Hindu Samaj of Hamilton and Region

Minutes of the Special Board Meeting called on August 20, 2006 at the Temple.

Board Members Present: Ram Kamath, Perumal Rajaram, Romi Sareen, Shikha Sareen, Shammi Gandhi, Indu Singh, Naresh Sinha, Subhash Dighe, Rakesh Sharma, Ajay Sharma, Mahendra Deonarain

Regrets: Abha Gosain, Rita Varma, Mani Subramanian, Lalita Kumar

In Attendance: Vinod Kapoor

The meeting was called to order at 7:15 pm followed by prayers by Subhash.

This special Board meeting was called to address the following two issues before taking them to a General Body Meeting : (1) What should we do with the Old Ganesha? (2) Should the Temple take a mortgage?

There was a healthy discussion on the situation surrounding the Old Ganesha. Some devotees were not comfortable with the present situation of the Old Ganesh. It was made clear that visarjan was done on this Old Ganesha and so this old Ganesha was not a murti for worship but that it was a powerful symbol against hate crime. Old Ganesha remains a big part of our history and that we should use this relic to optimize our struggle against hate crime. After a lengthy discussion, Ram moved that the Old Lord Ganesha be installed in the East corner room of the Library area, on the West side of the stairs, and be viewed as an artifact. It was seconded by Subhash. There was a vote and it passed unanimously.

All Board members present pledged to explain to other members the fact that this Old Ganesha is not a murti for worship but that it was a symbol in our struggle to fight hate crime.

On the issue of Mortgage for the Temple, Vinod Kapoor felt confident that he would raise a substantial amount of money to pay down the debt. He felt that it was possible to pay off the line of credit and other debts in a short time. With this level of commitment in mind, Ram moved that the Temple should ask ICICI to continue processing the application for the mortgage but that the Temple should put the actual execution of the mortgage on hold until Vinod completes his fundraising drive. Seconded by Dr. Sinha. There was a lengthy discussion on the pros and cons after which the motion was put to vote. It passed unanimously.

During the discussion, Subhash reminded the Board that there were plans for an “Endowment Fund” and this item could have significant impact in future fundraising drive.

Also, the Board learned that Mr. Karn Malhotra, our Past President, was offering his legal services free of charge for the paper work in connection with these transactions.

Vinod stressed that funds collected from the Silver Donors should be kept in a separate account and used solely for the intended purpose…. Regular maintenance.

Ram moved that Tulsi Shaadi be celebrated on November 5, 2006 and that Mr. Naresh Singh be in charge. Seconded by Shikha. It was voted on and the motion passed unanimously.

Ram moved that a Founding Member Plaque be prepared for the Hindu Samaj. Seconded by Shikha. It was voted on and passed unanimously.

The Board was informed that the Bengali Community was unhappy with the fact that their planned event of September 23^rd clashed with a Wedding scheduled on the same day at the Temple. However, it seemed that the Bengali Community was late in informing the Temple about their event. In future, the Temple would try to keep this day open for them.

Subhash informed the Board about the unique situation at our Temple where the eight plaques (Ashtha Vinayaka) relating to Ganesha are being displayed.

The Meeting adjourned at 8:15 pm.