Monday, September 12, 1988/The Battalion/Page 9
Hindu music, scripture
honor Maharaj at A&M
Photo by Kathy Haveman
Pramukh Swami Maharaj sits serenely on his throne as he listens to
Vivek Sagar Swami deliver a speech at the MSC Friday night.
By Alan Sembera
Reporter
His Divine Holiness Pramu-
mukh Swami Maharaj sat cross-
legged in his ornately decorated
seat at stage center Friday night
in the MSC. Ten disciples in
orange saffron robes sat on the
floor to his right.
Some of the disciples played
Hindu devotional music for
about 350 members of the local
Indian community and their
guests.
The audience listened as seve
ral of Maharaj’s disciples gave
their message in English and
Hindi on how to achieve peace
and happiness. But most were
waiting for the head swami to
give his message on how to
achieve personal fulfillment.
Dr. Mahesh Dave of Bryan, a
follower of the swami, said it is an
important part of the faith to
have personal contact with Maha-
raj.
Dave said the personal contact
is a moving experience for the
followers of the Bochasanwasi
Swaminarayan Sanstha
movement, which is based in New
York.
“He is our guide right now,”
Dave said. “He’s a true teacher
who knows God — with whom
God is ever present.”
Maharaj came to A&M by invi
tation. He last visited the campus
about four years ago.
Maharaj, who is from the
northw'estern part of India, is the
leader of a movement based there
which has a network of more than
1,000 centers around the world.
The movement has about 35 cen
ters in the United States.
The movement is founded on
the peaceful teachings of Indian
culture and the Hindu scriptures.
The growing movement, which
advocates peace and non-violent
change, claims a following of mil
lions around the world. Much of
its work is devoted to education
campaigns and aiding the poor
and needy.
Aku Patel, a follower from
Houston, said Maharaj is the
guru of the movement. The
swami has achieved a pure state.
Patel said, and is a living example
of an absolutely pure soul. Others
are encouraged to follow the swa-
mi’s example, Patel said.
“People have to feel it,” Patel
said. “It’s not in just what he says
or what he talks about, it’s what
he is. He is the intermediary be
tween the Almighty and oursel
ves.”
Rudolf Nureyev will dunce
just a few
America
this year, r
One of
them is
right
here.
Rudolf Nureyev is one of the greatest, and certainly most
famous ballet dancers of all time. Since his world-rocking "leap
to freedom'" from the Soviet Union in 1961, he has electrified
the world of dance, fie has danced with all the world's great
companies, including the Paris Opera Ballet, which he now
directs.
MSC OPAS 16 will present Rudolf Piureyev and Friends, the
Paris Opera Ballet, as just one of the seven great performances
on this season's Music Series. In addition to his performance
here, he will host an informal reception after the MSC OPAS
performance.
Only OPAS 16 season ticket holders will be guaranteed tickets
to this sure sell-out. Don't wait for single tickets and miss this
rare opportunity. OPAS 16 season tickets are now on sale for
the Music Series, and for the Theater Series, which will bring
six hit Broadway performances including 'My One and Only" and
A View From The Bridge'. Order yours today.
Tickets on sale at the MSC Box Office, Rudder Center,
Credit card order by phone 845-1234.
This season we bring you the world.
MSC Opera and Performing Arts Society • Memorial Student Center of Texas A&M University
Fire destroys
Dallas area
wax museum
DALLAS (AP) — The man who
plays Dr. Blood only regrets that he
won’t be able to scare the pants off
40,000 Texans the way he did last
year.
But Drew Hunter says he and the
Wax Museum of the Southwest in
Grand Prairie eventually will return,
along with their popular Halloween
show that drew long lines during its
nine-day run last fall.
Hunter had been completing
plans for the holiday show on Friday
just before he and another employee
discovered a fire that eventually de
stroyed the museum, which had
housed the largest collection of wax
Figures in the nation.
More than 300 Figures, including
a wax Figure of Dr. Blood, the char
acter that Hunter played during the
Halloween shows, melted in the Fire.
The Figures and a large collection of
antiques and historic memorabilia
that were destroyed may have been
worth up to $8 million, officials said.
“It’s one of the things I really en
joyed doing,” Hunter said. “I was
sort of like a male Elvira, without
some of her attributes, and I used to
walk around and talk with the mu
seum visitors.”
Hunter enjoyed the show so much
he began celebrating his birthday on
Halloween, although it actually came
a few days earlier.
But Hunter now will concentrate
his efforts on trying to replace a
massive collection that took 25 years
to build.
The First thing he will try to Find,
he said, is a “First-class Elvis.”
The search for new Figures will be
costly and time-consuming.
There are only about six groups
of artists around the world that cre
ate the wax Figures, Hunter said.
Each statue will run about $8,000 to
$ 10,000 to buy.
Hunter said wax museums are a
special type of attraction, different
from animated figures sometimes
seen at other amusement parks.
“There’s a certain fascination that
keeps people coming back,” he said.
“It’s a weird fascination that people
have. It’s very classic, a fear of get
ting locked in there after the place
closes and having someone come
along and throw them in a vat of
wax.”
What’c LJn
Monday
AGGIE GOP: will have a general meeting at 8:30 p.m. in 701 Rudder.
WILEY LECTURE SERIES: applications are due in the Student Programs Of
fice.
HILLEL JEWISH STUDENT CENTER: will have Rosh Ha’shanah services at
10 a.m. and a Jewish new year reception at 6 p.m. at the Rabbi’s house.
PHI THETA KAPPA ALUMNI: will meet at 7:30 p.m. in 305 Rudder.
BLACK GRADUATE STUDENTS ASSOCIATION: will have a welcome recep
tion for incoming black graduate students at 6 p.m. in 206 MSC.
PHI ETA SIGMA: will meet at 7:30 p.m. in 302 Rudder.
TAMU JAZZ BAND: will have a rehearsal at 7:30 p.m. in the Commons west
piano room. A piano player is needed.
PHYSICAL THERAPY CLUB: will meet at 7 p.m. in 164 Read.
INTRAMURALS: entries open for horseshoe singles and billiard doubles at 8
a.m. in 159 Read.
PLACEMENT CENTER: will have an orientation session for all December, May
and August graduates at 10 a.m. in 504 Rudder through Friday.
THE AGGIELAND: Freshmen and sophomores may take their yearbook pho
tos from Sept. 12 to Sept. 23 at Yearbook Associates behind Campus Photo at
Northgate.
TAMU SNOW SKI CLUB: will meet at 7 p.m. in 701 Rudder.
PI SIGMA EPSILON: will have the first pledge orientation meeting at 7 p.m. in
301 Rudder.
Tuesday
FELLOWSHIP OF CHRISTIAN ATHLETES: will meet at 7:30 p.m. in the Letter-
man’s Lounge in G. Rollie White.
BIOMEDICAL SCIENCE ASSOCIATION: will meet to tour the College of Veteri
nary Medicine at 7 p.m. in 201 Veterinary Medicine Complex.
AGGIES ABROAD: will have an organizational meeting at 7 p.m. in 402 Rudder.
TAMU SURF CLUB: will meet at 7:30 p.m. at 710 Swiss Court.
AGGIES FOR BARTON: will meet at 7 p.m. in 704 Rudder.
PRE-LAW SOCIETY: Angus McSwain, former dean of Baylor Law School will
speak at 8:30 p.m. in 404 Rudder.
AGGIE TOASTERS: will meet at 8 p.m. in 102 Zachry.
DELTA SIGMA PI: will meet at 7:30 p.m. at Clayton Williams Alumni Center to
meet the chapter. Business attire is requested.
LIBERAL ARTS SOCIETY: will meet at 7:30 p.m. in 164 Blocker.
DEER PARK HOMETOWN CLUB: will meet at 7 p.m. in 302 Rudder.
CHRISTIAN SCIENCE ORGANIZATION: will have a prayer meeting at 7 p.m. at
the All Faiths Chapel.
OCA-ACP: will have an informational meeting at 7 p.m. in 301 Rudder.
MSC CEPHEID VARIABLE: will have a new member’s and general meeting at
8:30 p.m. in 301 Rudder.
TAMU COLLEGIATE FFA: will meet and have an ice cream social at 7:30 p.m.
in 208 Scoates.
MANAGEMENT SOCIETY: will meet at 7 p.m. in 153 Blocker.
TAMU HORSEMAN'S ASSOCIATION: will meet at 7 p.m. in 115 Kleberg.
HILLEL JEWISH STUDENT ORGANIZATION: will have a Rosh Ha’Shanah
service at 10 a.m. at the Hillel Building.
TAMU SAILING TEAM: will meet at 7 p.m. in 206 Military Sciences.
ALL NIGHT FAIR: will have a committee meeting at 8:30 p.m. in 402 Rudder.
A&M METEROLOGY CLUB: will meet at 7 p.m. in the observatory of the
Oceanography and Meteorology Building.
CO-OP STUDENT ASSOCIATION: will discuss goals and elect committee
chairman at 7 p.m. in 501 Rudder.
TAMU AMERICAN MARKETING ASSOCIATION: will meet at 7 p.m. in 102
Blocker.
AGGIE ALLIANCE: Dr. Jean Perry, president of AAHPERD will speak at 7 p.m.
in 701 Rudder.
PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATION FOR INDUSTRIAL DISTRIBUTION: will
elect class representatives at 7:15 p.m. in 203 Zachry. All I.D. students are wel
come.
TAMU COMPUTER USERS GROUP: will present “Introduction to Campus
Computing” at 3 p.m. in 308 Rudder.
MULTICULTURAL SERVICES CENTER: will discuss internship opportunities
for minority graduate and undergraduate students at 7 p.m. in 145 MSC.
INTRAMURALS: entries close for table tennis singles, triathlon, 16’’ softball, and
flag football at 5:30 p.m. in 159 Read.
Items for What's Up should be submitted to The Battalion, 216 Reed McDonald,
no later than three business days before the desired run date. We only publish
the name and phone number of the contact if you ask us to do so. What's Up is
a Battalion service that lists non-profit events and activities. Submissions are run
on a first-come, first-served basis. There is no guarantee an entry will run. If you
have questions, call the newsroom at 845-3315.
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