Suhag Shukla, Sangeetha Shankar and Ramya Ramakrishnan at Hindu Unity Day. Photo by Sangeetha Shankar.
I love being a Hindu advocacy professional! One of its biggest rewards is the exceptional people I meet on a regular basis — people who inspire me because they model a lifetime of dedication to Dharma and working for humanity.
One such person I recently met is His Holiness Swami Govind Dev Giri Maharaj ji, Trustee of the Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra, Ayodhya, India. Swamiji was one of the main spiritual leaders participating in the Pran Prathistah of the Ram Mandir this past January. A sannyāsi, he is also the founder of the Geeta Pariwar Organization and spent a lifetime dedicating himself to spiritual progress and serving numerous Hindu communities.
To commemorate his US visit, Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh had organized Hindu Unity Day celebrations across the country. I attended two on June 30th — one in Milpitas and another Sacramento as a representative of HAF. Both the events were unique in how they reinforced the message of the need for unity amongst Hindus all over the world.
At the Milpitas event, my colleagues Suhag Shukla, Esq., Executive Director of HAF, and Ramya Ramakrishnan, Community Outreach Director, also attended.
Panel Discussion with Suhag Shukla and Sanjay Tripathi on Hindu unity
The event was kicked off with an auspicious and traditional, Vedic welcome and Kalash puja honoring Swami Govind Dev Giri Maharaj, accentuated by beautiful Sanskrit chants.
Welcoming Swami Govind Dev Giri Maharaj ji. Photo by HSS.
This was followed by an invigorating panel discussion with Suhag Shukla and Sanjay Tripathi, US National Joint Executive Director for HSS which was moderated by Shri Iyer of the famed PGurus YouTube channel.
They discussed everything Hindu Unity and global Hindus. One of the questions asked was “What does Hindu Unity look like to you?”
Panel discussion with Shri Iyer, Sanjay Tripathi and Suhag Shukla. Photo by Sangeetha Shankar.
Suhag Shukla highlighted the differences in our unity and how Hindus have taken those differences to soaring heights. She reminded the audience that as Hindus, we are faced with a choice — either divide further over these differences or turn them into our strength. She reiterated that we could do this by remembering:
- Our shared divine essence and interconnectedness that merits each of us contributing to the wellbeing of the whole.
- Our responsibility as inheritors of a civilization that’s built upon philosophies, teachings and practices aimed at managing and ultimately freeing oneself from the effects of life’s ups and downs, mokṣa and an ethos of compassion and pluralism.
- And sometimes even accepting that we have common challenges or enemies yet remaining united through the common thread of Hinduism’s underlying philosophies and principles.
Sanjay Tripathi shared a powerful example of how California’s Hindu communities blazed past their differences to work towards a right narrative and identity. He gave examples of our long and hard fight for a more accurate representation of Hinduism in the California textbooks. Hindus irrespective of their languages/origins in India or belief systems came together consistently month after month, year after year and achieved significant results, including canceling the two most widely published public school textbooks because they were so inaccurate and offensive. Our unity in our varied representation became our strength. Mr. Tripathi also reminded us that the Rig Veda ends with the message of “Sangatan “ or “organization/ coming together”, thus placing unity as the foremost requirement of any society to thrive.
The panel also discussed how Hinduism is practiced widely across the world by different races, ancestries and national origins, thus busting the myth that Hindus are all Indians. Most importantly, Shukla stressed upon the collaborative work of HAF in representing a wide variety of Hindus in America, thus truly showcasing Hinduism.
Hinduness as our identity
The panel discussion was then followed by Swamiji’s speech, which was a refreshing new take on everything Hindu unity. He stressed that we are not united like different parts of an assembled machine but like a plant, where unity grows from within.
Swami Govind Dev Giri Maharaj ji. Photo by HSS.
He talked about Hinduness as our identity, compared to Hinduism. Hinduness, akin to oneness and goodness, is an excellent quality that can be developed by anyone, irrespective of their faith or background. Elaborating further on the quality of Hinduness, he stated that we have celebrations everyday which makes us a celebrating people, dancing people, immortal souls and the expression of that immortal principle. Thus, we are essentially one. He also elaborated how Hinduness and dharma is the balance between self, environment, other and Supreme Self. He finally implored Hindus to keep our political eye open, just like Chanakya did.
Milpitas Hindu Unity Day. Photo by HSS.
The event was a resounding success, with 50+ orgs in attendance. HAF staff had a lovely time meeting and exchanging ideas with other organizations as well with community members.
We left the event with renewed determination to walk the path of Hindu Unity.
Krunsvanto Vishwam Aryam! Jai Shree Ram!
