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HMEC 2017 Press Release v0924FP
The twelfth HMEC was held in Indianapolis, Indiana at the Waterfront Hotel from September 15 to 17, 2017. In the past 11 years, averages of 100+ temples have participated across North America and Caribbean in HMEC. The conference sessions were well received by delegates from USA, Canada, Caribbean, and India.
This year, there were over 30 Grand Hosts and Co-Hosts of the conference mainly from USA and Canada. Some 200 adult and youth delegates drawn from over 70 organizations and 4 countries participated in the conference.
The theme for the conference was: “Hindu Temples and Institutions: Challenges of the 21st Century.”
Following the conference, subsequent action items will be worked on actively in 2017/2018:
1. Hindu Seva Day – Seva in America – Vallabha Tantry, MN, Laxmi Bhamidipati, TX
2. Visitor’s Guide for Mandirs – Chandra Reddy, IN
3. Common BV resources for core teachings – Coalition of Hindu Youth (CHY)
4. Form a committee to work on HMEC Sanatan Dharma Seva Ratna award.
5. Temple Construction, Operations and Management – Venkat S,MD; Anil Bajpai, IN
6. Media interaction – Fred Stella,MI; Aesha Mehta, DC, Aditya Lingampally, CA
7. Temple By Laws, Legal Implications – Vijay Reddy, IN
8. Exec. Leadership Development – Madhu Sharma,NC
9. Chaplaincy Program – Shama Mehta, HUA
10. Hindu Family Support Service frame work – Nainan Desai, FL
11. The Bhagvad Gita Sanatan Dharma Scholarship for School students, Harsh Dave, FL
Testimonials:
“I find HMEC conferences a great place for individuals/ Organizations affiliated with Sanatana Dharma come together. It is literally “Hinduism in action” with lot of strategic and tactical planning. A must- attend event for everyone involved in community service.”- Vallabha Tantry, MN
“HMEC as an amazing experience especially after going to one last year. It was eye opening to see the whole process of creating event from the ground up. I am honored to have been invited back as an intern, allowed to participate in planning the youth sessions and the conference as a part of the local team. It was incredible to see how young adults from different age groups could have similar experiences and viewpoints. I am ecstatic to attend future HMECs.” – Nina Jain, Hindu Temple of Central Indiana youth group, IN
“It was a great pleasure to be in the 12th HMEC Annual conference. I had tears in my eyes as I felt I was in “Bharat” among my own people.” – Acharya Dharmendra Sharma, came from New Delhi to attend HMEC.
“Attending HMEC 2017 was a remarkable experience. Had an opportunity to interact with the Hindu brothers and sisters from all over the continent and share/learn experiences in building, maintaining and operating temples.” – Tirupati Bolisetti, Ontario Canada
Source: World Hindu News (WHN)