The holiday lights were aglow in the woods atop Harrison Ferry Mountain Tuesday evening for Isha Foundation’s annual holiday dinner. While the weather was chilly, the night sky featured a perfect full moon as guests and Isha staffers and volunteers gathered to celebrate the season.
Isha hosts greeted and mingled with guests from all around the area. The banquet-style meal was presented in one of Isha’s dining halls. Sounds of Isha singers and musicians provided music in the background along with colorful backdrops for the holiday photographer. Gifts were presented to all guests upon their exit.
Dr. Kalpana Rajdev, head physician of Isha Care Clinic, warmly welcomed guests to the feast of Isha friends and family. “We are so very happy to be able to hold this party for the community every year. We hope everyone enjoys themselves very much.”
The food was a thoughtful collection of fresh appetizers with a variety of savory dinner items. The American-style fare also featured an Indian corner for the more adventurous diners featuring lentil chick pea fritters and sauce. Diners were delighted with the mix of healthy and delicious fare.
Homeland Community Bank Marketing Director Cindy Rogers was just one of many guests making new friends and reconnecting with some old ones. After trying some of the Indian fritters and sauce, she exclaimed, “This is really good!” Rogers and her co-workers, including bank president Ray Talbert, enjoyed the music and fellowship.
Isha, the Institute for Inner Sciences, has been a fixture in Warren County for many years. The 15,000-acre foundation just off Highway 8 has been rapidly expanding. Planners of Isha hope that close to 70 percent of that large acreage will remain untouched in its pristine wilderness.
Towering several stories high, graceful apartments now adorn the campus nestled in a wooded environment. In addition to its dormitories, dining facilities and apartment homes, the structural highlight of the vast campus is Mahima Hall with its massive copper dome, the largest freestanding structure of its type in the Western Hemisphere. Mahima is 39,000 sq. feet including an acre of carpet for the floor of the large airy space. Equally impressive is the two-story Adiyoga building with grand marble statues and artwork with a gigantic stairwell leading to areas for meditation and reflection.
Isha Institute of Inner-sciences is open for day visits from 8:30 a.m. to 8 p.m., seven days a week. The mountain retreat center features relaxation, hiking trails and a variety of self-improvement classes.
