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Nigel with Cow

Nigel, Impah and Ragavan Siva with Deepti the cow

Answered Prayers and Dietary Change Inspire Dr. Nigel Siva's Two Endowment Funds

October-November-December 2009 Newsletter


Pray to God. Do no harm. For Maryland mathematician Dr. Nigel Su­bramaniam Siva, these sentences emerge like spiritual lessons from two stories that mark turning points in his life.

Unemployed in 1983 in the city of Jaffna in Sri Lanka, he spent months painting sacred images in oil on the interior walls of the city's Kali Temple while praying for work and a new life. He had written to Prof. Robert F. Dressler in the USA where he felt his grasp of higher math would make him useful to those studying important but esoteric subjects—crystal growth in microgravity and atmospheric density currents, for example. He had heard nothing back.

And then one day a devotee at the temple said to him, "Kali has just told me that within the next ten days you will get a job." Nigel's astonishment from that pronouncement of 26 years ago still fresh in his voice, he exclaimed, "I had never told him or anyone else that I was looking for a job in America! And within ten days, I got a letter from Prof. Dressler with a job offer at the George Washington University."

This answered prayer inspired him years later to create the Jaffna Kannathiddy Kali Kovil Endowment through Hindu Heritage Endowment (HHE). The fund supports the Kali temple where the prescient devotee foresaw his new career. The fund pays for the temple's electricity and the oil for its lamps. He hopes someday the principal will be large enough that its income can also cover puja supplies. For the moment, he says, his gift keeps the light of his gratitude glowing in that sacred space were he experienced the power of prayer.

With his newfound career came travel in a new country and culture. "In the US, I was no longer practicing the Hindu tradition of vegetarianism," he said. In 1999 he became vegetarian once again. "As a Hindu, I feel that one should do no harm," he explained. He saw vegetarianism as a way of extending this belief to the animal kingdom. More than a dietary choice, it symbolizes his commitment "to do no injury to any living things or the environment." This second turning point he celebrated by starting a second fund at HHE, The Cows of Kadavul and Iraivan Temples (Kovil Maadu) Endowment. The fund provides for the care, feeding and medical needs of Kauai Hindu Monastery's cows. The fund was a way to mitigate the karma resulting from a meat-eating past, he said. "But far more important is that the fund perpetuates a very good thing. At the Kauai monastery, dairy products are used in rituals and to nourish the monks, who in turn teach Hinduism all around the world." He views the Cows Fund as a small gift with a great effect.

Dr. Siva likes the perpetual nature of endowment funds that use income only while preserving principal. He encourages others to consider establishing their own permanent funds at HHE. "When you do good things, goodness comes back to you," he observed. While his funds relate to his own life's journey, "they are not only for me. They go beyond selfishness. They are for others, and they are forever."

To learn how you can support these two endowments through a will, life insurance or other planned gifts, contact Shanmuganathaswami at 808-822-3012, extension 244 or hhe@hindu.org. Donate to these endowments (fund #77 and #78) at www.hheonline.org.

April to June Endowment Contributions

Kauai Aadheenam Monastic Endowment
Rajkumar Alagesan $US15.00
Diksha Katir 89.80
Mira Das & R. Mahalingam 250.00
Shanta Devi Periasamy 509.81
K. Lakshmi Kantha Reddy 35.00
Darma & Shivali Satgunasingam 75.00
Niraj Thaker 76.50
Other Donations 43,583.20
Total 44,651.73
Iraivan Temple Endowment
Rajkumar Alagesan 15.00
Roger & Rosemary Brown 120.00
Sharmila Ghanta-Kesavalu 50.00
Victoria Lynne Johnson 51.00
Suresh & Meena Joshi 200.00
Latha Kannan 153.00
Diksha Katir 269.50
Anonymous 1,108.00
Chiranjevi Raparla 15.00
Vijay N. Samant 50.00
Manoj Santhinikethanam 10.00
Valli Sendan 30.00
Tejasinha Sivalingam 135.51
Niraj Thaker 76.50
Raja Vishnu 75.00
Other Donations 44,205.37
Total 46,581.30
Kauai Aadheenam Annual Archana Fund
Chandrasegaran Arnasalon 32.05
Ariadasy Canagasaby 3.21
Dayananda Canagasaby 3.21
Gayavatee Canagasaby 3.21
Giradevi Canagasaby 3.21
Gunavadee Caremben 2.41
Somasundaram Caremben 2.41
Sukanta Caremben 2.41
Sharath Chigurupati 369.00
Tirunyanam Gunasegaran 17.83
Victoria Lynne Johnson 17.00
Juhivaasana Koothan 25.72
Saravan Koothan 4.75
Saroja Devi Manickam 1.00
Bhaveshan Moorghen 9.59
Shanda Kumaran Moorghen 9.59
Udeyadeva Moorghen 6.39
Subramaniam Pennathur 49.98
Kirtideva Peruman 18.99
Sridhar Rajaram 101.00
Hemavalli Sivalingam 1.67
Potriyan Sivanathan 5.59
Uma Sivanathan 80.00
Total 787.65
Hinduism Today Lifetime Subscription Fund
Yatrika Ajaya 87.50
Ravichandran Ceyon 41.00
Janava Dharmadeva 316.00
Prabin Gautam 240.00
Radha Devi Joshi Family Foundation 801.00
Souda Koothan 28.93
Malathi Nunna 800.00
Bharati Patil 80.00
Niroshnee Peruman 23.74
Apputhury Praisoody 240.00
Anonymous 597.00
Amooda Koothan 84.47
Jayasutha Samuthiran 17.70
Uma Sivanathan 126.00
Siven Veerasamy 9.64
Total 3,510.41
Hindu Businessmen's Association Trust
Paramaseeven Canagasaby 9.48
Vel Mahalingum 12.60
Manogaran Mardemootoo 47.48
Vishwanaden Moorooven 25.72
Total 95.28
Boys School for Iraivan Priesthood
Jothi Kotta 1,000.00
Kauai Aadheenam Matavasi Medical Fund
Shyamadeva Dandapani 63.00
Gowri Nadason 117.99
Vayudeva Varadan 36.00
Other Donations 4,800.00
Total 5,034.42
Naddesan Family Lord Muruga Shum Fund
Sadhunathan Nadesan 100.00
Tirunavukkarasu Nayanar Gurukulam
Anonymous 216.00
Thamby Kumaran 54.00
Tanya Martushev 250.00
Aran Sendan 108.00
Shun K. Sunder 500.00
Total 1,145.43
Kumbhalavalai Ganesha Temple Endowment
Manoharan Navaratnarajah 75.00
Hinduism Today Production Fund
Vasudeva Gokaraju 100.00
In memory of Amkujaksha Tripathy 250.00
Hiranya Gowda 93.00
Arun J. Mehta 1,000.00
Subramaniam Pennathur 50.01
Dayananda Shetty 10.00
Savithri Sundaresan 51.00
Total 1,571.44
Vishwamata Gayatri Trust Fund
Meena Chandrasekaran 12.50
Anonymous 25.00
Total 72.36
Hindu Orphanage Endowment Fund
Anonymous 123.82
Oyegun Adedeji 5.00
Rajkumar Alagesan 15.00
Jennifer Brook-Kothlow 200.00
Prabin Gautam 50.00
Sharmila Ghanta-Kesavalu 100.00
Mohan Rangan Govindaraj 25.00
Bhanumathi Guruswami 50.00
Natraj Narayanswami 63.00
Alex Ruberto 50.00
Manoj Santhinikethanam 10.00
Valli Sendan 30.00
Suresh & Lakshmi Seshan 25.00
Rodney & Ilene Standen 30.00
Hemmige D. Varadarajan 25.00
Raja Vishnu 75.00
Total 894.25
Suntheram Family Trust Fund
Ramachandran Suntheram 1,500.00
Hindu Press International Endowment Fund
Hiranya Gowda 63.00
Loving Ganesha Distribution Fund
Manoharan Navaratnarajah 75.00
Gassa Patten 900.00
Total 992.43
Saiva Agamas Trust
Ganga Sivanathan 210.00
Positive Discipline Endowment
Vinaya Alahan 158.00
Tirumular Sannidhi Preservation Fund
Shyamadeva Dandapani 63.00
Rahul Ravulapati 25.50
Total 105.93
Alaveddy Pasupatheeswarar Temple Fund
Kamal & Nirmala Kannan 25.00
Diksha Katir 89.80
Total 132.23
Hindu Heritage Endowment Administrative Fund
Victoria Foley 100.00
Prabin Gautam 50.00
Total 167.43
A. Shanmugam Family Fund
Kavitha Nagarajan 30.00
Kauai Aadheenam Religious Art and Artifacts Fund
Rajadeva Alahan 153.00
A. Saravanapavan Family Murugan Temple Pillaiyar Shrine Fund
Pathmini Saravanapavan 400.00
Thank You Bodhinatha Fund
Hotranatha Ajaya 33.00
Anonymous 2,905.00
Umesh Desai 50.00
Amarnath & Latha Devarmanai 324.00
Dasan Mahadevan 1,008.00
V. Kannan & Eileen Murthy 75.00
Manoharan Navaratnarajah 150.00
Shanta Devi Periasamy 933.19
Alex Ruberto 30.00
Annie Ruiz 51.00
Valli Sendan 20.00
Vayudeva Varadan 42.00
Raja Vishnu 75.00
Other Donations 10,507.47
Total 16,203.66
Udayan Care Endowment Fund
Meena Chandrasekaran 12.50
Anonymous 125.00
Total 154.93
Saivite Hindu Scriptural Fund for the Visually Impaired
Anonymous 108.00
Alex Ruberto 30.00
Total 155.43
Sri Chandra Madhab Debnath Endowment
Shyamal Chandra Debnath 50.00
Puri Monasteries Fund
Anonymous 25.00
Kapaleeshwara Temple Orphanage
Chiranjevi Raparla 15.00
Bala Udayakumar 50.00
Total 82.43
Pazhassi Balamandiram Orphanage Fund
Peter A. Forrest 200.00
Karnataka Temple Development Fund
Hiranya Gowda 500.00
Sri Ganesha Hindu Temple of Utah Endowment Fund
Raja Vishnu 75.00
Swami Vipulananta Children's Home Endowment Mr. Shan Ratnam
Muralidharan Murugesu 5,494.64
Hindu Literature Fund
Anonymous 111.00
Hinduism Today Complimentary Subscription Fund
Hiranya Gowda 153.00
Rajagopal Krishnan 60.00
Total 230.43
Himalayan Academy Book Distribution Fund
Shyamadeva Dandapani 63.00
Sandeep Dedage 30.00
Tejasinha Sivalingam 18.99
Total 129.42
Kauai Aadheenam Yagam Fund
Victoria Lynne Johnson 17.00
Sivakumar Saravan 2,500.00
Total 2,551.86
Yogaswami Hindu Girls' Home of Sittandy Endowment
Vinaya Alahan 475.00
Jeri Arin 300.00
Marlene Carter 162.00
Anonymous 549.00
Barbara Deggelman 50.00
Tina Desai 300.00
Anupama Krishnan 150.00
Thamby Kumaran 54.00
Tanya Martushev 250.00
Molly McSpadden 40.00
Bhavani Palani 108.00
Subramaniam Pennathur 50.01
Ananthakumar Renganathan 100.00
Ganga Sivanathan 150.00
Thambyrajah Subramaniam 30.00
Soma Sundaram 70.00
Silas H. Zirkle 300.00
Total 3,155.44
Yogaswami Hindu Boys' Home Fund
Vinaya Alahan 475.00
Kugendra Canaganayagam 20.00
Anonymous 504.00
Frederick Johnson 150.00
Anupama Krishnan 150.00
Ananthakumar Renganathan 100.00
Total 1,416.43
India Hindu Tribals Endowment
Anonymous 108.00
Niraj Thaker 15.00
Total 140.43
Murugan Temple of North America Puja Fund
Vayudeva Varadan 36.00
Saivite Tamil Foundation Endowment
Suresh Jambunathan 75.00
Ramanathaswamy Temple Cleaning Fund
Vinaya Alahan 550.00
Hiranya Gowda 99.00
Manogaran Mardemootoo 189.93
Toshadevi Nataraja 60.00
Suselah Periasamy 739.66
Anonymous 178.00
Arun Shanbhag 25.00
Ganga Sivanathan 300.00
Savithri Sundaresan 101.00
Niraj Thaker 33.00
Total 2,293.02
Hindu American Foundation Endowment
Prabin Gautam 50.00
Cindy Lillibridge 51.00
Vijay N. Samant 50.00
Niraj Thaker 33.00
Total 201.43
The Endowment for Global Hindu Rights
Prabin Gautam 50.00
Rahul Ravulapati 25.50
Total 92.93
Cows of Kadavul and Iraivan Temples (Kovil Maadu) Endowment
Azagun Marudamuthu 30.00
Manoj Santhinikethanam 10.00
Total 57.43
Insurance Premiums
Mrunal Patel 3,003.00
Kauai Aadheenam Renovation Endowment
Other Donations 600.00
All Multi-Donor Funds (Split)
K.D. & A.D. Williams 1,272.36
Total Contributions $147,250.54
Funds at Market Value, June 30, 2009
Total Endowment Funds $6,896,030.59
Total Pooled Income Funds $181,178.31
Grand Total $US7,077,208.90

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.

 
Kautiliya Fund

The Kautiliya Endowment

Provides youth scholarships for monastic or priest training at Kauai Aadheenam

Global Human Rights

The Endowment for Global Hindu Rights

Helps support the Hindu American Foundation's Hindu human rights efforts

Bodhinatha Fund

The Thank You Bodhinatha Fund

Helps provide free murthis to temples and gifts of religious books

Taos

The Taos Hanuman Fund

Helps preserve the Hanuman statue and assure that its worship is continued, generation after generation

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