Sacramento
Brahmans Celebrate
India
Day at a Picnic
HIGHLIGHTS
OF EVENTS
(Written
By Abhaya N Maharaj- The Founding Chapter President)
To
see the photos of this event please click below:
Sacramento
picnic photos
The BSNA Sacramento Chapter
Brahmans gathered at a picnic at Elk Grove Park on Monday, September 6th,
2010, to celebrate sixty third year of India’s independence from the British.
The following is a summary of what transpired at the picnic:
1. Shri Madan Lal Sharma, the
Vice-President of Sacramento Chapter warmly welcomed over 120 plus attendees on
behalf of the Chapter President Shri Manohar Ratti.
Many of the attendees were new and had gathered at the lakeside setting,
and the gushing fountains of the beautiful
Elk
Grove
Public
Park
to mark the end of summer and to celebrate the 63rd year of
India
’s freedom from the shackles of the British Raj.
2. The occasion was very special
because a very distinguished guest, Shri Nirmal Choubey, the founder of BSNA,
and its first elected president, graced the occasion. He was also here in the
capacity of the founding president of the World Brahman Federation (WBF), an
organization that was founded by the BSNA at the
Valley Forge
,
Pennsylvania
, in the year 2000 as an umbrella organization to help Brahman organizations
address some of their challenges on a global basis. The first World Brahman
Convention sponsored by the BSNA was held at the Radisson Hotel in
Valley Forge
,
PA.
Several overseas organizations; from several states of India, Nepal, United
Kingdom and other places were represented in large numbers to inaugurate the
first World Brahman Convention .
Mr. Madan Lal
Sharma welcomed and introduced Shri Choubeyji to the members and requested him
to speak to them. Sharmaji provided the historical perspective and the
unbreakable bond that exists between the two organizations. He invited the
audience to join the WBF and become part of the international Brahman community
that is well rooted in the
North America
. Shri Choubeyji outlined how
Sacramento Chapter was founded at the residence of Shri Abhaya Nand Maharaj in
1997 and how the Chapter grew into one of the most successful Chapters so
quickly. So much so, to his admiration that the Sacramento Chapter hosted a
world class convention in 1999, even though at the time it was the newest
Chapter among some 25 Chapters nationwide. He went on to describe the work he is
currently involved in the WBF, which is mainly to solidify the gains made in the
last ten years and then expand further. The
return of the BSNA to its rightful place within WBF is at the top of his agenda,
now that the BSNA has withdrawn its membership from the WBO, a defunct
organization. Shri Choubeyji
emphasized that some of us who were active ten years ago are no longer young
anymore and soon the younger generation will have to take the leadership role of
running both the BSNA and the WBF. He expressed hope that the younger generation
will co-operate and will be ready to take the helms so that we can retire
peacefully. He thanked everyone for inviting him and how happy he was to be
there to meet many familiar faces and also meet many new families. He wished
everyone an enjoyable time at the picnic.
3. Sharmaji then introduced Swami
Vanvari Lal Maharaj, a well-known musician, who was visiting from Vrindavan;
India
. Swamiji reminded all those present the importance of Brahmans to the
community. He emphasized that for Hinduism to flourish it was necessary for the
Hindu community to honor three things, namely, Brahmans, the Tulsi plant and the
care and preservation of the Gau Mataa. He asked Brahmans to work for the
benefit of the community at large.
4. Shri Abhaya N. Maharaj requested
Swami Vanvari Maharajji to present an award on behalf of Sacramento Chapter to
one of our founding members, Dr. Tej N. Pandey, who was also invited to grace
the occasion, for his exemplary service to the community in various capacities
at the Chapter and also at the Corporate level since the founding of the
Chapter. Both Pandeyji and his wife,
Raginiji, thanked the members profusely for the surprise recognition of their
service to the community.
5. Shri Madan Lal Sharma objected to
the BSNA corporate plan to hold a regional convention in
Las Vegas
to which non-Brahmans and non-members were invited. He emphasized that the
casinos do not provide a suitable venue for us to impart our values to our
children. He stressed that BSNA was founded for Brahman families.
He vociferously objected to the idea of allowing non-Brahmans,
non-members to participate in Brahman functions. The idea of organizing a
convention at a casino in
Las Vegas
was reprehensible and will not be tolerated. The members unanimously agreed to
his objections.
6. Pundit
Om
Sharma led the recital of prayers for the welfare of Our Motherland and all of
mankind. He explained the importance of Brahmans to the community, and then
began the recital of
India
’s National Anthem followed by the songs that imbibed the glory of
India
. Everyone, young and old, and those in between, enthusiastically joined in. It
was indeed so awesome to hear the members, particularly the ladies, sing so
well. It definitely evoked true feelings of love of the Matribhoomi in every
heart. It is regretted that we did not have enough time to continue singing a
little longer. Concluding this segment, Shri Abhaya N. Maharaj outlined some of
the remarkable achievements of Hindu majority of secular
India
in such a short span of democracy, and how much
India
has to offer to this world compared to that of
Pakistan
, a country that was carved out of
India
in 1947. A poverty stricken country
that was considered the world basket case is now the world’s fourth largest
economy. There was a message for the
young not to abandon
India
no matter how distant it seemed to them.
7. Everyone was treated with snacks,
soft drinks, fruit salad and a sumptuous hot lunch that was cooked on site. The
lunch was truly delicious. Children participated in various sports activities
that strengthened their bond with fellow Brahmans. Raffle tickets were
distributed to each family. Each family won a prize that was loaded with gifts
that will be valuable to every household.
8. The Chapter President, Shri
Manohar Ratti, thanked everyone who had worked to make this program a grand
success, particularly to Shri Vinod K. Sharmaji for organizing this function,
almost single-handedly. He was grateful to Shri Kamal Rattiji, Shri Harish Raiji,
Shri Madan Lal Sharmaji, Shri Baldev Sharmaji, Ms. Seema Ratti, Pt. Om Sharma
and Shri Abhaya N. Maharaj for their help, as well as, everyone else who had
taken time out to attend the picnic on a long weekend. He was very thankful to
Shri Choubeyji and to Swamiji for their attendance and for words of
encouragement to our Chapter. Our treasurer, Shri Baldev Sharmaji seconded and
thanked the President Shri Manohar Ratti for his help and guidance in making all
this possible.
Thanks to everyone else who we may have missed inadvertently for their part in
helping this picnic succeed. Special thanks to all those respected Brahman
families who participated and made the day so enjoyable. The picnic was a grand
success indeed. Without your presence and participation it wouldn’t have
happened. The organizers are very thankful to the membership for their
co-operation.
If you have any suggestions
please contact the general Secretary, Shri Vinod Sharma, for implementation next
time. Your input is essential and is expected. Already the organizing board has
begun planning the next event.
Acknowledgements:
The editor is indebted to Dr.Tej Narayan Pandey for graciously furnishing
pictures of the picnic. Also,
to Ms. Seema Ratti for being the expert photographer.
