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HINDU TEMPLE LOSES SECLUSION TO DEVELOPMENT AROUND MALL
The Dayton Daily News
December 28, 1994, WEDNESDAY, SOUTH EDITION
SECTION: NEIGHBORS, Pg. Z4-7
LENGTH: 601 words
HEADLINE: HINDU TEMPLE LOSES SECLUSION TO DEVELOPMENT AROUND MALL
BYLINE: Stephanie James Ely; FOR THE DAYTON DAILY NEWS
BODY:
Twinkling lights and jingling bells announce the meeting between east and
west at the corner of North Fairfield and New Germany-Trebein roads in
Beavercreek.
The Mall at Fairfield Commons and the adjacent shopping centers are decorated
for the holidays, gearing up for shoppers both Christian and Jew.
But behind this seasonal explosion, at the end of Lillian Lane, the jingling
bells on the entrance tower to the Hindu Temple of Dayton are a permanent
fixture, not a seasonal addition.
The colored lights strung around the temple, however, will be taken down soon
as the Hindu Community Organization winds down from the Festival of Lights it
celebrated last month.
"It is a time when family and friends gather to exchange gifts and sweets,"
said Ramesh Rajamani, one of two Hindu priests at the temple. "The Festival of
Lights is similar to Christmas, a time when everybody is happy."
The temple's lights are visible to shoppers traveling North Fairfield Road
now that the surrounding trees are bare of leaves.
"They are probably surprised to see our tower," said Rajamani, who reports an
increase in curiosity-seekers who slowly drive through the temple parking lot,
but don't stop.
Access to the temple has been a priority ever since the property was
purchased 15 years ago by a partnership of eight local doctors.
The group bought 57 acres southeast of the intersection of North Fairfield
and New Germany-Trebein roads and donated six acres for the sole purpose of
constructing what was then to be Ohio's only Hindu temple.
Dr. Krishna Reddy, one of the original partners and then-president of the
Hindu Community Organization, said finding a location that would be accessible
to many was the group's main goal.
"Now we need to accommodate the area's growth and still preserve the
integrity of the temple," he said.
Among the eight original partners was Dr. Soma Avva, a Dayton plastic
surgeon.
He laughed when asked if the group foresaw the area's development.
"If we'd known about it then, we'd have bought a lot more," he said.
His hope is that the added traffic will bear more than curiosity-seekers.
"Our temple is open to anyone; it doesn't require any membership," he said.
Dr. Jagdish Makkar, a general surgeon in Dayton and also one of the original
eight partners, sees the possibility of city water and sewer services coming to
the temple as one of the biggest bonuses of the area's growth.
Kanti Thakrar, a Xenia motel owner and longtime temple member, looks at the
approaching commercial centers from a more philosophical slant.
"Nothing is permanent in this life," he said of the temple's loss of
seclusion.
He sees irony in the commercial development nearby - 10 years ago, some
people opposed building the temple because they feared traffic would increase inthe area.
"When you come here to pray, you close out the rest of it," said Joe
Bicknell, pointing out that the view from the temple windows is the same as it
was in the beginning even though the area has changed dramatically.
Bicknell comes from New Carlisle to worship at the temple with his family.
Lalita Chunduri, president of the Hindu Community Organization, sees only
good in the area's growth.
"The construction of the mall has helped us a lot," she said, pointing out
that temple visitors who travel a long distance to worship now have something to
do and a place to go when they finish praying.
There is no Hindi word for mall, but head priest Rajamani points out there is
also a lack of seclusion in India. "We always have a lot of people around," he
said.
