The construction of the Boston area Chinmaya Mission Center at 1 Union Street, Andover, Massachusetts, began on May 14, 2002. The center in Andover will become part of the 244 Chinmaya centers worldwide and aims to serve the growing spiritual and cultural needs of its members in the New England area. Founded by Swami Chinmayananda in 1951 in India, Chinmaya Mission has evolved into a worldwide organization. The purpose of the Mission is to provide to individuals, from any background, the wisdom of Vedanta and the practical means for spiritual growth and happiness, enabling them to become positive contributors to the society.

Nestled on 2.5 acres of land off Interstate 495, the center will be constructed in phases. The cost for the first phase, which will provide the necessary infrastructure and will be functional, is estimated to be $2.3M. The center, when completed, will be close to 22,500 square feet with a prayer hall to accommodate 200 people. In addition to six classrooms, there will be a lecture hall, meditation room, auditorium, library, dining hall and quarters for a resident swami. It will also include a small shrine with the deity of Hanuman, a great devotee of Sri Rama in the great epic of Ramayana. The scheduled completion date for the first phase of this building project is the end of this year.

Fund raising efforts for the construction of the center are being continued with private donations and issuance of secured bonds and bank loan. Other fundraising efforts planned are: An annual event “Taste of India” which brings delicious gourmet foods from various Indian cuisines will be held in the first week of November. This year the event will be held at Diburros, a function hall, in Haverhill on November 3, 2002. A one time Raffle to raise funds has been organized. There are a total of 50 prizes with a price value of $105,000 donated by local businesses."Buy A Brick" program is being kicked off this month. With a contribution of $50, a Brick can be donated to the Chinmaya Mission building project.

Currently, the Mission operates in three locations: Bedford, Shrewsbury and Nashua (NH). The executive members said that they will not close operations in any of these centers. Over 150 families participate regularly in the activities that are geared to various age groups involving the entire family.

To get more information or to get involved with Chinmaya Mission, please visit the web site at http://home.attbi.com/~chinmayamaruti/ or contact any of the Executive Members, Dr. G. K. Dwarakanath, President of Boston Chinmaya Mission at 1-866-Ram-Doot or 978-474-4114 or dwaraka@attbi.com, or the Secretary Mr. Murali Chari at dchari@attbi.com or the Treasurer Dr. H. R. Vijay Kumar at vijaykumar@attbi.com.

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