AUSTIN, TEXAS, USA, February 24, 2009:
The sounds of Bollywood music Monday accompanied an educational rally that launched the annual Hinduism Awareness Week at the University of Texas campus here. The rally, presented by the Hindu Students Council, aims to educate students and dispel common misconceptions about the religion; it is followed by a week of events, including guest speakers, sing-alongs, food and a Shivratri lock-in. “Our purpose is to make the community aware of what Hinduism is and isn’t,” said Harsh Voruganti, the council’s education chair and a Plan II and economics senior. “On a scale of one to 10, the average UT student is probably at a three or a four when it comes to knowledge of Hinduism. We’re trying to change that.”
The rally was designed to clear up the misconceptions that Hinduism is polytheistic religion that encourages the use of a caste system and the belief that Hindus pray to idols, worship cows and believe in bloody Gods–“issues that are wrongly portrayed through the media, movies and even textbooks,” according to Nikhil Nayak, president of the organization and a finance senior.
Signs displayed information about the religion, such as how the swastika relates to Hinduism. “Most reactions to the rally have been positive,” Voruganti said. “People say, ‘I didn’t know that,’ and we’ve had a lot of double-takes at the swastika sign.”
[HPI note: The Swastika, an ancient symbol of auspiciousness and good fortune associated with Lord Ganesha, is revered by most Hindus. At the Second International Hindu-Jewish Summit meeting in February, 2008, a joint declaration recognized and affirmed its sacredness to Hindus in spite of its misappropriation by the Nazis.]