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Traditionally, Raksha Bandhan is an occasion when sisters tie sacred threads, or rakhis, around the wrists of their brothers. These rakhis symbolize love, affection, and commitment to protect and care for one another. For HSS, Raksha Bandhan extends beyond the traditional brother-sister relationship, urging all members of society to embrace the responsibility of safeguarding their families and the wider community.

This year, HSS organized Raksha Bandhan celebrations in over 80 chapters across 20 states in the United States. Volunteers tied rakhis to various protectors of society, including police personnel, fire personnel, civic officials, and others who dedicate their lives to ensuring the safety and well-being of their communities. This gesture of appreciation and unity recognizes the sacrifices and dedication of those who work tirelessly to protect our society.

HSS volunteers also tied rakhis to faith leaders during this year’s Parliament of World Religions in Chicago. This event demonstrated HSS’s commitment to fostering harmony and understanding among diverse faith communities, promoting the idea that despite our religious and cultural differences, we share a common humanity and the duty to protect and nurture it.

Through these events, HSS reiterates its dedication to building a more harmonious and interconnected world where individuals from all walks of life come together to protect and nurture their shared humanity.

While appreciating on behalf of his team, Fire Chief James Blanchfield, Wilton, CT, said, “It’s nice when we get together for something like this. On behalf of all the emergency services here today, we thank you guys for coming out here and spending the day with us.”

“#UniversalOnenessDay serves as a reminder to reaffirm social and civic responsibilities in hopes to support and protect the community that we are part of. It was great speaking on the importance of #oneness. I also got to try Sesame Barfi, which was delicious! Thank you HSS for stopping by and celebrating!” are thoughts that Illinois State Senator Adriane Johnson, District 30, shared.

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We at HSS reject and strongly condemn being dragged baselessly and maliciously by the Indian American Muslim Council (IAMC) into these recent alleged, unverified incidents in Naperville, IL. We stand with the Hindu community of greater Chicago to counter IAMC’s hateful and misleading propaganda against Hindus and Hindu community organizations.

We welcome the Islamic Center of Naperville’s approach to tolerance and education in addressing this situation. In line with our vision of ‘Promote dharma, foster peace,’ HSS offers its efforts to bring peace and harmony to Chicagoland.

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In North Carolina, over 100 HSS volunteers walked in the 4th of July parade, a few playing traditional Hindu and American patriotic tunes on their band instruments. They were cheered by the onlooking crowds and welcomed warmly by the organizers. In Texas, HSS was recognized as “Friends of the Event” at a city-organized Independence Day fest. A group of teenage and adult volunteers of HSS also helped out the organizers at the town’s annual celebration with set up, crowd management, and cleaning afterward. In the San Jose area of California, HSS volunteer families participated in the “Red and White Parade.” Young children in ethnic outfits walked enthusiastically, holding the American flag and posters on Yoga and Spirituality. HSS USA designed these posters as part of Darshana – a traveling educational exhibition about the Hindu civilization.

HSS organizes youth and leadership development camps nationwide to train its volunteers each summer. Attendees of these camps, including trainers, trainees, and support staff, celebrated July 4th this year by hoisting the star-spangled banner and singing the national anthem. These celebrations occurred at multiple locations, from Indiana to Southern California and Washington State to upstate New York.

July 4th is also an important day for Hindus worldwide, as it marks the death anniversary of Swami Vivekananda, who introduced the West, especially the US, to Hindu philosophy and Yoga. He passed away on this day in the year 1902. HSS would like to remember the contributions of Swami Vivekananda, including his famous speech at the Parliament of World Religions, which is a source of inspiration for peace, harmony, and well-being of all people of the world.

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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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