Dr. Ishwar Sharma and his wife Neelu Sharma are the founding members of the newly built Sarva Dev Mandir in Oxford, MA. Dr. Ishwar Sharma is a Cardiologist by profession while his wife Neelu is a successful business woman who has owned several TCBY franchises and currently runs a medical billing company. Early immigrants to the Worcester area and active members of the India Society of Worcester, the Sharmas spoke to Lokvani about their life and their community activities.

You are one of the early immigrants to the Worcester area. What made you decide to leave Mogha, Punjab and move to the United States?

Ishwar:  I was offered an internship at the Memorial Hospital in Worcester in 1970. I liked the opportunity that was presented and decided to move.

Could you describe your early years in the US? What made you decide to get so involved in community activities?

Neelu: Like many immigrants we spent the early years trying to establish ourselves in our careers. Ishwar was pursuing a career as a Cardiologist.  I had done my MA in Mathematics and English in India.  After I came to the States I did my MBA. Initially I was working for a company but later decided that I would rather run my own business.

I was very inspired by the story of two young women who at the age of 19 had started a franchise for ICBY (I can’t believe it is Yogurt) and turned it into a million dollar enterprise. I took one of those franchises. Later this became TCBY and I owned four TCBY franchises. I also started a gourmet coffee shop.

While we were doing all this, we also had three children - Sheena , Sherry and Amol. As they were growing older we felt a great need for nurturing the Indian connections so that the children could learn about their culture.  This propelled us to work actively along with like-minded people to keep the India Society of Worcester active.

Could you share some early experiences with the Indian Society of Worcester?

In the early days the Diwali functions were always potluck. Every event required an enormous amount of physical effort.  At one point the work got to be so much that it was difficult to keep the event going.  In 1980 I got very actively involved and decided to organize a Diwali party with a catered dinner.  It was a big shift in thinking for that time and not all were convinced that it was a good idea. The event turned out to be a huge success.   We helped organize many concerts including one by Anoop Jalota and another by Jagjit Singh. When business was taking over my life I did take a break from active involvement in the ISW.  In 1996 we once again began to take active interest.  One of the first major events I was part of was the $106,000 fundraising dinner to support the creation of the India Center in Worcester.  Recently our focus has shifted to the temple.

Could you give us the history for the Sarvadev Mandir?

Ishwar: Neelu and I have felt strongly that we need to have a temple in the area. The temple can provide the much needed spiritual atmosphere for children growing up in this country and also serve as a haven for the elderly.  In 1999 as I was looking for a space to handle my expanded Cardiology practice my realtor showed me a former Jehovah’s Witness Church that was available for sale. The property had been assigned for religious purposes and hence I could not use it for my practice.  Neelu and I felt immediately that we should buy it and start our dream project of building a temple. 

With the help and support of friends like Dr. Shiva Saxena, Dr. Ram Upadhyay, Dr.Shankar Garg and others we were able to purchase the property. On September 20, 2001 the Sarva Dev Mandir was established and it continues to grow each day.

Could you describe some of the highlights of the temple?

The central deity of the temple is Shri Ganesh. He is flanked on either side Lord Shiva and Mahalakshmi.  We also have the Navgrahas.  We are a Sarva Deva Mandir and hence we do have many other Moorthies or icons including Mahavir Swami, Guru Nanak Dev and others.

The temple also has a function hall that can seat approximately 180 people. It is fully furnished. We have state of the art audio-visual facilities and we even have IP capability so that weddings, birthdays and other functions can be streamed to your relatives in India.  We have a commercial kitchen.  The use of the hall is really cost-effective for it is already decorated in Indian style and can save a lot of time and money on accessories. 

Shri Laxman Satya is our priest in residence. He is trained in all the North Indian Hindu rituals and can officiate at functions.

What were some of the challenges you encountered in the project?

Neelu:  It is a $1.4 million project.  Fundraising is a constant struggle.  We work hard to keep the costs as low as possible. Ishwar acted as the general contractor for the project and that helped save a lot of money. We clean the place ourselves and thus there is not much money spent in the upkeep of the place.  Panditji stays at our home.  Ishwar puts enormous amount of time into the project as do other founding trustees like Dr. Shiv Saxena, Shankar Garg and others. 

What would like members of the community to do for the temple?

Ishwar: We would like them come and make use of the facility. The temple is a very peaceful place and a nice reprieve in these stressful times.  We hope the community will consider it their spiritual home and come and take active part in the activities. Whether it be leading and arranging spiritual events, using the function room, attending the various Poojas, or contributing financially to the organization we welcome the community’s participation.

We were delighted when Mrs. Saloni Fadia took the initiative to bring the Navagrahas to the temple and helped organize a very successful Navagrah Stapana pooja.

What is your vision for the future of the temple?

Neelu:We will continue to expand the temple and have more Moorthi Sthapana. We plan to install the Ram Durbar on Jan. 19, 2008.

We would like to have more programs for the elderly. We also hope to have educational programs for the children.

Neelu ji, what advice do you have for young women trying to balance family, career and community service?

Neelu: It is not easy. I sometimes think that in the movement towards female liberation we have lost more than we have gained. In our careers we do a man’s work and we still have all the traditional female responsibilities.  I think the secret is to prioritize. It is important to take care of the family. One needs to work hard and manage our time.

Ishwar ji, could we ask you to share tips with regards to cardiac well-being?

Ishwar: I am a big believer in the connection between mind, body and the soul. While of course prudent exercise and diet is critical for life, I would urge you to find means to reduce the stress in your life.  Spirituality is an established path for stress reduction. Yoga has the same effect. 

Thank you for your  time.

Thank you.

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