During my frequent travels around the US and elsewhere, I noticed in the hotel rooms a Bible. This religious book of the Christians adorns all hotels, expensive ones, cheap ones, you name it. And very often it happens that I never have a book to read while falling asleep in my hotel bed, and find myself checking the dresser drawer close by and inevitably laying my hands on the Bible provided for me, courtesy, the Gideons.

Often, I have found the Buddhist people's Dhammapada in the hotels as well. My point is this, more than 50% of hotels and motels in the US and beyond are owned by Indian Hindus. They have a wonderful organization, AAHOA. We are all familiar with it, for those who are not, it stands for Asian American Hotel Owners Association (AAHOA).

Why don't the heads of this association put their heads together, and arrange to have a Bhagavad-Gita (English translation of course) in each and every room in their hotel? With 18 chapters in all, it should be a small booklet, not too space occupying,

Hinduism, Buddhists and perhaps Jains are of course familiar with the knowledge and the solace the Gita has given them, so also the American will appreciate the wealth of material within it and apply it in his life/ Just like my nights at hotels are eased up because I enter the land of sleep with thoughts of the Bible or Dhammapada, so will the American appreciate peace of mind that he will inevitably find within any page of the Gita.

So my good AAHOA friends, give this a thought. You folks have the resources and the brains and the know-how. Put a copy of the Gita in every room in your hotel. You could be doing better service to God this way than building a temple in his name!

                 --- Rita Frenchman Gavankar, M.D., Hendersonville, Tennessee.

Editor's note: This article appeared in August 9, 2002 issue of the India Post and is reproduced with permission from Dr. Gavankar. Our society will cooperate with AAHOA in this effort and invites like minded people to join hands in this noble work. We have several editions of the Gita suitable for this purpose. We have distributed, absolutely free, over 40,000 pocket size Gitas within the last two years world-wide.

Please contact us at: gita@gita-society.com with your thoughts, suggestions and ideas. Click to see different editions of the Gita available.

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