Hindu Students Council: A Nexus of Identity, Culture, and Controversy
The Hindu Students Council (HSC) stands as the most extensive Hindu student organization in the United States. Functioning as a 501(c)3 non-profit, the HSC operates with a newsletter, an internet network, and numerous campus chapters across the United States. HSC helps members learn about spiritual and cultural elements of Hinduism and offers educational opportunities and service events. HSC aims to “inspire the development of an ‘integrated personality’ based on the spiritual and cultural treasures of Hindu heritage.” The organization seeks to provide “opportunities to learn about Hindu heritage and culture” and offer community service (seva). In a more political vein, it aims “to raise awareness about social, political, and religious issues affecting Hindus.” The majority of HSC members, about 60 percent, are American-born Hindus for whom the questions of a new American Hindu identity are urgent ones.
Genesis and Mission
Founded in 1990, the Hindu Students Council is North America’s largest Hindu youth organization, with students from diverse traditions and nationalities. It emerged in the late 1980s. It was in the late 1980s that the first wave of American-born Hindus, the children of the first-generation immigrants, entered college. There had long been Indian or South Asian student associations on campus, but now something quite new began. Hindu student organizations began to develop alongside the Jewish Hillel and Christian fellowship groups.
According to its mission statement, the council aims to “inspire the development of an ‘integrated personality’ based on the spiritual and cultural treasures of Hindu heritage.” The organization seeks to provide “opportunities to learn about Hindu heritage and culture” and offer community service (seva). In a more political vein, it aims “to raise awareness about social, political, and religious issues affecting Hindus.” The majority of HSC members, about 60 percent, are American-born Hindus for whom the questions of a new American Hindu identity are urgent ones.
Rajesh, who was trying to set up a chapter of the Hindu Student Council (HSC) at his school, told me that his motivation in establishing an organization that emphasized the importance of a Hindu identity was because as Indians, "You won't be accepted into this culture, whatever you do." So the club was to provide an alternate culture and identity for Hindu students. Another Hindu Student Council leader, Dheeraj Singhal, also brought up identity issues as an important reason for the formation of Hindu Student Council chapters. He said that Hindu American youth "are really desperate to know who they are, the meaning of their customs," but their parents did not have the answers to their children's questions. He continued, "Kids. .. look in the mirror and realize they are not white. Somehow they don't exactly fit. Their names are not like Mark, David, Joe or Marianne. Their culture, customs, religious festivals are not exactly mainstream Americana. They ask, 'Are we Indo-Americans? Are we Indians? Are we Hindu? These different labels, what exactly are they?'" According to him, the Hindu Student Council helped students discover the answers to these questions through discussions with other, similarly positioned youth (Hinduism Today 1997).
Activities and Initiatives
Among the activities of the Council are regular study groups on scriptures, yoga, and philosophy at such universities as the University of Pittsburgh, Michigan State University, and Northeastern University. The Council sponsors campus-wide forums, such as one at Ohio State University on “The Caste System-Is it in the Scriptures?” It also sponsors service projects, especially through its partnership with Hindu American Seva Charities (HASC), which was founded in 2009 to promote interfaith community services on campuses, with a focus on Dharmic religious groups.
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The HSC maintains cordial relations with temples and organizations in America including the Chinmaya Mission, BAPS, Gayatri Parivar, Barsana Dham, Ramakrishna Mission, Art of Living, Arsha Vidya Gurukulam, Indian Temple and Cultural Society of North America, ISKCON, Arya Samaj, Hindu Students Association, etc. The organization also has good relations with many Buddhist, Jain and Sikh organizations.
The Yale Hindu Students Council (HSC) has its roots in a group that hosted Diwali poojas at Yale since the early 1990s. After several years of inactivity, the group was re-founded in 2005 as the Bharatiya Prarthna Society by Govind Rangrass (DC ‘08), Swati Deshmukh (PC ‘05), and Nikhil Seshan (BK ‘07).
Examples of HSC activities include:
- Annual Youth Camp: In 2010, the HSC celebrated its 20th anniversary at its Annual Youth Camp in Pennsylvania. While the events prompted reflection on the Council’s activity over the past two decades, discussions, panels and workshops also emphasized seva, leadership, and Hindu cultural pride. Organizers sought to make the camp “educational yet engaging for young people.” One student commented that the “discussions were really illuminating; sharing the issues that we as Hindu students deal with, and offering suggestions and support to one another was empowering.” In May 2011, Hindu Students Council held its 21st Annual Camp at Vraj Bhoomi in Schuylkill Haven, PA. More than 50 students across HSC’s 50 plus chapters attended the camp traveling from as far as California. Camp activities focused on facets of Hindu dharma, tradition, culture, and philosophy. The weekend schedule consisted of a series of discussions, debates, competitive games, aarti (prayer), bhajans (devotional songs), yoga/meditation sessions, and even martial arts and dancing (raas/bhangra).
- Regional Retreats: In March 2011, Hindu Students Council Chapter at University of Florida held a Southeast Regional Retreat. Saturday evening took place at Clearwater Beach, 20 miles outside of Tampa, where the soft sands and scenic horizon made it a night to remember. USF chapter president Gopal Amin led the retreat in reciting the 40 verses of the Hanuman Chalisa, a mantra to praise Lord Hanuman.
- Educational Events: In October 2010, University of Maryland College Park Chapter organized a "Hinduism Jeopardy". According to Darsh Nand, a student at UMD, "The laid back, and fun atmosphere of the game made learning about Hinduism really easy and fun.". In November 2007, The University of Arkansas Chapter organized a lecture to clarify misconceptions about Hinduism. [Ketan] Chawla, the treasurer of the Hindu Students Council, explained that the group decided to have this lecture to clear up "various misconceptions about Hinduism especially about multiple Gods" and also the fact that the "caste system is looked down upon." The goal, Chawla said, was to provide "basic clarifications about Hinduism" and answers to questions that he commonly hears, such as asking "if we worship cows." In March 2010, Hindu Students Council Chapter at University of Pittsburgh hosted a conference on Eastern Religions. The event was designed to give students the opportunity to learn about Eastern religions, said Kunj Gala, the council’s president.
- Community Involvement: In August 2010, Hindu Students Council sent a delegation to the White House Session on Advancing Interfaith and Community Service on College & University Campuses. In February 2010, members of the Hindu Students Council (HSC), Hindu American Seva Charities, Hindu Collective Initiative of North America as well as others joined members of the Sikh, Muslim, Christian and Jewish communities in a dialogue on America’s National Security and its impact on various religious groups, especially minorities.
- Celebrations: In October 2010, University of Maryland Baltimore County Chapter organized a large Garba event attended by about 450 people. The Cornell Chapter has an annual Holi celebration. In 2006, HSC President Govind Rangrass (DC ‘08) organized the second annual Yale Diwali Pooja in the Davenport Common Room, securing funding from the Yale Chaplain’s Office for most of the expenses. For the first time, the pooja was held on a grand scale, with several volunteers, beautiful decorations, and a full service complete with bhajans, prasad, and a post-service dinner. Davenport College was kind enough to host the Diwali Pooja again in 2007. The event was featured in the Yale Daily News and was organized by 20 volunteers. The 2008 Diwali Pooja was held in the Yale President’s Room, a much larger and more central location, and attracted over 120 Yale students, faculty, and family members. The evening included a 45-minute program of bhajans and shlokas with explanations of Diwali and Hindu philosophy followed by a full Indian dinner.
In 2009-2010 was a watershed year for HSC, as a number of new initiatives came together at once. The 2009 Diwali Pooja, again held in the President’s Room, attracted over 150 Yale students, faculty, family members, and community members. On April 5, 2010, HSC inaugurated the Yale Hindu Community Room in the basement of Bingham Hall, the first permanent space for Hindu worship and community events at Yale, and in the spring, the Chaplain’s Office hired the first Yale Hindu Fellow, Neil Aggarwal. On October 1, 2011 the Chaplain’s Office hired third-year Law student Simi Bhat to serve as the second Hindu Fellow for the 2011-12 academic year. In 2012 Holi moved to Swing Space and Diwali Puja was moved to Commons Dining Hall, a much larger space, attracting a record number of attendees from Yale and the surrounding communities. In 2013, recognizing a growing need in the Yale Hindu community for a permanent staff member, the Chaplain’s Office hired Dr. Asha C. Shipman to be the first Hindu Life Advisor at Yale. In 2004, Hindu Students Council participated in the World Hindu Youth Summit in Bali, Indonesia. In July 2003, HSC along with other organizations organized the Global Dharma Conference 2003 which was attended by approximately 2000 people. Speakers at the conference included President of India Abdul Kalam, former Governor of NJ James McGreevey, Deepak Chopra, Shankaracharya of Kanchi Peetham, Swami Dayananda Saraswati, Jain Spiritual Leader Mahapragyaji, Dr. Kiran Bedi and many others. The Princeton HSC reorganized itself as "Princeton Hindu Satsangam" in 2008.
Affiliations and Ideological Debates
This new Hindu student movement was sponsored by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) of America, known especially for its promotion of Hindu Dharma and its links with the Hindu nationalist aims in India. Some Hindu students, however, have been uneasy with the Council’s relation with the VHP. For many students, the HSC provides a much-needed forum for claiming and, in fact, re-creating a Hindu identity in the American context. For others, however, the HSC raises disturbing questions because of its relationship to the Vishwa Hindu Parishad, which they perceive as a Hindu nationalist organization.
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In a probing and balanced article in Little India, entitled “Hindu Revival Stirs College Campuses” and published in 1994, Dartmouth graduate Sridhar Tallapragada explores both the appeal and problematic of the HSC on campuses. He cites the Sanatana Dharma Sangha at Columbia University as an example of a Hindu student group that has adamantly refused to join the Hindu Students Council. It did not want to be associated with the VHP, especially in the aftermath of the 1992 destruction of the Babri Masjid, the mosque said to have been built on the site of Lord Rama’s birthplace in Ayodhya in India. The violent demolition of the mosque, sparking a spate of communal violence between Hindus and Muslims, was openly supported by the VHP in India. When then-President of VHP America, Dr. Mahesh Mehta, defended the demolition of the mosque in a speech at a Columbia University student event honoring the centennial of Vivekananda’s visit to America, many students walked out. They felt that this strident and dogmatic form of VHP Hinduism was not only “dangerous and scary,” but a “distortion of Swami Vivekananda’s message.” For these students, the focus of the VHP was-and is-too much on religious nationalism in India.
Some student leaders of the Council, however, defended its involvement with the VHP. They insisted that VHP provided only financial support and gave the students of the HSC complete autonomy. Many of these students did share with the VHP, however, the desire to create a strong Hindu organization in America, one able to lobby for the interests of India. Also important was the ability to respond to instances of overt discrimination against the Hindu community in the United States. In the mid-1990s they cited hate crimes against Indians, such as the killing of Navroze Mody by a local gang of “Dotbusters” in New Jersey. Hindus, they argue, should be able to speak on behalf of the Hindu community, both domestically and internationally, much like the Jewish community which, through established organizations and a strong voice in the American mainstream, is able to advocate on behalf of both the Jewish community in America and their spiritual homeland in Israel. In America, as in India, the VHP articulates the fear that the very survival of Hinduism is at stake in the modern world.
Tallapragada quotes an address by Dr. Ravi P. Sharma published in the winter 1994 edition of the HSC Bulletin, Samskar: “While both Christianity and Islam believe in an evangelical mission, no such tradition exists in Hinduism. But the time has come for modern day Hinduism to face this issue, because its own survival is at stake.” In the HSC conference at Northeastern University held in May of 1994, the registration brochure read: “There comes a time when every community must decide whether it will preserve its culture, traditions, and religious heritage. We at the Hindu Students Council of America feel that our community has reached this time. We must rise to the challenges of preserving one of the greatest cultures ever to exist-our culture.”
But Tallapragada asks troubling questions. Should a Hindu student movement in America tie its energy to what many perceive as a right-wing Hindu organization in India? Should American Hindus really be concerned about the threat to freedom and practice of religion that seems to come from the American Christian right-wing? And even if that were a real concern, should Hindus forge an identity in America that virtually mirrors the chauvinism of right-wing Christian nationalism? The debate and dialogue has only begun-and it has begun among the students.
Navigating Identity and Representation
When we came in as freshmen in 1997, the university gave us a form to fill which asked about our religious background and Hinduism did not figure on that list. We thought this was very surprising given that there are a lot of students from a Hindu background on campus. We were also given a list of campus religious organizations and we saw that though there were organizations for all kinds of Christian denominations, and for Jews, Muslims, Sikhs, Bahais and everyone else, there was nothing for Hindus. So we were upset and went to meet the Dean for Religious Life who encouraged us to start an organization of our own," said Madhuri, the founder of a Hindu student club on a college campus.
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Ravi, one of the founders of a Hindu Student Council chapter that I studied, 1 talked about how hard it had been to set up the organization on campus. He attributed the difficulty in attracting Hindu students to the inferiority complex that many Hindu Americans had developed in this society. "People are ashamed to come out as Hindus. A few people faced racist comments from their white friends when they did.
Addressing Allegations and Controversies
It has come to our attention that a graphic, which falsely claims that Hindu Students Council (HSC) is organizationally tied to and puppeteered by groups in the United States and abroad, has been circulated on social media. The graphic equates HSC with a foreign organization without any substantiation. Suggestions that we are operated by other groups or are the agents of a foreign entity are malicious. They are made with a motive to gaslight and silence Hindu youth from participating in the process of defining what our traditions are, and what they mean to us, here in the West. The impact is to otherize Hindu students within school and university settings, particularly when our lived experiences do not conform to narratives about our traditions. and Canadian public consciousness.
Our youth leaders, who come from a variety of backgrounds and ethnicities, are the backbone of HSC’s rich history. We have and will always remain committed to our guiding principle of Vasudhaiva Kutumbhakam, “the whole world is one family.” The diversity of North American campus communities is uniquely beautiful, and our Hindu students both benefit from and contribute to this mosaic. We simultaneously embrace the principle of “Tamaso ma jyotirgamaya,” or leading those benighted by ignorance to the light, through education and genuine, mutual learning. [1] See Viswanathan, et al. “Working Definition of Hinduphobia,” 2021.
Hindu American Foundation: An Overview
The Hindu American Foundation (HAF) is an American Hindu non-profit advocacy group founded in 2003. HAF's areas of activism include protecting Hindu rights in the United States, highlighting Hindu persecution in other countries, pushing back against the cultural appropriation of yoga, and opposition to legislation of anti-caste discrimination laws. During 2004-05, the organization held events to educate legislators about issues of concern to Hindu Americans. In 2004, HAF unsuccessfully challenged the public display of the Ten Commandments in Texas, appearing as amici curiae in Van Orden v. Perry.
Textbook Controversies and Academic Freedom
In March 2006, HAF filed a lawsuit against California's Curriculum Commission's decision to reject most of the edits proposed by the Vedic Foundation and Hindu Education Foundation - two Hindu Nationalist groups linked with RSS - to the textbooks taught in the state. The suggested changes had sought to downplay the salience of caste in Indian history, reject Indo-Aryan migrations in favor of Indigenous Aryanism, and not describe the declining status of women in ancient India, arguing that such portrayals would humiliate Hindu children in classrooms. Multiple Indologists, including Romila Thapar, Michael Witzel, Harry Falk, Robert P. Goldman, Stanley Wolpert, and Sheldon Pollock, signed a letter protesting the edits.
In 2016, the HAF lobbied against the replacement of the word "Indian" with "South Asian" in middle school history textbooks in California, arguing that the change was essentially an erasure of India itself. These efforts were protested by South Asian academics and activists belonging to India's minority groups, who said that those on the side of the HAF sought to whitewash California's history textbooks to present a nativist, blemish-free view of how the Hindu caste system was enforced in India. They also argued that the term "South Asia" correctly represents India's collective history with countries like Pakistan and Bangladesh.
Protests and Defamation Suits
During August-September 2021, HAF launched a protest campaign against a virtual conference, Dismantling Global Hindutva: Multidisciplinary Perspectives, organized by a conglomeration of American universities. It accused the conference of platforming activists with "extensive histories of amplifying Hinduphobic discourse … [who] equate the whole of Hinduism with caste bigotry, deny the subcontinental indigeneity of Hindus.
HAF denies these charges, claims to be non-partisan, and has unsuccessfully filed defamation suits against a wide range of organizations and individuals that alleged its links to Hindutva. However, Arun Chaudhuri, an anthropologist of religion and politics at York University, cautions that such disavowals should not be taken at face value but rather as efforts at distancing HAF from the overtly negative connotations of Hindu nationalism.
tags: #Hindu #Students #Council #history
