Indian community awaits temple reopening – Winnipeg Free Press

Members of the Manitoba Hindu community are looking forward to the reopening of the Ellis Avenue Hindu Temple and Cultural Center after months of renovations.

Considerable work has been done on the temple's exterior and certain interior areas, including the foyer and basement, which includes the kitchen, dining room, library, and other ancillary spaces. Work began last fall and is expected to reopen this spring.

Chairman of the renovation committee, Rao Atmuri, said that talks on renovating the building began several years ago, and preliminary work was done during the pandemic.

“The main reason for repairs is affordability. There was no such need in our society before. But today we have many senior members with limited mobility and more needs,” says Atmuri.

“There's a lot of emotion involved in this project,” he says of the renovation committee, an ad hoc group of community members who visit the temple daily to oversee the roughly $1.7 million project.

Feelings run deep at a West End place of worship.

Society President Kirit Thakrar recently described the building as the “Mother Temple”… because it's HSM's first temple and the oldest in Winnipeg, when community members visit there, they see and feel something. They have a close relationship there.”

This is the sentiment echoed by Atmuri, who said there is a lot of vibrancy and positivity in the temple.

Hindu festivals and other religious events are celebrated with great pomp and participation. Programming has evolved from Sunday services only in its early days to now being open to worshipers weekdays and nights to meet the growing community's population, needs and interests.

Temple offers a safe and comfortable space for newcomers and international students to connect with members of a similar community and culture. A Hindu temple or Mandir has been the favorite home of many devotees and is open to all. It adds a lot of character and charm to Winnipeg's West End.

The building at 854 Ellis Ave. was built in 1950 and was originally the home of Liberty Church. The Hindu Society bought the building in 1979 and held a grand opening later that year on the auspicious evening of Diwali. Since the temple was taken from a former religious place, it is a blessed and holy place.

Structurally, the building has undergone several renovations, with major renovations in 1984 and the kitchen and downstairs in the 1990s. The new renovations mark major physical upgrades by maximizing every inch of its space to be accessible, environmentally friendly and safe.

I recently toured the temple and was amazed at how the space has transformed. From the first steps into the lobby to the basement, the building looks rejuvenated.

During my visit, I stopped to reminisce about my childhood and youth at the temple. Attending religious plays, singing and Hindi classes, or attending regular Sunday services, these were opportunities to learn about Indian culture and religion and connect with the community.

In my growing years, the temple was a space for introspection and silence. My family has a meaningful connection with this temple and has adopted a way of giving back, as both my father and mother are former presidents and chairpersons of the Hindu Society.

“The time and effort of the senior members of HSM has brought us to where we are today,” says Thakrar.

It incorporates the vision of the same senior members who laid the groundwork decades later for the organization's second, larger Hindu temple and cultural center at 999 St. Anne's Road, which opened in 2005.

“They saw something on the road. We are now seeing the fruits of their time and effort for the community,” says Thakrar.

As it approaches 45 years, Indian society has reached an important stage where it is looking forward to a new era. The Indian community has suffered several losses in the past few years, with many senior members passing away. Although these members will not see a renovated temple, their commitment and love for the place they hold dear resonates through their leadership and vision.

An Indian proverb says, “Blessed is he who plants a tree in whose shade he never sits.” These senior members have left behind a precious gift of hope and humanity for the Hindu community and Winnipeg for many years.

Romona Humansing, PhD is an educator, freelance writer and author in Winnipeg.

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