Here is Bodhinatha in Malaysia on the last day with some members of our sishya “Core Youth Committee” meet with Bodhinatha to discuss activities, mainly the plan to have a one-day computer presentation seminar next year. More pictures from Malaysia below.

At the Aadheenam we had a wonderful Sound and Light Show from Mother Nature last night, and plenty of water falling and flowing down the river…

Ginger plants have the amazingly fragrant delicate flowers.

Paramacharya Palaniswami and Acharya Kumarswami arriving back from a Kauai Vision 2020 meeting…

Silpis a work in the distance through the rain…

Our light tropical storm has brought some good winds with it..

Saravananathaswami sends us these photos from Mauritius… yesterday evening after arrival…

Aahh, beautiful Mauritius. We arrived in the afternoon and stopped by at the secluded Oberoi hotel on the way to our bungalow because the hotel has invited Kulapati Manon Mardemootoo to give weekly one-hour overview seminars on Hinduism to those hotel guests (mostly English) who would like to learn about Hinduism as a “integral part of Mauritian culture.” The Oberoi chain is India based. This hotel is promoted as a “holistic” hotel offering classes in yoga and other therapeutic areas. This photo is a view from the reception area.

The average room at this hotel costs US$700 a night! No kidding.

The hotel front pond design incorporate large boulders from the surrounding lands

The ideal Mauritian sunset viewed from the Oberoi

Can barely see Bodhinatha with sunset behind him.

Next morning, a exercise stroll down the beach outside our bungalow (no we did not stay overnight at the Oberoi)

We are in a very tranquil lagoon/bay area

A nice formation of lava rocks just a few meters from shore

Turning around and back to the bungalow….

Stepping back a few days to the last day in Malaysia, ….we meet with Muthukumaran Gunasekaran, who is interested in monastic life

Lunching with Dr. Arjunan Subramaniam and his friends at the Lotus family restaurant in Petaling Jaya. The owner of the restaurant chain sits next to Bodhinatha and a retired appeals court judge is sitting next to Saravananathaswami

Sishyas Ganesh Kanth Sivanathan and sister Nandi Devi. Ganesh Kanth stayed six months at Kauai Aadheenam back in 1995 and hopes to return soon. Nandi Devi is preparing to receive Namasivaya mantra diksha in the near future.

Sishyas Silvarajoo Muniandy with daughter Suhashini and younger son Shivakumaren

Suhashini presented Bodhinatha with some delectable homemade cake which we later shared with a youth group meeting

Santhramogan and wife Ganesammal on Bodhinatha’s right. Kailasam and wife Thanapackiam on his left.

Now it is the last day in Malaysia and we are off to the airport, but first stopping at Aravindraj Chandrasekaran’s new home to bless his new home and also conduct a simple first-feeding samskara for he and wife Renu’s 7-month-old son Jagatheeswar. He is looking bright and wondering what is about to happen.

Time for first feeding! Jagatheeswar takes to the warm food immediately.

Taking some more…

But wait….now he is trying to grab the whole spoon! A
big laugh for everyone

Next the father feeds….

And then the mother….

The happy family

Chatting with devotees at KLIA airport. And we’re off to Mauritius for a week…

Kulapati Janaka Param and Kulamata Bhavani live “out of town” up in the beautiful area of Mendocino, on the beautiful Northern California coast. Hindus are few and far between in the area, but Lord Ganesha’s Visarjana is sure to bring them together. Janaka writes:

Making their clay Ganeshas for the 2005, Casper Beach, Mendocino, Ganesha Visarjana.

Shivani Desai shows her pretty Ganesha

A close up of their colorful Ganeshas.

Posing with their Ganeshas are, from the left, Sandhydevi, Shivani and Meghana and Annika with their Amma, Kavita Kao

Puja on the beach…

Heading toward the ocean are Sarmista Patel, Ranjan Patel and Kavita Kao with Janaka and Bhavani in the backround.

Ganapathy Bappa Moriya!

A seal joined us for the Visarjana.

Enjoying Prashadam.