Anoopa Sharma

Anoopa's mom, Anita, would like to share some information in preparation for the April 2nd memorial service at Rajdhani Mandir, a Hindu temple, at 3pm. Everyone is welcome; it will be a special time to meet and support other loved ones of Anoopa and an opportunity to celebrate her life.

Please carpool to the temple. There is limited parking available.

The service will begin promptly at 3, so please plan to arrive early enough to park and make your way into the temple.

The Pooja is a ceremony to rest Anoopa's soul in peace. It will be mostly in Sanskrit and Hindi, but we will try to explain some of it in English so everyone understands the ceremony.

There is no particular restriction or requirement for the clothing worn at the temple other than you must remove your shoes before entering the Pooja hall. Wear something comfortable as we will be sitting on the floor for the service. It is not essential to cover your head and there is no color restriction for clothing. Just choose something respectful for a temple or church.

In addition to the ceremony, we plan to read some of Anoopa's writings and offer friends and family some time to share memories and thoughts about Anoopa. All are welcome to speak, pray, or sing, so please come prepared to share if you are interested.

The Sharmas are very thankful for the flowers sent to their home, but there is not space to accommodate more. They request that if you wish to send flowers, send them to the temple next week: Thursday, Friday or Saturday. We can use them for the memorial services on Saturday.

Although it is not necessary to bring food, many of you have asked for guidance. After the memorial services there will be a small reception with tea/coffee. It may be alright to bring finger foods, cheese, fruit and veggie platters for the reception. PLEASE NOTE THAT FOODS WITH ANY TYPE OF MEATS ARE NOT TO BE BROUGHT TO THE TEMPLE.

After the memorial services the guests are NOT expected to go to the Sharma house. Out-of-towners, close friends and family will return to the house later that evening.

For friends traveling from out of town, we suggest you search online for hotel options in Chantily, VA. This is a good location for a relatively economical hotel that's convienient to the airport and the temple, and is also close to restaurants and such. See below some options Anita researched:

Here is some information on hotels near Dulles airport that is about 8
miles from the temple.
The rates are for rooms with one Q or two Q beds.

Hampton Inn, 4050 Westfax Drive, Chantilly. Tel 703-818-8200
Wknd rate (Fri-Sat) $69/$79, Sunday $159

Fairfield Inn 3960 Corsair Ct, Chantilly. Tel 703-435-1111
Wknd rate (Fri-Sat) $69/$79, Sunday $139

Courtyard-Marriott 3935 Centerview Drive, Chantilly. Tel 703-709-7100
Wknd rate (Fri-Sat) $89/$99, Sunday $189

ExtendedStayHotels.com, 14420 Chantilly Crossing Ln, Chantilly. Tel
703-263-7173
Wknd rate (Fri-Sat) $80/$86, Sunday $111. Will provide a small discount
if 10-15 rooms are booked...tell them you are here for Anoopa Sharma
Memorial Service.

These are located within easy reach of the Dulles airport and the
temple.
They have other locations in Fairfax which may be fine except the
distance to the temple will be about 15-20 miles.
The area of Fair Lakes may also be suitable as you can easily get on to
the Fairfax county Parkway (North) and exit on Rt 50 west to get to the
temple.

The weather forecast is
Friday Temp 63/48 sunny, scattered showers poss