Priests

Pandit A. R. Krishnan hails from a priestly family of several generations and is a practicing purohit for more than 15 years. He is an exponent of Krishna Yajur Veda and has taught in patashala schools in Chennai and Kolkotha for several years. Many of his students are now serving in the New England area and several cities in India . He has worked in the prestigious Shiva Vishnu temple of Chennai as well as in many other Ganesha temples in Tamil Nadu. Krishnan, or -ARK- as he is often known, came to Salt Lake on deputation from Flushing Temple of New York; as he puts it :Salt Lake Ganesha has a certain attraction and power; He has taken me into his fold. ARK has been taking tutoring in English every day to get functionally comfortable to speak in English. He is also keen to teach Veda classes in Salt Lake. Visitors can often hear his resonating voice reciting the sacred texts during the quiet hours in the temple. With his expertise in performing Yagnas and Devi puja, Pandit Krishnan is truly an asset to our temple. Devotees have remarked about his jolly nature, devotion and hard work, and a passion for cleanliness. His wife Chitra and two young daughters live in Chennai, India.

Pandit N. S. Satish Kumar is a graduate of the famous Patashala at Thirupathi and an exponent in Krishna Yajur Veda Gananatham and Pancharathra Agamam. He has been a recipient of many awards for his Vedic expertise. Sateesh Kumar has special skills in alankara and pujas gained from his service as purohit in several prestigious temples in Pushkar, Pune as well as Thirupathi. He is comfortable speaking several languages and has been quick to grasp the needs of a temple like ours in Utah. He deems it an honor to be able to serve at the various shrines of our temple. -Ganesha, Balaji Perumal and Durga Mata here have a special Kala; I am fortunate to be here- says Sateesh.Kumar. He is eager to start classes to teach veda and slokas and bhajans. He is keen to conduct more participatory pujas and utsavs incorporating various traditions from all parts of India so that devotees come back again and again to enjoy the blessings of our beautiful temple of Utah Ganesha. His charming young wife is Vaishnavi Lavanya. His parents, married sister and a younger brother all live in India.