After Sanskrit delivery, Zed, who is Presidentof Universal Society of Hinduism, then will read the English translation of theprayer.Sanskrit is considered a sacred language inHinduism and root language of Indo-European languages.

Rajan Zed will recite from Rig-Veda,the oldest scripture of the world still in common use, besides lines from Upanishadsand Bhagavad-Gita (Song of the Lord), both ancient Hindu scriptures.He plans to start and end the prayer with “Om”, the mystical syllablecontaining the universe, which in Hinduism is used to introduce and concludereligious work.

Reciting from Brahadaranyakopanishad, Zedplans to say “Asato ma sad gamaya, Tamaso ma jyotir gamaya, Mrtyor mamrtamgamaya”, which he will then translate as “Lead me from the unreal to the Real, Leadme from darkness to Light, and Leadme from death to Immortality.” Reciting from Bhagavad-Gita,he proposes to urge Councilmembers/Supervisors to keep the welfare of othersalways in mind.

RajanZed is a global Hindu and interfaith leader, who besides taking up the cause ofreligion worldwide, has also raised huge voice against the apartheid faced byabout 15-million Roma (Gypsies) in Europe. Bestowed with World InterfaithLeader Award; Zed is Senior Fellow and Religious Advisor to Foundation forReligious Diplomacy, Spiritual Advisor to National Association of Interchurch& Interfaith Families, etc.

Hinduism, oldest and third largest religion ofthe world, has about one billion adherents and moksh (liberation) is itsultimate goal. There are about three million Hindus in USA.

Nicknamed“The Golden State”, USA’s most populous state California is known worldwide forHollywood film industry, high-tech Silicon Valley, diverse geography,prosperous agricultural industry, world's biggest trees and scenic delights;besides Los Angeles, Death Valley, Disneyland and Golden Gate Bridge. InCalifornia, about 37,000 earthquakes are recorded annually and one can takedriver’s license examination in 31 languages besides English. If California wasa country, it would have been world’s eighth-largest economy. California containsboth highest and lowest points of contiguous USA and Edmund Gerald Brown Junioris the Governor.

Zedexpressed warmest greetings on the Eid festival wishing that it brought joy,happiness and cheer to all the Muslims.

AmericanMuslims of Bangladeshi, Pakistani, Ethiopian, Jordanian, India,Moroccan, Mauritanian, Egyptian, Palestinian, etc., origins reportedly came to“Eid al-Fitr”  celebrations in theirethnic best dresses to a sumptuous dinner which included various chicken andother meat dishes, biryani and various other rice formations, vegetables andlentils, sweet vermicelli, kheer, puddings, etc., to name a few.

Prayersfrom Quran (the scripture of Islam) were read and NNMC President Dr. Sherif A.Elfass listed various projects and achievements of NNMC and distributed theawards. A temporary children’s playground containing inflatable bounce housesand slides was created for the occasion.

Accordingto an estimate, there are about 2,000 Muslim families in northern Nevada ofabout two dozen national origins, with Bangladesh having the highest numbers ascompared to other countries. NNMC was launched in 1980.

“Eidal-Fitr” is celebrated on the breaking of the fast of Ramadan, the blessedninth month of the Islamic year. Islam is the second most widespread religionin the world after Christianity with about 1.6 followers and Muslims constitutemajority in about 50 countries and a considerable minority in many others. Itis the third largest religion in USA. Word “Islam” means “submission/peace”.Hinduism is the oldest and third largest religion of the world with about abillion adherents and moksh (liberation) is its ultimate goal.

Page-Three topless girls might be titillating treat for some but it wasdegrading for women and was highly inappropriate, Zed, who is President ofUniversal Society of Hinduism, pointed out.

United Kingdom Sun should follow suit, Rajan Zedstressed.

Zed argued that progress had undoubtedly been madein the area of women’s rights but lot still needed to be done as in many placesof the world, women, who were about half of the world’s population, still facedapartheid conditions. It was a sin to watch women suffer discrimination dayafter day and not do anything.

Rajan Zed noted that it was sad to see that despitefrequent universal governmental promises and international commitments andforums, on the ground the gender apartheid was still continuing in 21^stcentury. We needed to urgently wake up. Change should start from us.

Zed suggested that as religion was the mostpowerful force and enjoyed considerable influence in our societies, religionsand religious leaders should wholeheartedly and urgently come out in support ofwomen’s cause and they would prove very effective.

Rajan Zed further said that as religious leaders,it was our moral obligation to work for women’s upliftment and empowerment asreligions told us that all were equal in the eyes of God. We, as religiousleaders, should show strong will, courage, and commitment in support of women’scause. We could not afford to stay apathetic to societal truths.

We needed to empower our women; provide them bettertreatment under the law, better access to health-education-politics, and moreopportunities for workplace participation; and open up more economic potentialsfor them; Zed added.

Quoting scriptures, Rajan Zed pointed out thatancient Manusmriti said: “Where womenare revered, there the gods are pleased; where they are not, no rite will yieldany fruit.” Number of Rig-Veda (oldestexisting scripture of mankind) hymns were said to be composed by women, andAditi, who was sometimes referred as “mother of the gods”, found mention in Rig-Veda as a goddess.

Stressingthe need for interfaith dialogue, Rajan Zed points out that we are all lookingfor the truth and in our shared quest for the truth; we can learn from oneanother and thus come closer to the truth.

SparksMayor, Geno R. Martini, presided over this event. Besides Zed and Martini,others who addressed this multi-faith gathering included Senior Pastor of SparksSummit Christian Church Stephen B. Bond, Dr. Rafik I. Beekun of Northern NevadaMuslim Community, Rita Sloan of Roman Catholic Diocese of Reno, Matthew Fisherfrom Reno Buddhist Center, Temple Bat Yam South Lake Tahoe Rabbi Evon J. Yakar,

SharlaS. Hales of Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints,  Head Bishop of International Community ofChrist Gene Savoy Junior and Washoe County School District Chief CommunicationsOfficer Irene Payne.

St.Anthony Greek Orthodox Church Presiding Priest Stephen R. Karcher provided theinvocation while Toni de Salvo of Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd lead “AmazingGrace” and well-known musician Jim Eaglesmith gave a multi-language interfaithnumber in which audience also joined in. Representatives from the offices of USSenator Harry Reid, US Senator Dean Heller and US Congressman Mark Amodeipresented testimonials to the new clergy.

Zed, who is President of Universal Society of Hinduism, recited from Rig-Veda,the oldest scripture of the world still in common use, besides lines from Upanishadsand Bhagavad-Gita (Song of the Lord), both ancient Hindu scriptures.He started and ended the prayer with “Om”, the mystical syllable containing theuniverse, which in Hinduism is used to introduce and conclude religious work.

Reciting from Brahadaranyakopanishad, Rajan Zed said, “Asato masad gamaya, Tamaso ma jyotir gamaya, Mrtyor mamrtam gamaya”, which he thentranslated as “Lead me from the unreal to the Real, Lead me from darkness to Light, and Lead me from death to Immortality.” Reciting from Bhagavad-Gita,he urged councilmembers to keep the welfare of others always in mind.Councilmembers, city employees and public were seen standing in prayer modewith their heads bowed down during this invocation.

Wearing saffron colored attire, a ruddraksh mala(rosary), and traditional sandalpaste tilak (religious mark) on the forehead,Zed sprinkled few drops of water from river Ganga of India, considered holy byHindus, around the podium before the prayer. Zed presented a copy of Bhagavad-Gita to Mayor LouMartinez, who thanked Zed. “It is a historic moment of pride for the communitywhen the prayers from ancient Sanskrit scriptures are being read in this greathall of democracy of this great city of Hanford”, Zed stated before startingthe invocation.

Rajan Zed is a global Hindu and interfaith leader,who besides taking up the cause of religion worldwide, has also raised hugevoice against the apartheid faced by about 15-million Roma (Gypsies) in Europe.Bestowed with World Interfaith Leader Award; Zed is Senior Fellow and ReligiousAdvisor to Foundation for Religious Diplomacy, Spiritual Advisor to NationalAssociation of Interchurch & Interfaith Families, etc.

Hinduism, oldest and third largest religion of the world, has about onebillion adherents and moksh (liberation) is its ultimate goal. There are about three million Hindus inUSA.

Female majority Hanford, whose tagline is"planning tomorrows"; is home to a Taoist Temple (built 1893), Centerfor Japanese Art and Culture and China Alley. Prominent people associated withHanford include Nobel laureate James Rainwater, Alaska Governor Sean R.Parnell, pole-vaulter Cornelius Warmerdam, actors Jan-Michael Vincent and SlimPickens, baseball player Ken Caminiti, basketball player Tyson Chandler andfootball player Lorenzo Neal. Gary Pannett and Darrel Pyle are Vice Mayor andCity Manager respectively.

Hindu statesman Rajan Zed will deliver theinvocation from Rig-Veda, the oldest scripture of the world still incommon use, besides lines from Upanishads and Bhagavad-Gita (Song of the Lord), both ancient Hinduscriptures. He plans to start and end the prayer with “Om”, the mysticalsyllable containing the universe, which in Hinduism is used to introduce andconclude religious work.

Reciting from Brahadaranyakopanishad, Zed,who is President of Universal Society of Hinduism, plans to say “Asato ma sadgamaya, Tamaso ma jyotir gamaya, Mrtyor mamrtam gamaya”, which he will thentranslate as “Lead me from the unreal to the Real, Leadme from darkness to Light, and Leadme from death to Immortality.” Reciting from Bhagavad-Gita,he proposes to urge councilmembers to keep the welfare of others always inmind.

RajanZed is a global Hindu and interfaith leader, who besides taking up the cause ofreligion worldwide, has also raised huge voice against the apartheid faced byabout 15-million Roma (Gypsies) in Europe. Bestowed with World InterfaithLeader Award; Zed is Senior Fellow and Religious Advisor to Foundation forReligious Diplomacy, Spiritual Advisor to National Association of Interchurch& Interfaith Families, etc.

Hinduism, oldest and third largest religion ofthe world, has about one billion adherents and moksh (liberation) is itsultimate goal. There are about three million Hindus in USA.

Cityof Shafter is celebrating its 100^th birthday this year. Notablepeople associated with Shafter include Olympic medalist Larsen Jensen andathlete Anna Jelmini; while Jon Johnston, Gilbert Alvarado and John D. Guinnare Mayor, Mayor Pro Tem and City Manager respectively.

Cityof Wasco, whose history goes back to 1897 and which is the headquarters of theTejon Tribe, has "Grow with us" as its tagline while its missionincludes "foster safety, unity, stability, quality of life".According to a report, for every 100 females there were 160.3 males in Wascoand a scene of Alfred Hitchcock’s "North by Northwest" was filmednear it. Fred West Jr., Tilo Cortez Jr. and Dan Allen are Mayor, Mayor Pro Temand City Manager respectively.

RajanZed pointed out that Academy, founded in 1927, appeared to have finally maturedwith this historic election.

BeverlyHills (California, USA) headquartered Academy, dedicated to the advancement ofthe arts and sciences of motion pictures, is the world's preeminent movie-relatedorganization and is best known for its annual Oscar telecast. Dawn Hudson is CEO.

GrandePrairie Mayor Bill Given inaugurated this about 1,380 square foot Hindu templeand cultural center; grand-opening ceremonies of which included prana-pratishtharituals and various prayers.

Meanwhile,Hindu statesman Rajan Zed, in a statement in Nevada (USA) today, applaudedefforts of Association leaders and area community to realize this Hindu templecomplex.

RajanZed, who is President of Universal Society of Hinduism, further said that itwas important to pass on Hindu spirituality, concepts and traditions to cominggenerations amidst so many distractions in the consumerist society and hopedthat this temple complex would focus in this direction. Zed stressed thatinstead of running after materialism; we should focus on inner search andrealization of Self and work towards achieving moksh (liberation), which wasthe goal of Hinduism.

Accordingto reports, this new temple complex plans to meet the worship, social andcultural needs of the community. Besides Hinduism, it aims to promote India andits dances, culture, philosophy, foods, languages, etc., and hopes to bringinstructors from India to teach classical music, yoga, etc. In addition toworship services, it will also be utilized for celebration of festivals, be agathering place for community elders and provide spiritual guidance.

DoctorsNikhilesh Roy, S. Karnik and Ram Mudalier are President, Vice President andSecretary-Treasurer respectively of GPHA.

FirstCounty in Alberta, Grande Prairie County No. 1, with an area of about 5,863square kilometers has only 20,347 population. This area was settled in theearly 1900's. Currently, Leanne Beaupre and Bill Rogan are Reeve andAdministrator respectively of the County, whose Vision Statement includes:"focuses on people, their quality of life and diversity ofopportunity".

Hinduism,oldest and third largest religion of the world, has about one billionadherents.

Zed,who is President of Universal Society of Hinduism, stressed that it should bemade mandatory for all the new hospitals being built across the world to make aprovision for sacred space in the shape of interfaith chapel/prayer-room.

RajanZed urged Duke University Health System President Dr. Victor J. Dzau and itsBoard Chair Dr. Thomas M. Gorrie to provide online and print copies of Vedas, Upanishads, Ramayana, Mahabharata andBhagavad-Gita at this Chapel so that patients and their families couldimmerse into the deep wisdom and philosophical thought these ancient scripturesoffered.

Full-serviceDuke University Hospital has been recognized as one of the world's great healthcare providers and this Interfaith Chapel is on Level One of the nine-level newDuke Medicine Pavilion of the Hospital.

Make religionmore vibrant, attractive and engaging if you wanted to keep your people inGod’s fold, Zed, who is President of Universal Society of Hinduism, suggestedto organizations and leaders of various world religions and denominations, in astatement in Nevada (USA) today.

Rajan Zedfurther said that people with “no religion” were increasing and we (religiousleaders and organizations) were responsible for their alienation. Our effortsat social control, judgmentalism, stagnant approach, etc., might be turningthem away resulting in many of them questioning belief in God, equatingreligion with fear, etc. Some of them, who still believed in God, werebypassing religion to reach God questioning the linkage between “man madereligions” and God. “If I ‘just do good’, I should be fine”, many of themargued.

Zed notedthat life was getting complex and distractions were increasing, so religion wasslipping away from the priority list of many. Conventional style of dealingwith spirituality and religion did not appear to be effectively working,especially with today’s youth. Make it more exciting and challenging but keepit simple, Zed added.

We asreligious leaders should live exemplary lives to add credibility to ourpreaching. Give them fresh answers without any religious stigma attached.Listen to what the people have to say before giving your opinion to them.Accept the people who and as they are. Make religion lively and not stagnant,Rajan Zed points out.

If religiousleaders and organizations do not attend to this challenge more effectively inthis consumerist society, we can lose our youth, to the other marketplaceplayers which are more powerful, attractive and vocal than religion andspirituality. Many youth appear to be bored from religion. Serving God does nothave to be dull. For youth, make religion “cool” and do not force anything onthem, Zed states.

A spiritualworld will be a better place to live than a non-spiritual world, Rajan Zedadds.