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Not for nothing is Frank Pallone known on Capitol Hill as 'Mr India'.
The New Jersey Democrat gave further evidence of his support for India and the Indian American community at the conclusion of a peace march organized by the tri-state center of the Chinmaya Mission on Saturday.
Speaking out strongly for the Indian American community, Pallone said they were always welcome in New Jersey, and to the cheers of a crowd that included small contingents from the Vishwa Hindu Parishad and the Hindu Student Council (HSC), he said: "Hinduism is the most peaceful religion in the world."
The march was the kick-off for the fiftieth anniversary of the Chinmaya Mission worldwide. The half-mile march drew about 200 people, a rather low figure, considering the organizers were expecting at least a thousand.
"It was probably the cloudy weather, and fear of rain, that kept most people way," explained Vish Murthy, one of the founder members of the tri-state Chinmaya Mission.
However, the enthusiastic (HSC) members more than made up for the lack of people with their slogan shouting, which they ended with a human pyramid.
The Chinmaya Mission also presented a bullet-proof vest to the New Jersey police department as a mark of their appreciation through Sharin McGreevy, who is the sister of the Woodbridge mayor.
Also present was the West Windsor mayor, Shing Fu Hsueh.
Murthy's opinion, as it turned out, was pretty accurate, as almost 2,000 people turned up later in the afternoon for a Bhagwat Gita recital by Swamy Tejomayananda, head of the Chinmaya Missions West, as well as the centers worldwide.
Conducted at the Raritan Expo center, the afternoon saw Swami Tejomayanand joined by Shri Rameshbhai Oza, himself a Gita preacher, Swami Chidananda Muniji, and Lalit Mansingh, the Indian ambassador to the US. A surprise visitor at the venue, though, was S.P. Hinduja, who later visited the Satyanarayan temple. However, he declined to mention the reason for his visit to the US.
The 50th anniversary celebrations are scheduled to last a week, until July 14. The first day of the celebrations also saw a performance by Pandit Jasraj, easily one of the best exponents of the dhrupad in recent times. In spite of an initial hiccup owing to improperly adjusted mikes, the renowned classical vocalist soon settled into a rhythm which mesmerized the crowd.
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