On Saturday, April 12, over thirty teachers and a principal from seven school districts in the Houston area attended Guru Vandana (Teacher Appreciation), at Keshav Smriti. Organized by the Hindu Education Foundation (HEF), a project of Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh, the utsav allowed hardworking teachers to be honored and appreciated for their endless work by their own students. In the spirit of respect for their Gurus (Teachers), children from Houston area Balagokulams invited their teachers to the event and presented them with a token of appreciation.

To commence the program, Acharya Premchand Sridhar of Arya Samaj Houston was invited forward to the beautifully decorated altar, where he lit a lamp, symbolically awaking the raging fire in every student’s soul. With the lighting of the lamp, the cultural portion of the evening followed, filled with dances, songs, skits and explanation on the Hindu concept of Gurus.

To begin, the children of Meenakshi Balagokulam in Pearland performed an incredibly graceful Ganesha Vandana dance, followed by a humorous skit, comparing the wisdom of pursuing knowledge with the foolishness of chasing wealth. Performed by children from Alief and Sugar Land Balagokulams, the skit taught all of the audience a lesson in the importance of knowledge. One of the participants, Ayush Sharma, played the role of a foolish man who had never paid attention in school yet inherited his family’s fortune. “In the skit, my character makes a mistake and loses all the money he had because he didn’t work hard in school,” Ayush explained. “Afterwards, my character learns how important school was and how important it was listening to his teacher. My character wasn’t real, but after acting like him, I myself started working harder.” History teacher at Clements High School, Jennifer Craddock, commented after the event. “We especially enjoyed the dancing and the music. So many talented kids! The preparations must have taken much planning and coordination.”

After the memorable skit, several cultural performances followed, emphasizing the importance of the arts in the Hindu tradition of education. Keertana, a student of Ms. Asha Bhaktavatsalam, presented Carnatic music, Mrs. Chandrakantha Courtney accompanied on the tabla by Dr. David Courtney presented Hindustani music, and Ms. Neha Gupta, a student of Mrs. Courtney, sang a film song based on Raga Bhoopali. The eloquent musical pieces were followed by an explanation of the origins of Hindu dance and a Bharatanatyam performance by students of Yamuna Srinidhi’s Nrityasiri Dance School. The cultural program ended with the Veda Vrinda group chanting from the section of the Taittariya Upanishad known as the Vedic Commencement Address.

As the program winded down to a close, teachers enjoyed chatting with the parents and students over a delicious dinner catered by Gourmet India. Many teachers voiced their positive comments of the utsav. Donna Court, a teacher at First Colony Middle School, mentioned that she was “honored to attend the Teacher’s Day Celebration.  It was a wonderful introduction to Hindu culture and traditions.” “It was an amazing experience and an honor,” commented Karen Staley, an 8th grade science teacher at Fort Settlement Middle School. Several teachers even expressed the desire to help organize seminars on Hinduism in their schools.

For more information on HSS visit www.hssus.org or www.hindueducation.org for Hindu Education foundation.

Several chapters of Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh hosted African American guest speakers to commemorate February as Black History Month. These events were opportunities for Hindu Americans to learn about the history and struggles of Black Americans in shaping their successes and challenges of today.

• Volunteers of Sri Krishna Shakha, Folsom in Sacramento, CA observed Black History Month by inviting US airforce veteran & current President of the Folsom-Cordova Unified School District, Chris Clark for a presentation. He spoke about his family’s experiences and struggles, while also emphasizing community engagement, the need for a conscious effort to learn about other cultures, and how people in power can influence building stronger communities

• Jijamata Shakha volunteers in Peoria, AZ, honored African American community leaders in a special session. Corporate leader Bridget Reeves was the chief guest. Bridget spoke about several instances of the Black Community’s contributions in the areas of innovation, science, and lesser-known fields. The session was highly interactive, and Bridget answered several questions from HSS volunteers

• Volunteers of Aadi Shakti Shakha in Harrisburg, NC celebrated Black History Month in a specially organized event. Three District Judges, a State Senator, a State House Member, and the head of the International Minority Coalition of Charlotte joined and shared their experiences with the group

HSS chapters nationwide observed the annual tradition of celebrating Raksha Bandhan as Universal Oneness Day, which symbolizes the bonds and shared responsibilities of safeguarding one another by exchanging a thread known as “Rakhi.” Below are some highlights –

• 50 HSS volunteers and Hindu community members in Cleveland OH tied rakhi – the symbolic thread of protection – to firefighters, policemen, and city officials. They also set up a display of the Hindu civilizational expo, called Darshana. Mayor Edward Kraus of the City of Solon thanked the HSS for “sharing traditions and ongoing contributions to our shared vision of a harmonious community.” Solon Fire Chief, Mark Vedder proudly displayed a Rakhi tied to his vehicle from last year’s celebration. “This Rakhi is more than a thread; it’s a daily reminder of our noble duty to protect and serve,” he noted.

• HSS chapters in the San Ramon CA area celebrated Raksha Bandhan collectively by hosting 12 first responders. Children and youth volunteers tied them to the rakhi. All the 140 attendees enjoyed a traditional, festive lunch

• The Connecticut chapters of the HSS partnering with other Hindu community organizations visited the Norwalk and Milton Police Departments to honor the staff by tying rakhis, as the bond of “protection, obligation, and care”.

• Members of the Hindu-American community in Livermore CA, including the HSS and the Hindu Community and Cultural Center – Shiva Vishnu Temple, visited the Livermore Police Department to offer their greetings to the community’s protectors—police officers, firefighters, and first responders as part of the Raksha Bandhan celebration. “We were honored to share in this Hindu tradition, where Rakhis were tied as a symbol of unity. We also appreciated their prayers for our well-being and safety”, says the Livermore Police’s post on social media

• HSS volunteers from Austin TX visited APD’s Office of Community Liaison (OCL) and celebrated Raksha Bandhan with Interim Austin Police Chief Robin Henderson, Community Engagement Officer, Lt. Fausto Rodriguez, and other department members. The volunteers showered wishes and tied Rakhi (Protection) wristbands on their wrists to symbolize the bonds shared between the protectors and the public

• Hindu American youth belonging to HSS Aurora IL visited with Aurora police officers and firefighters, honoring them with rakhis and sweet treats in gratitude for their service to the community. In the nearby town of Naperville, the local HSS chapters organized a similar ceremony outside the Naperville Police Department.  Having witnessed this annual tradition several times, Naperville’s Fire Mark Chief Puknaitis remarked, “I have a collection of rakhis that have been presented to me over the years”

• HSS chapters in Edison NJ celebrated Raksha Bandhan with the Piscataway Police Department to extend their appreciation for the first responders. Volunteers in HSS uniforms and traditional outfits tied rakhi to 20 first responders. In a similar celebration in Parsippany, the children volunteers got to shake hands with police officials and peek inside the police car

• Through the efforts of Shivaji Shakha, the HSS received a proclamation for its celebration of Raksha Bandhan as Universal Oneness Day from Mayor Susan Landry of the City of Campbell CA

ROCKAWAY, NJ, USA, January 17, 2023 /– On January 16th, 2023, ‘Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh, USA, (HSS) Youths’ received the ‘2023 Service Above Self MLK Youth Leadership Award’ from Aurora (IL) Mayor Richard Irvin. This award was given to youth groups and youth leaders for their Community Service and efforts in promoting ‘Diversity-Equity-Inclusion’ (DEI). HSS Youth received this award for their food drives, highway cleanup, cultural education and, honoring of school teachers & first responders, and other service activities in 2022.

Since its inception in 1989, HSS has focused on inculcating its members to practice universal values of Hinduism, such as humanity, equality, inclusivity, and serving the needy in the society they belong to. Over the years, HSS, through its local chapters and members, has worked for society by conducting food drives, cleanup projects, health awareness events, tutoring, and helping people during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequently with government authorities to conduct successful vaccination drives.

HSS youths that received the award observed that the award was only an acknowledgment of being part of the society and that, just like MLK said, “We may have all come on different ships, but we’re in the same boat now,” and that serving society was more fulfilling than the award itself.

HSS volunteers at Roseville & Rocklin, California, celebrated MLK day with the local community and community leaders. They also helped the event organizers in the setup and cleanup. The youth chanted Hindu prayers for “peace for all and unity”, which were appreciated by the participants.

The Lewisville community in North Texas celebrated the 30th annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. This year the theme was “Living the Dream: It Takes a Team.” Hindu Education Foundation (HEF), a project of HSS, continued the partnership with the MLK committee of North Texas to co-sponsor and co-host the event this year in collaboration with the local school district. The event was attended by elected officials from 3 neighboring towns and the school district superintendent. This civic event is planned as a non-political inter-Faith event to celebrate the ideals of Dr. King, such as eliminating all forms of prejudice, equality of races, equality of gender, sustainable development, and international peace.

HSS Dallas team partnered with African American museum in a Realizing the Dream – Healthy Expo. The HSS volunteers conducted a few sessions of Yoga and SNY, explaining the simple breathing techniques, their benefits, and how they can be practiced. Many people attended and gave very positive feedback.

HSS member and volunteer Mr. J. R. Sandadi was invited by the Indiana Christian Leadership Conference (ICLC) to represent the Hindu community for the 54th MLK Day celebration service at St. John’s Missionary Baptist Church, Indianapolis, Indiana. Mr. Sandadi, expressing his gratitude for Martin Luther King Jr., spoke on this occasion and offered a Hindu prayer of peace and unity for all. Sharing his experience, Mr. Sandadi quoted MLK, “Faith is taking the first step even when you don’t see the whole staircase.” He further said, “MLK’s inspiration is not limited to a day, but is experienced all the time while serving the society.”

On Saturday, June 5, 2021, with the help of 22 volunteers, HSS (Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh) and Sewa International participated in the DuPage County Adopt-A-Highway to make a positive impact in Aurora.

Find more about the news coverage here.