SUGAR LAND, TEXAS, September 13, 2012 (Indo-American News): As the South Asian population has grown rapidly in the United States over the past three decades, so has the proportion of its representation in the military and para-military forces, a branch of the government in which they were virtually non-existent in before the 1980s. Although exact numbers are hard to find, these days it is not unusual to come across a South Asian enlisted in the military, as cadets at West Point or as frontline soldiers in conflict areas like Afghanistan and Iraq. When Capt. Rajiv Srinivasan, 26, strode up to the podium at the meeting room of Madras Pavilion in Sugar Land this past Friday, September 7, it was not unusual to meet another South Asian military man; but what was unexpected was the fervor with which he spoke about his Hindu faith and the turning points in his tour of duty in Afghanistan that he contributed to his firm belief in Hinduism.
Srinivasan was in town to showcase the annual Houston area fundraiser for the Hindu American Foundation, a Hindu advocacy and lobbying group based in Washington, DC. In 2011, Srinivasan won the first essay contest sponsored by the HAF about what it meant to be Hindu, and ever since, he has gone to many cities across the US to help the HAF with their fundraising activities. “HAF helps people like me who never embraced their faith as a young person,” said Srinivasan. “HAF gives us the tools to find our Hindu faith again.” HAF was able to raise over $65,000 during the event.
Srinivasan, who is from Roanoke, Virginia, found the military life ethically challenging to his beliefs, which he had suppressed. He found that he could not really answer questions about his religion. So he turned to the Bhagvad Gita and the sermon that Krishna gives Arjun on the battlefield resonated with him. Krishna’s admonishment to stand up and fight for what is right gave Srinivasan a realization. “All of a sudden, my views about the pacifist nature of Hinduism went out of the window,” he told the audience of about 150 people, “and I understood that you have to fight for what you believe in.”