MyFoxAtlanta

We seek to get the other side in every investigation we do. Sometimes, the other side just doesn't want to talk. Fair enough. That's certainly up to them. But we still do our best to hear what they have to say.

I spent nearly a month trying to talk to the leader of the Hindu Temple of Georgia, Dr. Commander Selvam. When I called the Temple and left a message with his high priest, instead of getting a return call we discovered "No Trespassing Hindus Only Allowed" signs quickly posted around the complex.

I left a message on Mr. Selvam's cell phone. He called back and hung up when I answered. Then I left a phone message with one of his children at the Sugarloaf Country Club mansion he owns. He didn't return that call either.

It was only in the minutes leading up to the airing of our investigation this week that we finally heard from the Swami: in the form of an email and fax sent to the I-Team. I had hoped he'd explain why he rents out his temple grounds for alcohol and meat related festivities, a clear violation of Hindu beliefs. I wanted to know why he claims to have other temples that actually exist only in the magazine he self-publishes. I thought perhaps he'd provide proof he really is a doctor or a commander since there seems to be growing doubt about that.

He did not answer my questions. Instead he challenged the credibility of some of the people we interviewed in our original story. The following is the letter he sent today exactly the way it was written. Afterward, you can read the explanations from the people themselves.

We wanted to make sure you got their side, too.

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Om Namashivaya

July 22, 2008

Dr. Commander Selvam

Hindu Temple of Georgia

5900 Brookhollow Parkway

Norcross GA 30071

Re : Fox 5 Broadcast

Mr. Michael Carlin, Producer

Fox 5 News

Dear Mr. Carlin

I viewed with great interest and dismay your broadcast of July 21, 2008 at 06.00 p.m. and 10.00 p.m.. It is clear that you used as your sole resource for the broadcast three individuals who again, have declared themselves enemies of the Hindu Temple. Of course, this fact is apparent from the nature of their statements in your broadcast and your attempt to capitalize on the animus that they hold for me and the Hindu Temple. It appears that you solicited and employed their scandalous and defamatory remarks concerning myself and the Hindu Temple without doing a scintilla of fact checking. It seems to me that if you have the constitutional right to exploit the freedom of the press then you also have the constitutional duty to fact check the information which you publish and disseminate on the public airways for truth and veracity. You have utterly failed in this constitutional challenge and I find it personally disgraceful.

One of your primary sources, Chandra Loganathan, approached the Hindu Temple in June of 2007 for an astrology reading. He became so enamored with the Temple that he became a volunteer for the Temple and a consultant and Vice President of Marketing for the Siddhi Times, the official Temple National Magazine without compensation. This should have been apparent to you as you used certain portions of the Siddhi Times on your July 21, 2008 broadcasts. Had you attempted to do any level of professional fact checking, starting with the Siddhi Times, which you had possession of, you would have determined that Mr. Loganathan was the Vice President of Marketing from late June 2007 through January 2008. There are attachments to this email that substantiate not only his contributions to the Siddhi Times, again the official magazine of the Temple, his business being advertised in the Siddhi Times, but also appearance of numerous members of his family in the Siddhi Times showing their clear support for the Temple. His unsubstantiated defamatory statement concerning the Hindu Temple wherein he stated that within a week of his becoming associated with the Temple he noticed something "fishy" does not explain how he continued to remain and support the Temple, write articles for the Siddhi Times, cause pictures of each member of his family to be published in the Siddhi Times in support of the Temple and advertise his business, Kumon, a match teaching service, in the Siddhi Times for the following seven months. If he found things "fishy", what compelled him to become involved so deeply in this alleged "fishy" organization ? Thus, one of your principal witness against the Temple is completely devoid of any credibility for the statements that he made, which you broadcast and failed to verify. You obviously made no attempt to learn the length and depth of Mr. Loganathan's relationship with the Temple. You would think that with his long tenure with the Temple that he would be able to marshal more than four instances of credit card claims when the Temple has processed approximately 1200 transactions over the last 18 months, all of which were ultimately resolved. This is a small percentage in consideration of the number of transactions. Moreover, his statement that somehow the Temple was allowed to keep someone's credit card for three days to make subsequent swipes is totally unbelievable who leaves their credit card anywhere so that subsequent transactions can take place ? Totally incredible.

I have attached for your perusal just a sampling of certain emails which has the Temple as its subject matter which were received from Mr. Loganathan and his wife Ananthi. Clearly, Mr. Loganathan and his wife did not find anything "fishy" about the Temple for some seven months while he was Vice President of Marketing for the Siddhi Times, participated in numerous worship services and caused the business, his images and the images of his family to be published in the Siddhi Times repeatedly. Your chief witness has no credibility and frankly you should be ashamed of yourself for employing his scandalous and defamatory misrepresentations in the manner that you did without first checking his facts and his credibility.

Another prominent bit of defamation was the piece where Valmiki and Sundaram Raghunathan are recounting a "nightmarish" experience in renting the auditorium of the Temple from Dr. Commander. They discuss the fee that was charged, the number of days they were present and again, the "nightmarish" experience that ensued. As an attachment to this email there is a soundtrack from the last 5 days of the visit and use of the Auditorium. On the soundtrack you will hear sundaram Raghunathan extolling the hospitality and virtues of the Temple and most specifically the courtesies of Dr. Commander. This is directly in conflict with the scandalous and defamatory comments which were made by the Raghunathans and published by you concerning their rental of the Temple auditorium. Obviously, no effort was made the fact check anything in the broadcast concerning the rental of the auditorium for the five day period.

In good faith, I challenge you to cause my refutation of Monday, July 21, 2008, and this email to be read on the air during your broadcast. You only choose to publish a very small portion of my correspondence. I hope you can appreciate that, as yet, I have chosen not to subject myself to the indignities of the editing process of certain news organizations. You will obtain one-half hour of video tape from me and after editing will publish 20 seconds which will make me appear to fit the image which you are trying to craft for me. Those who become targets of news shows such as yours are powerless to defend themselves on a level playing field.

Once again, based upon the foregoing and the enclosed I have clearly established my claims which I earlier forwarded to you in my Monday, July 21, 2008. As I have earlier advised you, at the end of the day the Indian and Hindu Community are greatly disappointed in your broadcast and clearly see that your efforts are not informative but destructive. Of course, we deny all derogatory information in your broadcast.

Finally, I understand that you intend to finish your defamatory broadcast of myself and the Hindu Temple on Tuesday, July 22, 2008 at 6.00 p.m. and 10.00 p.m. I am sure that these broadcasts were completed some time ago and that you employed the same level of fact checking in the second installment as you did in the fists. I would like to caution you that the fallout from these broadcasts will not merely be the emails that I have sent you entreating you to suspend your efforts to defame me and the Hindu Temple. I trust you will govern yourself accordingly.

Regards

Commander Selvam

Hindu Temple of Georgia

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(Valmiki Raghunatan's response)

This unauthorized recording was on the last day of the 5-day program. One more hour of program was remaining when Annamalai, through his then secretary, Chitra Ramki approached us and demanded that he be given stage time of at least 15 minutes to address the gathering. She wanted us to thank him, and introduce her - so she could introduce him and invite him to talk. We mentioned that the 300+ people had gathered to listen to Prof. Prema Pandurang and NOT him. To that, Chitra Ramki told us that Annamalai would switch off the lights and turn us out immediately. As organizers, we decided to give in to the demand lest there be an unpleasant situation in front of the visiting religious scholar and the 300-strong audience.

I reiterate the absolute unpleasant experience we had during those 5 days in 2006.

(Sundarum Raghunatan's response)

At the end of lecture on day one, I had made a special request to the audience. The speaker mentioned in her speech about "EGO" saying that "E-G-O Edges God Out". I used that word and made a special request to the audience that ego also means 'Eat, but Go Out', meaning, eat anywhere outside - in the parking lot or the entrance, not inside the auditorium or the dining room (which was closed and lights switched off) because of 'constricting restrictions' imposed on us. Annamalai can be asked to forward that part of the speech also if he at all likes to be fair!

First of all, Annamalai denied us the use of soundtrack for us to record. His man said that 'they don't ' have a feed' that they can lend to us. That is because, as I now see, he has used it and recorded the lectures & speech without our permission!

When we thank temple, it does not mean just Annamalai, but his men and women who were sympathizing with us and requested us to 'part as friends' so they are not harassed!

I thanked him also in my 'vote of thanks' much against my will and most undeservingly (and that is why he remembers it too!) only as just a matter of formality, definitely not because he deserves it. One other reason for my extending the thanks to him is - the speaker wanted me to do so. She said that, "we need not be like him, but let us be magnanimous after 5 days of divine lectures". Courtesies of the visiting speaker do not confer any goodness of character or decency upon Annamalai. It only shows the large-heartedness of the visiting speaker.

Apart from that, his secretary Chitra Ramki begged me to remember to thank him also, so that it will make it easy for us to claim, "at least some refund for all the trouble he gave you", and to ensure "he does not eat my head off". When I asked her, "Did he send you to ask me to thank him?", she just smiled and said, "don't ask me any more, just do it for me"! Not only that, he insisted on speaking on the last day as well as a precondition to 'settling issues amicably'. Call it coercion, if you will.

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I will post Chandra Loganathan's response later on this blog.

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Hindus Only Allowed?

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