Fund Honoring Late Wife Gives Solace to Husband

October-November-December 2008 Newsletter

Selvanathan Jothiswarar of Kuala Lumpur felt profoundly conflicted when his late wife's insurance check arrived after her death in August of 2007 at the young age of 37.

"I just didn't know what to do," he recalls. "I had a loved one who had sacrificed everything for my sake," he said of his wife Rani. "It felt grossly unfair just to take the death benefit. I thought I should use the benefit to do what my wife loved most doing: giving."

She was remarkably responsive to needy individuals and good causes, he explained. "She would insist on my giving as much as we could, even if it meant depleting our savings or pawning her jewelry. If I hesitated, she would always say, 'It's OK if we are deprived of our wants. But a needy person or a noble cause should never be deprived of funds.' Every time we gave, I could see great satisfaction in her face."

With that image in mind, Selvanathan used the insurance proceeds to establish the Rani Jothiswarar Memorial Fund at the Hindu Heritage Endowment. But he still had to define the Fund's purpose.

"I discussed the fund with our Satguru Bodhinatha of Kauai's Hindu Monastery. Swami replied that the insurance proceeds could be used to maintain the retreat facilities for the monks on Kauai. I agreed. Our scriptures clearly say our monks must help keep the physical and inner world equilibrium. But it is the responsibility of the grihasthas, the families, to take care of the monks' material needs."

His family's relationship with Satguru Bodhinatha Veylanswami goes back to 2001 when Bodhinatha came to Ulu Behrang, Malaysia, shortly after becoming Kauai's Hindu Monastery's leader. "The first temple Kumbabhishekam which Bodhinatha presided over in Malaysia was the Ulu Behrang Ganesha temple where my father presided," Mr. Jothiswarar remembers.

"Swami blessed our home, too. From the day Rani was diagnosed with cancer, we were in touch with Swami almost every day by e-mail explaining her condition and seeking his prayers and guidance. There were frequent occasions where certain painful situations were overcome by Satguru's prayers. So when Rani left, I sought his advice on setting up a fund."

Selvanathan found that establishing the fund (fund #72) was more than a tribute to his wife. It was a salve to his grief. He encourages others to talk to their loved ones about what they want done in their memory when the time comes. That kind of frank discussion, he urged, though difficult, "will allow us to have the satisfaction of knowing we have done what pleases our loved one the most." He added that a gift supporting his Hindu faith was particularly comforting.

"As we suffer the grief of a great loss, the only bastion available is our religion," he shared. "We must make sure we offer the material help needed for our faith to live on and on, helping every Hindu overcome the moment of loss and grief."

An engineer by profession, Mr. Jothiswarar lives with his two children, Siva Jothiswary, 14, and Kodiswara, 10, and now works as an astrologer in Kuala Lumpur. He travels north on alternate days to Ulu Behrang, Perak, to assist his father, a Hindu priest and astrologer, with the Ganesha Temple prayer services.

April to July Endowment Contributions

MISSION STATEMENT

Hindu Heritage Endowment is a publicly supported, charitable organization recognized as tax exempt by the IRS on April 22, 1994. Employer ID 99-0308924. Founded by Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami, its philanthropic mission is to provide secure, professionally managed financial support for institutions and religious leaders of all lineages of Sanatana Dharma.

PROFESSIONAL ADVISORS

Halbert/Hargrove, Investment Counsel; Sonoda & Isara, LLP, CPA. HHE is a member of the Council on Foundations, an association of more than 2,000 foundations which interprets relevant law and management and investment principles, and of the National Committee on Planned Giving, the voice and professional resource for the gift planning community.

I want to participate. Where should I Send My Donation?

You may send your gift to an existing fund, create a new Endowment or request information through the address below.

Donations may be made online at www.hheonline.org or use the HHE tear-out card in the HINDUISM TODAY magazine to join our family of benefactors who are Strengthening Hinduism Worldwide. Thank you.