the serenity and good vibrations that emanate in its interiors make the few hours that you spend there truly an experience unlike any other you may have had at an edifice of this stature. I have always felt that when commercialism rears its ugly head, divine structures become devoid of celestial vibrations. Mercifully Akshardham so far seems to belie that observation.

On a beautiful morning in September when I stood outside this majestic edifice in Delhi, I thought to myself that Akshardham must be the most beautiful divine dream anyone could have dreamed.
Today the majestic Akshardham temple stands on a 100 acre property symbolizing how the diversity of Indian culture, its architecture, its knowledge, and the bhakti bhava-this deep desire to give and to serve, within its portal can become a unifying force.

He is perhaps the most outstanding young singer to emerge out of India in recent times, and when Sonu Niigaam walked onto the stage to perform his fresh new interpretation of Mahatma Gandhi’s favorite hymn Vaishnav Janato, as part of the inauguration ceremonies to honor Drew Faust, the first woman to be installed as the 28th President of Harvard University in 371 years, it was the first time in the 371 years of Harvard history that any Indian artist had been invited to perform at the installation ceremonies.

I had written separate pieces on Akshardham and the historic event at Harvard, for my website, and you can see the beautiful videocasts as well there, but yesterday when I was looking at the videcasts, I realized that in a strange way they feel interconnected-the beauty and grandeur of Akshardham and the beauty of the moment when Sonu Niigaam stepped on the Harvard stage and sang Vaishnav Janato, it became a surreal moment not just for him perhaps but also for all South Asians world over. Sonu Niigaam is a brilliant singer and while off and on he gets negative press, the more I get to know him the more I discover a very genuine, warm hearted, extremely bright man. There are very few singers with either his versatility or range of voice in his age group, and when he stepped on the Harvard stage, he became a symbol of a transnational world, that Drew Faust talked about in her inaugural speech.

There has always been a group of people who are critical of millions of dollars spent on building yet another temple-and I have been among them. Like many others, I feel that the same money could have been used to help the poor, living in the slum areas in India, and for better purpose for the thousands of underprivileged South Asians here in the US than building the umpteenth temple.

So I went to Akshardham with a skeptical mind. I thought it would be yet another commercialized tourist spot that Tirupathi in the south has become. It was the grandeur of the place that first strikes you obviously and pretty much takes your breath away. Millions and millions of voluntary man hours were devoted to building Akshardham-which is a modern miracle not just because of its splendor but also the record time in which it was built.

You walk in and very soon you start feeling the vibrations, and a sense of peace just embraces you. In a discussion with the founder of Isha Foundation Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev, I had been told about the scientific way ancient temples were built and what the vibrations emanating from the temple did for meditators who went there. Akshardham is one such temple. The grandeur of all temples erected by the Swaminarayan organization is submerged by the amazing love and volunteerism that seems to pour from the million devotees world wide. The organization does outstanding work in so many areas.

Akshardham has become a symbol of the united diversity of humanity, as people from all over the world visit and mingle lovingly there. Artisans from all regions of India have donated their services and their craftsmanship to create this modern wonder. Sonu sumbolized that unity in diversity on a separate platform. I wish we could be as loving and inclusive outside such serenity invoking monuments and moments in a world that seems to be filled with hatred and fear.

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