ALAGAPPA ALAGAPPAN

ALAGAPPAN--Alagappa, A former United Nations official and founder of the Hindu Temple movement in North America, died in New Hyde Park, New York on Friday, October 24. He was 89 years old. Born in Kanadukathan, Tamil Nadu, India, Alagappan held five academic and professional degrees from institutions across the world. He received his B.A. and M.A. from Presidency College in Chennai, India and his M.Sc. from the London School of Economics. He later earned his LL.B. and was called to the Bar at the Middle Temple in London. Finally, he earned his Ph.D. in International Relations from New York University. While studying in London, Alagappan also worked as a journalist for the British Broadcasting Corporation, during which time he interviewed the Pope. Upon returning to India, he declined a bank job to work as a journalist for the Hindu Newspaper. He then applied to work at the United Nations, whose mission to promote world peace and socioeconomic equality resonated deeply with him. As a career official with the United Nations, first in Bangkok and then in New York, Alagappan served as Chief of the Water Resources Section and later Deputy Director of the Natural Resources and Energy Division. He was also elected Chairman of the staff of ten thousand employees of the United Nations. In his thirty years of service to the United Nations, Alagappan valued the opportunity to travel, visiting more than 90 countries during his career. After leaving the United Nations, Alagappan pursued a life of social service inspired by his professional career and his personal devotion to Hinduism. He maintained the deep conviction that faith heals and inspires. As Founder of the Hindu Temple Society of North America, he sought to create sacred spaces for worshippers visiting and living in the United States. In 1977, he established the Maha Vallabha Ganapati Temple in Flushing, New York. This granite stone temple was the first authentic Hindu Temple in North America with classical Indian architecture. Alagappan proposed that a large ecumenical icon at the temple's entrance display symbols of various worldwide religions. He said, "Just as all streams lead to the same greater body of water, and all mountain trails to the same summit, so do all world religions lead to the same God." Alagappan's most recent projects include the establishment of Arupadai Veedu, a single temple complex that houses replicas of six pilgrimage sites in an urban neighborhood in Chennai, making it accessible to people of all socioeconomic backgrounds. He also established the Saraswati Temple devoted to the transmission of knowledge and education. Alagappan maintained that education was the greatest gift parents could give their children. He credited his mother with instilling in him this principle, which guided his life and the lives of his children. His wife Visalakshi Alagappan said, "When I think of my husband, I think of Mahatma Gandhi's quotation: 'My life is my message.' Alagappan is survived by his beloved wife of 59 years, four children, Kumar, Arun, Vairam and Meena, and seven granddaughters, Lakshmi, Jyothi, Visala, Serena, Kaya, Uma and Vimala. Witty, kind, cheerful, dynamic, and creative, Dr. Alagappa Alagappan will be dearly missed by his family and friends. All who knew him were inspired by his compassion, magnetic morality, pragmatic spirit, and unwavering determination. Dr. Alagappa Alagappan's final words remind us of how he lived his life and urged others to live theirs. They are a testament to his avid pursuit of education, his loyalty to the United Nations, his decades-long commitment to temple projects, his dedication to social service, and his profound, pure love for his family. These words will serve as his legacy and epitaph: "I'm trying my best."