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January 2021

 

Poll Question: 2021 Webinar Planning

Haribol! As we plan for 2021 programming, we’re looking to understand what works best for you all and what sorts of topics would be interested in learning/hearing about. Please take a few moments to answer the questions below so that we may better serve you!

Program Updates

The Sanga Initiative is back in 2021 with our newsletter! We are so honored to continue growing our organization and we want to use this newsletter as our platform to share the incredible projects, teams, services, and communities that are coming together to make TSI as vibrant and enriching as possible. For this month we want to first start off by saying a happy new year to all our readers! We pray that 2021 gives us opportunities for growth, love, and continued connections within the TSI community. We also want to highlight some recent webinar sessions that we had for TSI. 

At the end of December, TSI hosted a feedback session where our community members had the opportunity to express their insight on current programming sessions and what they would like to see in 2021 and future years. This valuable feedback is now being shared with various TSI teams so it can materialize into new content and programming! Huge thanks to all the people who joined the session. If you were unable to join the session but would like to share feedback or new ideas you have for TSI, please feel free to reach out to us at info@sangainitiative.org. 

Coming into the new year, the TSI Next Gen team hosted an incredible talk with Sutapa Prabhu. His talk was on Overcoming Spiritual Mediocrity and highlighted the tangible steps we can all take to keep excelling enthusiastically in our spiritual lives. Check out a recording of the talk here!

We are so excited to see how TSI continues to grow in 2021 and we value all the love and support the organization has received from alumni, temple presidents, donors, retreat attendees, and more! 

New Team Update

This newsletter’s TSI team spotlight goes to the Marketing team! Shout out to all of these creative individuals that have been creating all the incredible visual content you have been seeing on this newsletter, on social media, our website and more! See below for pictures of the awesome team and read a little about what inspires them in TSI Marketing!

(Left) Haribol, I’m Shyam! I am currently a Software Engineer by profession, and also the Head of Marketing for TSI. As head of marketing, I help create and maintain the brand guidelines, design social media content and swag, organize a content release timeline, and manage a team of talented content creators. I’ve been going to TSI retreats since 2011, and have been involved in hosting retreats as well. TSI has always been a special part of my year; I began to notice the weight TSI held in the lives of many youth, and I was immediately inspired to help in any way I can. I hope that, with all of our efforts, we at TSI can continue to make a special impact to all the youth across the movement!

(Middle) Hare Krishna! I'm Aditya, a senior at Cumberland Valley HS in Mechanicsburg, PA. In my free time, I love learning about AI and Computer Science. TSI's Marketing team created an opportunity that opened my eyes to the world of UI design. While volunteering, I created social media posts and graphic designs for the TSI website.

(Right) Hare Krishna! My name is Vishaka Sakhi and I am a digital designer on the TSI Marketing Team. I am a 19-year old second-year student in university studying Health Policy & Administration. Being near the capital area in Pennsylvania, I am lucky to have multiple services at the ISKCON of Harrisburg temple. In my down time, I enjoy reading, cooking & baking, fashion design, and playing some instruments.  Like many, expressing my spiritual values in my everyday activities is of utmost value to me. This is one of the reasons why I was thrilled to join the Marketing Team as well as wanting to give back to the TSI community which has nurtured my personal and spiritual development over the past 4 years. As a member of this team, I create event designs and materials that you may have seen on our social media pages and groups (under the guidance of some awesome members, of course). 


Upcoming Events

We hope you’re staying safe and healthy during this unpredictable time. Stay tuned over the next few weeks for some exciting events we have planned! Please continue to check in with our social media pages @thesangainitiative for more details.

Past webinars can be viewed here

-Food for the soul-

Decadent cinnamon rolls with

cream cheese glaze

Makes 12-16 Rolls

Ingredients: Dough

  • 2 1/4 tsp of Dry Yeast

  • 3⁄4 cup of Whole Milk

  • 1⁄4 cup of Granulated Sugar

  • 1⁄4 cup of lukewarm water

  • 1⁄4 tsp of Vanilla Extract 

  • 1 Tbsp of Ground Flaxseeds mixed with 3 Tbsp water 

  • 1 tsp of Salt

  • 1⁄4 cup of Unsalted Butter, melted

  • 4 cups of All-Purpose Flour

  • 1⁄4 cup of Melted Butter, to brush over the top before baking

Ingredients: Filling

  • 1/3 cup of Unsalted Butter, at room temperature

  • 3⁄4 cup of Brown Sugar

  • 1⁄4 cup of Granulated Sugar

  • 1 1/2 Tbsp of Ground Cinnamon

Ingredients: Cream Cheese Glaze

  • 1⁄4 cup of Cream Cheese, at room temperature

  • 1 Tbsp of Butter, at room temperature

  • 1 1/4 cups of Powdered Sugar

  • 1⁄2 tsp of Vanilla Extract

  • 3 to 4 Tbsp of Warm Milk

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Method:

1) In a small bowl, combine the warm water and 1 tsp of the granulated sugar, sprinkle the yeast over the top, and let it sit for about 5 minutes.

2) In the bowl, mix the flax egg, milk, salt, sugar, and melted butter. Add 2 cups of the flour and the water, vanilla, and yeast mixture. Mix until it’s all incorporated, and slowly add about 2 more cups of flour. Knead the dough for 5-7 minutes.

3) Oil a large bowl with some vegetable oil and set aside. Take the dough out of the mixer and pull it together with your hands to form a ball. Place it in the oiled bowl and oil the top of the dough with a little vegetable oil. Cover with plastic wrap and place it in a warm spot to rise for about 2 hours.

4) In a small bowl, mix together the brown sugar, granulated sugar, and cinnamon for the filling, set aside.

5) When doubled in size, punch the dough down and roll it out onto a floured surface into a 15x9 rectangle. Spread the soft butter over the top and sprinkle evenly over the sugar and cinnamon mixture. Staring from one of the long ends, tightly roll the dough into a jelly roll form. Cut into14 to 16 slices (make sure they are even) and place them cut side down in a well-buttered 9x13 baking pan. Cover with plastic wrap and put them back into a warm spot to rise for another 1 1⁄2 hours.

6) Meanwhile preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

7) Once risen, brush them with some melted butter and bake them for about 30 minutes or until golden brown.

8) While the cinnamon rolls cool for a few minutes make the glaze. Mix all the ingredients of the glaze in a bowl except for the milk, once the cream cheese is all mixed, slowly add the milk until you get a runny glaze consistency. Immediately pour the glaze over the cinnamon rolls.

9) Offer these delicious rolls to your worshipable Lord and enjoy!



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Note: This board will be used to highlight exciting events happening in the larger Bhakti community! Please check them out and support these incredible organizations!


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