1st. This much anticipated event is celebrated with parades, festivals, fireworks and widespread displays of Canadian pride.

The Sanatan Hindu Cultural & Spiritual Centre in Kincardine invites everyone to take part in the Canada Day celebrations on Sunday, July 1^st and show your pride for this important holiday! The parade in Kincardine starts at 11:00 am and there is a spectacular showcase of fireworks at the Kincardine Harbour Pier around Dusk. You can dress up in the nation’s colours of red and white, wear a Canadian flag during the parade, and eat your favourite Canadian breakfast of maple syrup and pancakes. Enjoy the fireworks at dusk.

Let us show our multicultural participation on Canada Day. Come together and join the parade to show Unity in Diversity. This is what Canada is known for throughout the world. See you all on Canada Day!

Chandra Tripathi

Kincardine Celebrates 3rd ‘Yoga Day’ to Bring People Together for Good Health and Lasting Peace of Mind.

The International Day of Yoga is celebrated annually on the 21st of June since its inception in 2015 when it was declared unanimously by the United Nations General Assembly. Yoga is a physical, mental and spiritual practice attributed mostly to ancient India. Yoga asanas that have been practiced for centuries, integrated with wisdom from ancient India, are brought to you in a format that will help you to improve the quality of your daily life. It has been proven that Yoga practices help us respond to the challenges of life in a more creative and less reactive way. My wife and I have been practicing Yoga for many years and have been enriched with each practice. We feel proud to promote calmness and fitness through yoga.

This will be our 3rd annual celebration at Kincardine Beach, please come to celebrate with us the gift that keeps on giving, Yoga on Jun 21st at 6:00 pm at the south of the Kincardine Station Beach. The two hour free Yoga and Meditation session will be led by Kalpana Panditrao, a Yoga teacher. No experience is required, just drop in and enjoy the nature and experience. It is our call to all Kincardians to come and support, by being engaged in healthy activities. If you are unable to attend the free session at the Beach, please pledge to make Yoga an integral part of your daily lives and live happy, healthy and balanced lives. See you on June 21st at Station Beach, Kincardine, ON.