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Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh, USA (HSS) celebrated Black History Month along with prominent members of the African American community in New Jersey, North Carolina, Illinois, Texas, California, and Oregon. HSS shakhas (chapters) hosted these community leaders as guest speakers to learn more about Black history to draw inspiration for its activities and social causes. Children, youth, and adult participants of HSS listened intently and honored the speakers in the Hindu way.

Black History Month, also known as African American History Month, is an annual celebration of achievements by African Americans and a time for recognizing their central role in the history of the United States. Since 1976, every US President has officially designated the month of February as Black History Month. For the past few years, HSS has been regularly engaging with the African American community as part of its mission to educate on Hindu Dharma and its values and to foster peace and well-being in American society. Very recently, HSS celebrated Martin Luther King Day around the country participating in many African American events, espousing shared values, and teaching Yoga.

In HSS’ Aurora-Naperville chapter, Clayton Mohammad, Aurora City’s Chief Communications & Equity Officer, delivered a presentation on ‘The Impact of Black Inventions & Ingenuity on Aurora, America and Across the Globe’. Clayton’s own life story and his examples of Black American history gave tremendous insights to HSS youth and adults alike. HSS and Sewa International of Dallas jointly hosted a discussion with four senior African American leaders in McKinney. They were musician and author – Eric Willis, founder of Defy the Odds – David A. Gethers, Sr. Executive Director of Community Care Resource Council – Karl Berry, and Dr. Glen Jones. The event culminated with a tour of the Karya Siddhi Hanuman Temple in Frisco.

In an event organized by HSS’ Concord chapter in North Carolina, Willie Fleming, the Founder and President of International Minority Coalition (IMC), called the gesture to celebrate Black History Month and recognize the struggles of the African American community as a “great step forward”. In another event organized by HSS and Hindu Society of North Carolina, four speakers from different streams, including religious, social service, and political, shared their experiences and challenges.

District Court Judge, Shante Burke-Hayer thanked the organizers and appealed for unity to solve issues facing the community. In Oregon, HSS Community Relations Manager, Hiral Pandya, joined Governor Tina Kotek to sign the proclamation recognizing Black History Month. Hiral is Commissioner on the board of the Oregon Commission on Asian and Pacific Islander Affairs, which sponsored the proclamation. In South Jersey, HSS’ Pranavananda shakha hosted Tangie Cobb along with North Brunswick Township Council President, Rajesh Mehta. Tangie is a theater performer and works for the NB Police Department. She shared insights into African American history with the participants, and also sang the Black African American National Anthem.

Over 90 members of HSS’ Roseville chapter in California hosted Twiana Armstrong, a businesswoman, community influencer, and founder of the non-profit, seeMYchild. She spoke about societal biases and her own experiences overcoming them, and also participated in the exercises and interactive sessions with children and their parents. The Edison NJ chapter of HSS celebrated Black History Month by inviting the Community Oriented Policing Unit of Edison. Four police officers of African American, Indian, Chinese, and Pakistani origins spoke about the importance of diversity and representation in law enforcement, personal safety tips, and upcoming community policing programs. The Folsom CA chapter of HSS invited Citrus Heights councilwoman, Porsche Middleton to their Black History Month celebration. Porsche spoke about the importance of history and culture and shared her journey to become the only Black woman, who served as Mayor in the Sacramento area thus far. Encouraging the women in the audience to get involved in the community, she said, “Women bring a sense of voice and a sense of pragmatism”.

Through the celebration of Black History Month, HSS members all over the country gained profound admiration and inspiration from the African American community’s struggles and historical contributions to America. It remains grateful to our honored guests and wishes to continue building a strong engagement with the community in the coming days!

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On February 22, 2023, Ohio State Senator by Niraj Antani appreciated Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh USA (HSS) and its volunteers on the Senate floor for their social work and for organizing the “Darshana – A Glimpse into the Hindu Civilization” exhibition (Darshana) at the Ohio Statehouse rotunda. While reading the proclamation on this special occasion, he also appreciated the richness and diversity of Hindu culture and its contributions to the world. The exhibition and resolution are expected to impact positively, promoting a greater understanding and appreciation of Hinduism and strengthening cultural ties between communities.

The exhibition offered a platform to explore a wide range of topics such as Yoga, Ayurveda, Dharma, Mathematics, Architecture, Arts, Sciences, and the present-day global presence of Hinduism. This exhibition is part of the Hindu Dharma Awareness Campaign and is successfully being displayed and welcomed nationwide. In the last four months, from April 2022, over 200 events have been organized nationwide to educate political, civic, educational, and interfaith leaders about Hindu Dharma, another term for Hinduism. The event is open to all and provides glimpses into the Hindu way of life.

Several elected officials and their staff visited the Darshana and appreciated this awareness campaign. State Senator Stephanie Kunze representing the 16th district, enjoyed learning more about healthy eastern ways to care for the body through healthy eating, exercise, and meditation. People visiting the State House on business also took an opportunity to visit the exhibition and learn more. Tod Bowen, Managing Director of External Affairs and Government Relations at Ohio Restaurant Association, appreciated his interaction with students presenting Darshana and the information the exhibition provided about Hindu culture, contributions, and practices.

While thanking the Elected officials of the Ohio State Senate, Mr. Sitaram Koppaka, President of HSS for Ohio, said, “Our idea was to reach out to the local communities across the United States and to bring awareness about Hindu philosophy and culture that the fellow Hindus in their neighborhood practice.” In alignment with Mr. Koppaka’s comment, this exhibition has traveled in 165 cities across the United States since the spring of 2022. It was enthusiastically received by a broad audience, including federal, state, and local government officials, judges, educators, business leaders, and ethnic, religious, and interfaith groups. The exhibition also attracted broad public participation.

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Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh (HSS) concluded the 16th annual Health for Humanity Yogathon, also known as Surya Namaskar Yajna (SNY), on January 29th. Surya Namaskar integrates simple Yoga postures in 10 steps that, along with easy breathing techniques, can provide immense health benefits to the body and the mind. It was first launched in 2007 to create awareness about Yoga and its advantages in fostering a healthy body, mind, and spirit for any practitioner regardless of age, faith, gender, or ethnicity. The event is free to the public from all walks of life.

In this year’s Yogathon, 13,392 enthusiasts from 39 states, actively performed Surya Namaskar sets throughout the two-week duration of the program. This includes over 4,475 students and teachers from various schools who learned the steps and participated. Many participants acknowledged its benefits in attaining physical and emotional balance and committed to continuing this activity regularly. A highlight from the program was that the African American community performed Surya Namaskars at the Martin Luther King Day celebrations in the Dallas, TX, area.

Several elected officials, including US senators, Governors, State representatives, and Mayors, issued proclamations to recognize the Yogathon and encouraged their constituents to participate in this valuable health awareness program.

Appreciating the Yogathon in the Sully School District in Virginia, Fairfax County Supervisor Kathy Smith said, “This was a great community event, and I appreciated being a part of it. The presenters provided valuable information for the families, and I loved the focus on children being physically and mentally healthy.”

“It was a pleasure attending the Surya Namaskar Yajna. Most importantly, I personally benefited by performing Surya Namaskar, as it relieved my longstanding lower back pain. It was heartwarming to see the enthusiasm of youngsters and their parents alike. The overall positive energy in the room was palpable. There was an active exchange of information and ideas with local county government officials and staff from the Fire Station”, said Dr. Krishna Madiraju, President of Century Pediatrics Inc., VA.

Reflecting on the Yogathon, national project coordinator, Dr. Amit Chimanpure, said, “During the pandemic times, we as a community realized the need of mental, physical well-being, and caring for people around us. Through SNY, countless volunteers were able to reach families, community groups, and schools across the country, promoting a healthy lifestyle.”

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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.”

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ROCKAWAY, NJ, USA, January 6, 2023 — Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh USA (HSS) announces the sixteenth annual “Yoga for Health, Health for Humanity Yogathon” or “Surya Namaskar Yajna” (SNY) event. This event will begin on January 14, 2023, and end on January 29, 2023. It is a nationwide event where participants across genders, races, ethnicities, nationalities, and faiths enthusiastically join, thus making it a truly nationwide Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) event.

Surya Namaskar is typically done to honor the Sun, and it is believed to have a number of physical and mental benefits. Suryanamaskar Yajna is a type of Yogathon involving the practice of Surya Namaskar, a series of 10 physical postures traditionally performed in sequence as a form of yoga. The practice of Surya Namaskar involves moving through a series of poses that flow together in a graceful, continuous sequence.

Since its inception in 2007, participants from 43 states have actively taken part in Yoga centers, community organizations, schools, and colleges. Regardless of individual faiths and beliefs, enthusiasts have participated and collectively performed over four million Surya Namaskars.

Acknowledging this community-wide health awareness program, community leaders and many elected officials across the nation have appreciated this initiative and encouraged their residents to participate and gain the benefits of an overall healthy lifestyle. Health for Humanity Yogathon has received numerous proclamations from American mayors, governors, US Congressmen, and US Senators. It was recognized as a part of Congressional records in 2017. Acknowledging the community benefits of this initiative, the Let’s Move initiative of then First Lady Michelle Obama declared HSS as a partner in 2012.

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This year’s Sewa Diwali saw active and spirited participation from Sikh Gurudwaras, Hindu, Jain, and Buddhist temples, Yogic organizations, Interfaith organizations, Indian American cultural and linguistic associations, and thousands of families and individuals all over the land. Several dharmic organizations such as BAPS, Chinmaya Mission, Arya Samaj, and Sewa International collected food among their supporters.

Aimed at fostering togetherness and promoting the concept of Sewa (selfless giving), Sewa Diwali provides a platform for Dharmic and Indic communities to organize food drives during Diwali. Starting in October to mark the celebrations of Diwali, the Dharmic Festival of Lights, the drive runs through the end of November. Sewa Diwali extended to more than 200 Cities and towns in 2022, its fifth consecutive year. Since its inception in 2018, the Sewa Diwali project has donated close to 1.5 Million pounds of food nationwide.

Sewa plays a crucial role in an individual’s life from a dharmic tradition. For example, all dharmic communities believe in the principle ‘parōpakārārtham idam sharīram’ (Sanskrit: “broadly meaning a person lives to serve others selflessly”). Pam Bozano, the Site Director of Nobel Prep for the Boys and Girls Club at Stonybrook Middle School, IN, thanked SewaDiwali for its generous donation. She said, “There is a big food disparity in this community. So we are very grateful and appreciative that this donation benefits our kids and their families during the holiday season.”

The Plano Texas Police Department appreciated SewaDiwali in their Facebook posting: “It was a blessing to see the overwhelming participation from all corners of the DFW [Dallas-Fort Worth] area, with multiple communities and Hindu American organizations participating in this Sewa activity.” The Plano Police department worked with SewaDiwali to transport 27,892 lbs. of food at the North Texas Food Bank.

Sewa Diwali, National Coordinator Anil Kothari said, “In its fifth year now, SewaDiwali continues to bring people closer together for “universal good.” The enlightening spirit of Diwali shone forth to bring light into the lives of the needy, thanks to our benefactor partners, communities, and individuals all over the country! We’re delighted that Hindus, Jains, Sikhs, and other Dharmic communities of America came together again to serve society through food donation.”

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