Lakshmipuram V. Govind is Priest of the Hindu Temple of Rochester

May 4, 2008

Author: DEEPAK SETH

Source: Rochester Democrat & Chronicle

http://www.democratandchronicle.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080504/OPINION02/805040352/1039/OPINION

The South Asian Diaspora in Rochester reflects the rich religious, cultural, social and linguistic diversity of the Indian subcontinent.

Secular institutions like the India Community Center and Charaka Society, and religious ones like the Hindu Temple, Islamic Center, Jain Society and the Sikh Gurudwara help people stay in touch with their socio-cultural roots as they pursue the American Dream and make considerable contributions to the vibrancy of the Rochester area in many different spheres: education, medicine, research, travel and tourism, business, etc.

Nobody embodies the shared human ethos characterized by the age-old Sanskrit phrase of "Vasudev Kutumbakam" — "The entire universe is family" — better than the priest of the Hindu Temple: Lakshmipuram V. Govind.

Lovingly called "Pujariji" by all visitors to the temple, Govind is a polyglot fluent in seven languages: English, Hindi, Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam, Kannada and Sanskrit.

As an immigrant (he arrived in the United States from India in 1996) who became a U.S. citizen a few months ago, he can relate to the hopes and aspirations of new immigrants as they settle and integrate in to the community.