Message from APSA
President,
Vidya Bhushan Verma
Namaste!
On
behalf of Arya Pratinidhi Sabha North America, I extend best wishes for a
healthy, prosperous and peaceful New Year for all humanity as is well
enunciated in the Vedic Mantra below:
Sarve Bhavantu Sukhinah; Sarve Santu Niraamayaah;
Sarve Bhadraani Pashyantu; Maa Kashchida-Dukha-Bhaag-Bhaveta
Om Shantih Shantih Shantih
May everybody be happy. May everybody be free from disease.
May everybody have
good fortune.
May suffering befall on none.
At
the dawn of this New Year, looking back at the year 2011 I would like for all
of us to recall our achievements while committing to a stronger and healthier
Arya Samaj at the local, national and international level.
We
had a very successful Arya Maha Sammelan in Atlanta, GA which was highlighted
by talks and discussions by many scholars from India and North America. But the best measure of its success was the
participation of nearly 40 youth, who planned and executed an excellent program
of their own.
The
next Arya Maha Sammelan is set to be held in Detroit, MI on July 26th-29th
2012 with a larger presence and participation of youth in this event. Various teams are being formed to make this a
memorable event. I invite you all to
participate in this Maha Sammelan. You
are bound to have a great time, meet old friends and make new ones, besides
bringing home some valuable messages that should enrich our lives.
APSA
has formed 12 Working Teams to focus on specific issues. Most of these teams made an excellent start
during the last year by generating ideas in the areas of youth education,
cultural, community projects, fund raising, etc. I would very much encourage your participation
in any of the teams so that you can provide constructive input. I invite you to call or e-mail me at the
address given below with any suggestions and/or recommendations for making a
positive difference in the various endeavors of APSA.
The
Executive Committee made a special effort to visit Arya Samajs in the Tri-State
area and Greater Toronto, Canada with the objective of connecting and bringing
about unity among these Samajs. During
the visit, most of the issues and concerns voiced were common. More youth involvement, Prayer/Yajna uniformity, and
web-based scriptures were on the top.
These are being addressed by the appropriate APSA Working Team/s. All in all, these were very productive visits
and we plan to visit California in early 2012.
Obviously,
there is a lot more that needs to be done to sustain the direction and path for
Arya Samaj laid down by Maharshi Dayanand Saraswati. I seek your help and participation in the
various activities of APSA in the coming years to make this world noble – Krinvanto
Vishvam Aryam.
May
you and yours have a blissful, healthy and prosperous 2012 New Year!
With best regards,
Vidya Bhushan Verma
(713) 504-2707
vbverma@earthlink.net