The Hindu Temple Society of North America

From The Peopling of New York City

Ganesh Temple [1]

While examining the policies, programs, and institutions that promote a shared sense of community in Flushing, it is impossible to ignore religious institutions. They seem to be everywhere. On Saturday, April 5th, a classmate and I visited the Hindu Temple Society of North America. It was the first Hindu temple established in North America in 1977, located on Bowne Street between Holly Avenue and 45th Avenue. We spoke with administrative staff member and former priest Ganapathy Padmanahban and dance instructor Mathy Pillai about the temple and the surrounding community. We gained valuable information through our interactions.

Mr. Padmanabhan kindly showed us around the prayer hall of the temple, pointing out various altars, deities, and offerings, and describing customs. He then answered a few questions. One thing he mentioned is that priests must be trained in India. Then they can find work in the U.S. It is sometimes a communication problem to get them green cards because U.S. government is not familiar with this Hindu custom/rule. This position is not sought after. One must really want to do it because it will not bring money.

Mathy Pillai [2]

There are two halls in the community center of the temple mainly used for weddings. These are rented out not only for traditional Hindu weddings but also cross-cultural marriages, including Muslims, Christians, etc. There is an auditorium that seats 700 people, and a cafeteria that serves and caters traditional Indian, vegetarian cuisine.

When asked if language was an issue, Mr. Padmanabhan said that it was not, as long as people spoke various Indian dialects or English, but the temple does not have services for those who speak Spanish, Korean, Chinese, etc.

The devotees who attend the temple are mostly those from the community, but people travel to it on the weekends, for example, Mathy Pillai lives and teaches dance in New Jersey but commutes to the temple on Saturdays to teach dance from 11:30am to 5pm.

Dance classes are only one among many services the temple offers its community. Based on conversation and information from pamphlets and flyers I discovered that the temple offers all kinds of instruction in the arts from guitar and piano, to dance, to voice, to drums. There are Saturday classes for SAT preparation; almost a hundred students are enrolled them. All of these are available at a cost. This is an additional source of income for the temple, so it benefits both the community in what they get out of it, and it helps sustain the temple. This is a perfect example of how the temple acts in its own interest while also looking out for the interest of others.

Mr. Padmanabhna said that Indians are not very involved in local politics, but he does not see this as a problem.

We then spoke to Mathy Pillai. Ms. Pillai was born in Sri Lanka, went to high school and college in New York City, but still strongly identifies with her culture. She said that she feels at home in Sri Lanka and the U.S. Both India and the US are her country. She teaches Indian expressive dance at the temple on Saturdays. She said the different hand motions are like sign language. Each motion represents a certain thing known by all, so the devotees can watch a dance and know the idea that is being communicated and then close their eyes and meditate on its meaning when the dancer leaves.

We also spoke with he daughter who is in 6th grade. When asked what her classmates do not understand about her and her culture she answered that they do not know the meaning of her dance, and even when she teaches the movements they cannot move with the same fluidity. Also, they wondered why she wears so much jewelry. This is an Indian custom meant to detract the eye of a person from the person to the jewelry as protection against the evil eye or other such superstitions.

Being a woman in the US is different than Sri Lanka because a woman is given more freedom of behavior and speech. After graduating from Hunter College, Ms. Pillai was employed as a social worker for a few years. Then she realized her gift and passion for dance, so she returned to India to be professionally trained. It is a culture that is very connected to their home country. Priests, artists, dancers – all of them must be trained in India to be accepted as legitimate practitioners in the Hindu community.

They keep their culture and language alive, even in later generations. It is something they pass down. They keep their focus, because, according to Ms. Pillai Americans give too much freedom. There needs to be a balance in order to succeed.

In conclusion, the Hindu Temple is a great service to its community of Flushing and beyond. It reaches out to the community through anything from programs in the arts to test prepping classes to religious instruction. Though all are welcome, the temple can only really communicate with those who speak English or various dialects of Indian languages. Also, the Indian community values its connection to their home country. country of origin. In this way, both are kept alive.