Farewell to our Priest, Shri Harikrishna ji

It is with mixed feelings that I write this farewell note to our priest Shri Harikrishna Alvakonda. Hari ji has been with us for the past 12 years. For many of you in the community, he is the only priest you have known at our Temple. He has brought a lot of changes and those changes have brought the community to the temple. He has made this a gathering place on festival days and a place we come to pray in peace. 

When Hari ji came to us from Chicago in 2010, the Temple was in its infancy. Today we are a stable, self- sustaining institution. The Temple, Harij ji, his family, and our community have all grown up together to be where we are today. Hari ji’s contributions to the growth of the temple have been seminal. Here are a few: 

1. Keeping the premises clean and neat and the deities beautifully decorated. His attention to detail is remarkable and can be seen in his “alankaras”. This sets up an ambiance ideal for prayer and meditation. We have heard visitors comment on this. 

2. Establishing a routine of monthly and annual poojas for all the Deities in the Temple, engaging the community, both in Rochester and surrounding areas, in these events. While this has added to his workload, it has also kept the temple busy. Devotees of individual “ishta devatas” are grateful to Hari ji for this. 

3. Guiding Temple activities during unusual or one-off events like Bhoomi Pooja, off-site poojas on Temple land, Deity installations and Kalyana Utsav. 

4. He has masterfully conducted major deity installation events, including installation of Lord Shiva, Lord Kartikeya and his consorts, and recently Goddess Durga. If it were not for his initiative and guidance, this would not have been accomplished. 

5. His initiative in solving logistical issues have helped streamline major events. An example is performing Shiva Ratri Abhisekham and Pooja in batches to accommodate the entire community. 

6. He has made requests in earnest and in jest at times about items needed for the various Gods and Goddess. Devotees have listened and have generously donated items purchased in India or in cash or effort to get things done. His devotion and passion for his job was clear to see and devotees responded to it. He has been a blessing to our Temple. 

Hari ji’s family joined him when he took over the job as our Priest. His wife, Sudha, has been a great support to Hari ji throughout his stay here. In the early days, Sudha ji spent a lot of time at our Temple helping Hari ji and volunteering in many ways to bring the community together to worship at the Temple. Her Shloka classes were well attended. Even after she started working full-time, Sudha ji continued to help him at major events. Himaja, his daughter came here as a young child and has now graduated from High School as an adult. Hemanth was an infant when the family moved to Rochester. He has grown up in the Temple premises and recently participated as a young Priest in the installation of Goddess Durga. These are unforgettable times, and we will miss our beloved Priest. He has set the bar high for the Temple and his are big shoes to fill for the new Priest who will be taking over from Hari ji. 

Hari ji returns to India to be close to his spiritual Master and Guru, Himaja will start college in India, and Hemanth is being prepared to join a Veda Path Shala. We wish Hari ji and his family Bon Voyage and the very best in their new venture on returning to their homeland, India.

By Santhi Subramaniam, President, Hindu Samaj Temple