An overcast morning, cool for late August, and so all enjoyed a cool breeze blowing through the temple as the homa fires were lit. It's Lord Ganesha's birthday, and the day we send Him off, saying farewell. Small clay icons were brought to the temple, and after the ceremony they were all paraded to the river, a walk of about 500 feet down the steep steps through the ferns to the Nani Kaua pond below. There they were blessed and then Kumar and Sivananda Katir took the small bamboo raft out into the deep waters and immersed the images, as is the tradition. Good by, Ganesha. See you next year!

One of the very special moments in the temple today was the entrance of Ananta Palani into the monastery for a six-month stay as Upakurvana. Ananta has just completed high school (with honors) and before he sets sail into his career life will spend these months serving and studying, learning and meditating and absorbing the Grace of the Satguru. He is enormously adept with computers, and design and the web look for an example of his work in the Kauai Resorts ad in the December issue of the magazine, a two-page color ad that is stunning, and will be a great asset. Welcome, Ananta! [That's him in the photos with the shaven head which Gurudeva blessed by covering with sandlewood paste.]

After the parade we all had prasadam with Gurudeva in the brick courtyard, then off to our seva. Today is ZIP Day in the Hinduism Today editorial offices, a special day each month when articles, art and photos all come together [kind of a pre-deadline for production.]

Jothi Sendan brought a special gift this morning, a RED SANDLEWOOD tree for our gardens. Thank you, Jothi. He just won a wondeerful honor, first prize in the antherium contest at the local plant show. It was the first time he had entered, and he won best in the show. Many who were there and who have tried for years and years thought it was, well, a bit unfair. We don't! We know Jothi deserves this little honor, and that many more lie ahead.

It's also Hasta nakshatra, so be prepared for a little sharpness in all encounters and communications.

Here is Ganapati, a wonderful one sent by Loganathan and Yatrika Shivam from LA [they sell them in their Koan shop there]. And that's the Wailua River behind Him, with the natural rock pond and waterfalls. It was in that pond that this morning we all released Ganesha into the water.

Ekadanta Kulam News
Each day we start by meeting with Gurudeva, Paramacharya Bodhinatha and Sannyasin Shanmuganathaswami in the Orchid Mandapam to go over the "karmas of the day." Today we read about Sannyasin Murugaswami's overnight stay at Kulapati Mardemootoos in Mauritius. They planned out to Yogaswami youth retreats to be held in the next year in the island's hotels.

Then the kulam staff, Rajkumar and Brahmachari Nilakantha, sent out some literature packages and updated names, addresses and phone numbers our monastery database, called Akasha Danta. Since May 1st we have sent 1867 e-mails to the monks, students and members. Today we sent 40 e-mails.

Sivakatirswami is busy with his editorial duties today. He is now handling four pages now: Minister's Message, My Turn, letters to the editor and the "Vision Page" either Women of Vision or Men of Vision page. He also compiled the HOT MASALA section of Today at Kauai Aadheenam. Discussions continue with our printer on the new "computer to plate" technology. We are already 100% compatible for this, having made our magazine 100 % digital from the beginning. He observed today after Acharya Palaniswami took a photo with our super new digital camera, "That image will go to press without having seen thru a single piece of film!"

Dancing with Siva is selling quite well, and we are putting in an order to reprint. More than 3,000 were sold within a year, and we are all out.

We're continuing to work on wrapping up the November issue, which has a major feature on astrology and an insight section on nakshatras. People will really enjoy the fine art which A. Manivel is creating of the solar system and the nakshatra/zodiac signs--both will be spectacular! All is humming in the "Press Shop" as we plow through "Jaz phase," our deadline week. Today we worked on pulling together the Diaspora page for the November HT issue.

Some great news, such as the re-opening after many years of civil strife of an ancient, large Hindu temple in Cambodia, a 10-foot statue of Vivekananda being unveiled in Chicago, and Tibetan mandala creation drawing thousands at the Sackler Gallery in Washington D.C. The Hinduism Today team is working hard to finish the writing for all their pages for the November issue. We pulled together about 13 news reports for our Briefly page. One news item is that the United Arab Emirates has banned cremation. That puts the tiny nation's 300,000 Hindus in a tough position!