Source: www.expressbuzz.com
CHENNAI, INDIA, August 25, 2009: Barack Obama may have been the only American president to refer to Hindus in his first presidential address. He could also be the first US President to call for Hindu participation in his advisory council.
Yet, the concept of Indian Hindus in the US is largely confined to cow, caste and curry in the US mindset, observed Anju Bhargava, the first Hindu representative of the advisory council of the President on Faith based and Neighborhood partnerships.
Anju, who was raised in Chennai, was in the city yesterday to deliver a lecture on ‘Inter-faith Dialogue’ among college students. The first representative of the entire eastern philosophy on the advisory council, Anju is striving for better participation and knowledge of Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism in the US.
Speaking to Express, Anju says that a broader understanding will result from social initiatives, as the Hindu American Seva Charities, which she convened, focus on social service and community-based activities. Anju’s activities are two-fold: bringing together the ‘New Americans’ (People of Indian Origin in America) for culture-based knowledge sharing and also community service.
A resident of the USA for 30 years, Anju calls herself an American product trying hard to instill Indian values. One of the ordained priests in New Jersey, Anju says she takes her religion to people in her own way.