The holiday “river” of guests, that reached close to 700 people in a 10-day period, has abated.

We have no more pictures from the Aadheenam today. We bring you more insights on the situation in Sri Lanka and the next series of photos from Bodhinatha’s Himalayan Academy Study Retreat in Malaysia.

Here he is on December 24… being grandly greeted at the Sitiawan Ganesha Temple evening program in Perak.

Photos taken last year: Orphans of the Thirunavukkarasu Nayanar Gurukulam orphanage parading into their new building for the first time on a monsoon day.

Today we received good news indeed….

Yesterday on TAKA we shared Commander Ram’s short note on our orphanage near Batticaloa and offered our prayers for the boys there. That note sparked new optimism on Kauai, and the monks reached out into the US and Canadian Sri Lankan immigrant community, searching for eyewitness news of the orphans, something reliable. This morning we heard, through a Canadian relative of a cell-phone savvy resident in the boys’ town, that most of the boys have indeed escaped, running to higher ground just in time.

Three of the orphans were lost, and the leader of the facility, Mr. Swaminatha Thambiah, survived, but sustained serious injuries while saving the boys and is recovering in the local hospital. It is assumed that the orphanage buildings and grounds took heavy damage, if not demolished, but that will all be rebuilt in the months ahead.

This photo is of older boys eating in the traditional Sri Lankan way.

Orphans worshipping together in the morning in an open pavilion on the grounds.

Devotees have been contacting us to ask if they could help to provide relief for the surviving orphans of the orphanage in Batticaloa that had for so many years been one of Gurudeva’s cherished charities. By the way, the official name of the orphanage is the Thirunavukkarasu Nayanar Gurukulam of Sri Lanka.

The answer is yes, you can help them. For this, we have opened a small special fund, and you can donate to it. Send your check to the address below in the name of the Sri Lanka Refugee Relief Fund, and on the description line write “Orphanage.” These finds will be specifically given as aid and reconstruction of the Thirunavukkarasu Nayanar Gurukulam orphanage. Mail to:

SLRRF
Kauai’s Hindu Monastery
107 Kaholalele Road
Kapaa, Hawaii 96746-9304

For general, all-island support and aid, please use the TRO (Tamil Relief Organization) on our list of agencies, at http://www.hindu.org/aid-relief/ which today has been updated with more options.

We continue with coverage of the retreat… Day 3, December 24 2004:

The Five states of Mind, Lord Muruga and Lord Shiva were among the topics discussed in today’s session for teachers and newcomers.

Yoginathaswami gave a small test to the participants to see if they remembered what was discussed in the previous two sessions. Most of them did remember them very well.

Organizers setting the names of the participants on the tables… one way to get them to mingle with others…

One more session on Lord Siva followed, before the break and all participants were allowed to go to the sea for a plunge. Here we have Meena and Dhanika Nagalingam taking a break near the pool…

Dhaniya and Premila Ponniah seems to be having a lot of fun in the pool…

As their parents watch over them…

“A Taka Moment!” Satguru, Yoginathaswami and Yogi
Japendranatha at the lobby , waiting to adjourn for the Ganesha Temple Program at Sitiawan, Perak.

Participants from Johor, Madhu and Omana Narayan

A big contingent of sishya and students from Singapore, who sponsored the entire meal the next day…

At the Sitiawan Ganesha temple program, Bodhinatha gives a short speech on Lord Ganesha, translated into Tamil by Kulapati Appasamy Kuppusamy.

Back for dinner at the resort…

Also dining with us, Dharmaraj Ramasamy (3 years
old), from Johor Bharu. He was the youngest of all our participants who spanned 3 generations.