Ganesh Mandir & Community Center, Houston Tx.
(Formerly Maharashtra Niwas Project)

A Volunteer from India offers his services to GM&CC
(Here are his thoughts & GM&CC's response)

 From: Shashikiran

To: Padmakar Kulkarni

Sent: Saturday, July 22, 2000 7:26 PM

Subject: In reply to your email Re: My visit to USA as Vastu Consultant.
Shri Padmakar Kulkarni HMM Building Coordinator Houston, USA.  

Dear Shri Padmakar Kulkarni,  

I am extremely happy to receive your prompt and quick reply in response to my email-letter to you about my visit to USA as Vastu Consultant.   I am also happy to know  that our Maharastrians settled in USA along with other Hindu brothers & sisters are trying their level best to preserve our culture in America by celebrating most auspicious and rich Hindu festivals like Ganesh Chaturthi, Deewali, Makar Sankrant, Gudi Padwa accompanied by Bhakti Sangeet, Indian Music, Bhavgeet, Marathi/Hindi drama programmes .  These festivals bring our Hindu  families together and create a sense of togetherness, harmoneous atmosphere and pleasure to get each other introduced.  Such events do initiate a sense of fearlessness though away from Mother country.  Children though they are nurtured and are growing in a different cultural (American) atmosphere, they do get  opportunity to get to know our Indian Culture and opportunity to hear Indian Music, to speak in Marathi or Hindi.      I am sure team members must be making arrangement  to teach our children some of the Shlokas like Shubham Karoti Kalyanam Arogyam Dhanasampada....,     Ganapati Atharvshirsha, Manache Shloka by Samarth Ramdas Swami,  Gururbrahma Gururvishnu....,  Shantakaram Bhujagashayanam  ....  etc.  Meaning of these Shlokas must also be taught to them so that they can understand the importance of these Shlokas.  I will try to bring some  books for the children and these books can be kept or distributed by our Maharashtra Mandal.   I will try to extend support in both ways.   I will inform my friends and some of the businessmen who seek consultation from me to extend financial support willingly for the proposed project.  I assure  you that I will try my level best to support for your genuine efforts to build a facility for our community and Hindus in Houston, Texas.    I do also give whole hearted positive response  to your second request for possible future consultations with me regarding the proposed building project.  It would be my pleasure to go through your drawings, assess it from Vastu point of view and give proper suggestions so as to get the project completed in time, without any hurdles and creation of harmoneous atmosphere in the proposed Vastu.  

How can  I remain myself different when  your own efforts are non-paid volunteer work  for the good, precious and noble cause ?    I declare and offer my services as Vastu Consultant without expecting any Consultation Fee from Maharashtra Mandal for its  project "Maharashtra Niwas"  which would comprise of a Ganesh Temple and a Community Center in its complex.   Dear Padmakar, you will also be happy to know that ISKON Mauritius have sought my consultation and I did declare on my own at the meeting of Hare Krishna devotees & ISKON management that it is His wish that I should get associated with the ISKON Hare Krishna Temple Project and hence I am not going to take any Consultation Fee  for the creation of His House.   There was a grand and big applause from devotees on hearing my declaration.  However, the Secretary of ISKON Committee got up appreciating my gesture came from the heart and said that though Shashikiran has declared so, the ISKON has decided  to bear expenses for his To & Fro Air-ticket whenever he visits Mauritius for the Project work.       

This announcement reached the ears of Dr. Sharma - First Secretary of Indian High Commission through one of the devotees.   And Dr. Sharma invited me for dinner at his residence in appreciation.  How can I forget this sort of honour and gesture received from an Indian Official ?   Here with I attach

Photographs taken at Mauritius.

I hope you will be happy to know the kind of person I am in the service for the good cause.  I take more pleasure and  feel happy when I see my clients are prospering after implementation of my suggestions.   More through next email, since I have now got to do some work. Convey my warm regards to other members of Houston Maharashtra Mandal.

 With warm regards,

Yours faithfully,  

SHASHIKIRAN VAZE - Vastu Consultant

        ----- Original Message -----

From: Padmakar Kulkarni

To: Shashikiran

Sent: Friday, July 21, 2000 11:28 PM Subject: Re: My visit to USA as Vastu Consultant.
>      Dear Shashikiran,
>      Thanks for your e-mail. We appreciate your interest in the Maharashtrian community residing outside India.
>      We have for last 25 years preserved and promoted our culture and our teachings. When we speak to non-Indians we consider us to be the
>      ambassadors of India and Maharashtra.
>     
>      Two years back we conducted an extensive feasibility study for so called "Maharashtra Niwas" which would include a Ganesh temple and a
>      community center. The HMM directors, trustees unanimously approved our recommendation to build the facility in phases. The general membership approved our recommendation with overwhelming majority.
>      HMM has now obtained U.S. non-profit, tax exempt status so that any
>      donations are tax deductible. We now can appeal our friends for
>      donations so we can build facility of our dreams.
>     
>      We will count on friends from India and elsewhere to support us in
>      this major project. We believe that each donation is significant, no
>      matter how small or big the sum is.
>     
>      I request your support in two ways:
>     
>      Let your family and friends know about our efforts in preserving our
>      culture in America. Towards this we celebrate all Maharashtrian
>      festivals including Ganesh Chaturthi, Deewali, Sankrat and Gudi Padwa.
>      In addition we celebrate Maharashtra Day.
>     
>      We also have various cultural programs throughout the year such as
>      Bhakti-Ganga, Bhavageet, children programs, Marathi dramas by local
>      artists as well as artists from Maharashtra and classical music
>      programs.
>     
>      We request your goodwill and supports for our efforts to build a
>      facility of our own in Houston, Texas.
>     
>      The second request is possible future consultations with you regarding
>      the building project. We would like to let you see our drawings for
>      your valuable input.
>     
>      Since our own efforts are non-paid volunteer work, we would like to
>      request your kind consideration in offering your services towards the
>      cause described above.
>     
>      If you will keep us in touch with us thru e-mails we will feel very
>      obliged.
>     
>      I will read your e-mail in our building committee meeting on July 27,
>      2000.
>     
>      Thanks for your interest and please keep in touch. We are constantly
>      updating our website so please do check often.
>     
>     
>      Padmakar Kulkarni
>     
>      HMM Building Coordinator
>     
>     
>
>
> ______________________________ Reply Separator _________________________________
> Subject: My visit to USA as Vastu Consultant.
> Author:  "Shashikiran"
> Date:    7/21/00 9:31 AM
>
>
> Vastu Consultants
>     
> Dear Mr Padmakar Kulkarni,   
>     
> I have visited Houston Maharashtra Mandal's site where from I could get your
> email address when I opened Maharashtra Niwas & Ganpati Temple Project page.
>  I decided to write  to you and inform you of my visit.  Perhaps yourself or
> our Mandal or your friends may require to get their establishment corrected
> as per Vastushastra and extract positive movement and progress in their
> field of interest.
>     
> I have slightly postponed my visit to USA since my client (who has invited
> me to correct his factory and his other commercial establishment) from San
> Jose has requested me so, since he will be out of San Jose from 1st August
> to 20th August and as such I will now be visiting USA in the  4th week of
> August .  I will let you know the date of my arrival in San Jose  and on
> reaching there,  I will try to contact you  over phone.  Please furnish me
> your Mobile/Telephone Number and Address. 
>     
> I  have in my itinery Santa Cruz, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Oklahama City,
> Kansas, Dallas, Houston, Roanoke, Detroit, Philadelpia  and New York at the
> moment.   However, itinery can be slightly modified depending upon my other
> clients (that are spread all over USA) repsonse and if they want me to visit
> their home, house, factory or their commercial establishments to see whether
> they have implemented my suggestions properly.  Many of them have already
> been experiencing positive movement in their business and or at home after
> implementation of some of my suggestions and as such they want me to visit
> their other Establishments to correct them from Vastu point of view.
> Accordingly the present visit programme is prepared.
>     
> On receipt of their messages, there can slightly be some change in the
> itinery, otherwise this preliminery intinary is confirmed.
>     
> If you or your friends wish to take advantage  of my visit to correct their
> residence or establishment, please inform me by email so that I can include
> your town.    Let us see how the things move.
>     
> With warm regards.
> Yours faithfully,
> SHASHIKIRAN VAZE - Vastu Consultant
>     
> -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
>       Vastu Consultants 
>        Extracting Prosperity, Progress & Peace through application of the
> tenets & rules of Vastushastra giving Guaranteed Results if suggestions are
> implemented in true spirit. 
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------
>       To give proper & most effective Vastu Consultation to Industries,
> Factories, Commercial establishment and Bungalows, Residential premises so
> that inhabitants will lead towards Prosperity, achieve Progress and attain
> Peace. Vastushastra is a Perfect Result Oriented Science.
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------
>       For more details, please visit us also at:
>       http://www.myfreeoffice.com/vastushastra Our Services: 
>           a.. Vastu Consultancy to Industries
>           b.. Vastu Consultancy to Factories
>           c.. Vastu Consultancy to Commercial Establishments
>           d.. Vastu Consultancy to Bungalows, Flats etc.

>       Shashikiran Vaze  
>       2nd flr, Waknis Bldg, Mugbhat street,
>       Bombay - 400004, Maharashtra, INDIA
>       Tel : +91 22 3862381 
>       Fax : +91 22 3862381