INDIA POST NEWS SERVICE

Hundreds attend inauguration of new Chinmaya Center

TUSTIN: "Look at your life as a whole and live your whole life," averred Swami Tejomayananda, spiritual head of Chinmaya Mission worldwide at the inauguration ceremony for the Mission's new center 'Mithila' in Tustin on Saturday.

More than 500 devotees turned up for the ceremony including Mayor of Tustin city Lou Bone and Anaheim city councilman Harry Sidhu. Mayor Bone presented a certificate of recognition to Swami Tejomayananda on the occasion.

The Mission had been looking for space to set up a new center since three years as they had outgrown their previous facilities in Anaheim. The two-storied center cost over a million dollars according to resident acharya Swami Ishwarananda.

About 7,000 square feet in built-up area, Mithila will host meditation and stress management seminars, the Mission's Bala Vihars and cultural events for the Indian community in Orange County.

The center is named after the birthplace of Goddess Sita from Ramayana and will house the deities of Lord Rama, Sita, Lakshmana and Hanuman. The three-foot tall bronze images were specially sculpted in India by master craftsmen for the center.

Chinmaya Mission runs about five centers in California, including Mithila, and three in Southern California. The Mission scouted 36 properties before settling on the Tustin location.

There were two advantages of selecting this center, said Dr Iyer. "It used to house a church before so we didn't have to worry about getting a permit and secondly it's a central location for the Indian community here."

Dr Iyer added that they needed lot of rooms to conduct their Bala Vihars and also a central hall to hold festivals and religious celebrations. Mithila was the perfect choice with ample parking, room to grow and a progressive city government of Tustin which welcomed the center.

"It fits our budget and physical requirements perfectly," he said. A 1920s construction, Mithila was modified to fit the Mission's needs after a brief history as an industrial godown as well as a church. A team of structural engineers worked on removing columns in the central hall, putting in doors and windows and sprucing it up for the Mission to move in. Funds for the new facility were mostly raised through donations, some loans from a community bank and money collected through the Mission's activities. A plan to start a social support program for battered women at the new hub is also in the pipeline.

Other plans include setting up a center for seniors to meet and receive free health advice, a youth cell and yoga classes. For 23-year-old Swetha Bharadvaj, a recent graduate from UC San Diego, the center represents possibilities of more young people visiting and getting involved with the center.

Toddlers and young kids milled around while parents renewed social ties and fulfilled religious duties. But as Bharadvaj pointed out there's a whole generation of high school and college kids who were missing there.

"It's exciting for me to have a center like this - a great space for all of us CHYKs to get together," referring to the Chinmaya Yuva Kendra members.
But she admits she's disappointed with the low turnout of her peers for the inauguration festivities.

However, the location of the center might draw students from universities in Riverside, San Diego and Irvine and she's hoping that Mithila might be able to bring some of those students in its fold.
Swami Tejomayananda also received the Hindu Renaissance award as a token of recognition from Hindusim Today, a well-respected magazine. Swamiji was pleasantly surprised to receive the honor: "I see recognition for the entire Chinmaya Mission in that award." He has written commentaries on scriptural texts and several books among which a key contribution is the paper titled 'Hindu Culture: An Introduction.' The text has been adopted in some American high schools for its clear description of the basic tenets of the religion.