Desi Talk

www.desitalk.com – that’s all you need to know 4 CITY VIEWS August 2, 2024 Thousands Participate In Flushing Sai Baba Temple’s Week-Long Guru Purnima Celebrations S hri Shirdi Saibaba Temple in Flushing, NY celebrat- ed Guru Purnima with week-long programs and a ‘palaki’ yatra for the ‘Baba’. More than a thousand participants danced around the ‘palaki’ which was carried by devotees who danced and swung it from side to side to give ‘Baba’ a ‘zula’, and later went around the neighborhood from 4:00 pm to 6:00 pm on the Guru Purnima Day, Saturday, July 20, 2024. The ‘palace’ procession, called Ek Yatra drew a large number of visitors and local residents of Flushing, NY, and also representatives of different religions in a special segment of the procession. Much in the fashion of Sai Baba’s village’s Chavdi Utsav, a dancing Indian group from the State of Maharashtra, wearing ethnic attire, from Shirdi where Sai baba recided. Another attraction of the procession was a float of the replica of Dwarakamai, an abandoned run-down mosque in Shirdi where Sai baba lived. A devotee walked beside the float dressed as Sai baba in white dhoti and a scarf tied over his head. Also walking with him were devotees dressed as important friends and followers of Sai baba. The entire evening’s program was managed by the volunteers who also managed other programs and food throughout the week, said Nandakumar Thirunarayan, a trustee, to Desi Talk. All preparations at the Sai baba tem- ple for Guru Purnima were carried out by volunteers who decorated the temple’s main hall with lighted gardlands and ‘torans’, Thirunarayan said. Everything in the hall was cleaned to shining perfection. A beautiful ‘alpana’ or ‘rangoli’ was created in the entrance. Thirunarayan informed the week long program also included a discourse on Shri Shirdi Sai by Dilip Pawar, known as Pawar Kaka ji on Thursday, July 18, 2024. Pawar is a Sai devotee and scholar with 30 years of published research on Sai baba, author of ‘Bhavarth Shri Sai Satcharita’, and writer of the Indian television series ‘Mere Sai’. Other programs during the week included devotional singing, dance recitals, music and tabla performances. The Flushing temple began in a small house with few devotees, developing into an artfully constructed large temple in 2010 on Robinson Street. Built in the bungalow style, the porch of the temple has been an inviting place to all, with a big verandah with green plants. And, once you open the main doors, you are immediately face to face with an image of Sai baba inviting you in. The temple also has a kitchen and dining hall in the basement, and a conference and prayer hall on the second floor. The original image from the old temple in the house adorns a whole wall of the prayer hall. The temple has recently purchased a dwelling for the priest. A young priest, Yuvraj Gautam, conducts the many rituals of the temples. A graduate of the Gurukul, he spent three months in Baba’s seva at Shirdi, he told Desi Talk. He spoke of ‘Baba’ whom he experiences every day with great devotion and adora- tion. “Doing anything for him is a gift,” he said. He some- times likes to make the bhog by his own hands. Following the footsteps of Sai baba, the temple offers 3 free meals as prasad to any and all who come, breakfast, lunch and dinner, with a tea and snack break in the eve- ning. Roshan Bhattarai, another trustee told Desi Talk the food distribution is not planned with any financial obli- gations, and that somehow it has continued by the grace of ‘Baba’. More than a thousand meal boxes are distrib- uted free in a week by the temple which also distributes meal boxes every week in the Northern Boulevard area of Queens. The temple’s meal services were also available during the pandemic. The temple has become a valuable meal provider to many needy in Queens of any religion. Volunteers and people wanting to donate for Annadaan can get more information at the temple’s website https:// dwarakamaishirdi.org/ . The evening aarati at the temple has become an attrac- tion for many who feel the rhythm and the soft music and Marathi lyrics all contribute to creating a very devotional atmosphere. The temple regularly organizes many pro- grams and celebrations of festivals. Weekly discourses and chanting classes are held in the prayer room upstairs. By Archana Adalja Photos:CourtesyNandakumarThirunarayan The priest offers prayers and aarati with lighted lamp to the festively decorated Sai Baba and his shrine at the Sai Temple in Flushing, NY. A ‘palaki’ and Ek Yatra procession celebrating Guru Purnima on Saturday, July 20, 2024 at the Sai Temple in Flushing, NY. New Jersey Man Charged With Terrorism In Salman Rushdie Attempted Murder Case H adi Matar, 26, of Fairview, New Jersey, was ar- raigned July 24, 2024, in federal court in connec- tion with attempting to provide material sup- port to Hizballah, a designated foreign terrorist organization; engaging in an act of terrorism transcending national boundaries; and providing mate- rial support to terrorists. “We allege that in attempting to murder Salman Rush- die in NewYork in 2022, Hadi Matar committed an act of terrorism in the name of Hizballah, a designated terrorist organization aligned with the Iranian regime,” said Attor- ney General Merrick B. Garland. “The Justice Department will prosecute those who perpetrate violence in the name of terrorist groups and undermine the basic freedoms enshrined in our Constitution.” “The defendant attempted to carry out a fatwa en- dorsed by Hizballah that called for the death of Salman Rushdie — a fatwa issued in 1989 by Iran’s Ayatollah Kho- meini,” said FBI Director ChristopherWray. “Violence directed at Americans for exercising their First Amend- ment rights will never be tolerated. The FBI will work with our partners to pursue and hold accountable those who resort to violence.” “This defendant put time and effort into traveling to theWestern District of NewYork with the intent of taking the life of another,” said U.S. Attorney Trini E. Ross for theWestern District of NewYork. “Only because of the brave efforts of those who were present that day, the de- fendant was prevented from completing his murderous intention. This indictment is a result of the collaborative efforts of our investigative partners in law enforcement, which is one step towards ensuring that the defendant be held accountable for his actions.” According to the court documents and statements made by the government in court, between September 2020 and August 2022, Matar attempted to provide mate- rial support and resources to Hizballah. Matar did this by attempting to carry out a fatwa calling for the execu- tion of Salman Rushdie, which Matar understood was endorsed by Hizballah. The indictment further alleges that Matar attempted to kill and did in fact assault Rushdie. Matar was motivat- ed, in part, by a 2006 speech given by Hizballah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah, in which Nasrallah endorsed the fatwa calling for Rushdie’s death, which was origi- nally issued in 1989. If convicted, Matar faces a maximum penalty of life in prison. An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. By Justice Department Press Release Photo:Twitter @SalmanRushdie Salman Rushdie