HOUSTON, TEXAS, July 15, 2012 (Press Release): Hindus of Greater Houston held its second annual Hindu Youth Awards 2012 gala at India House on July 15th 2012 at India House, Houston. Seven outstanding Hindu youth and one Hindu youth organization were among the recipients of the awards. Hindu Youth Awards are dedicated to the Hindu youth who have the spirit of contributing selflessly to the community. This year recipients of the 2012 youth awards are Vidha Dixit, Yagnesh Patel, Divya Kompella, Ruchita Naik, Ramesh Cheruvu, Supriya Aggarwal, Komal Bhandari and the Arya Samaj of Greater Houston. Sugar Land City Councilman Himesh Gandhi was the chief guest, and in his keynote speech praised the hard work and commitment shown by the youth in preserving Hindu culture. “What you have been doing is absolutely critical for the future of Hindu religion and culture. Carry on the torch….absorb the wisdom from the legends in the community. You will go far and wide. You are an inspiration to all of us,” Gandhi said.
The awards night seemed to be a rewarding night when the jubilant youth recipients accepted the awards with pride and promise of upholding the tenets of Hinduism. Their commitment to spread awareness of the Hindu traditions and culture to the mainstream society was outstanding, said Thara Narasimhan, Secretary of HGH. It was also notable that the youth actively participated in many social and environmental issues. One of the 2012 Youth award recipients from Hindu Temple of The Woodlands, Divya Kompella, not only talked about the temple’s recycling initiative, but collected two large bags of water bottles at the event to recycle when she found that there were no plans to do so. She has been actively involved in educating youth and adults about the importance of recycling and in conserving resources for the future and coordinating various youth activities at their temple.
All of the youth awardees have been participating in weekly prayer services, annual youth gatherings, camping trips and volunteering to community organizations. One of the award winners, Komal Bhandari, a Bhuatnese refugee resettled in Houston, is now doing his engineering at UT Austin. His compelling story gave a glowing testimony to his contribution to the Houston community.