PENNSYLVANIA, USA, October 18, 2004: The Vedic Friends Association held its first North American conference from October 1-3, 2004, bringing together members and invited guests from other Hindu organizations, as well as several professors from universities across North America. Held at the Arsha Vidya Gurukulam at the invitation of Swami Dayananda Sarasvati, it was a “working conference” where problems were identified and action plans prepared. All the attendees were already engaged in various ways of protecting or propagating the Hindu/Vedic culture. Emphasis was on the areas of (1) the image of Hinduism and Hindus in the media, (2) the image of Hinduism in academia, and (3) preserving the Hindu identity and traditions. These discussion and planning sessions were led by Jeffrey Armstrong of Vancouver, Yvette Rosser and Tom Beal.
Among the significant action items adopted were networking with other groups throughout the US to analyze the most used World History/World Geography/World Cultures textbooks and to take the needed steps so that errors concerning India and its traditions can be identified and corrected, developing lists of recommended books on India and Indic traditions for adults and children, creating and distributing educational materials (such as tri-fold brochures) on specific topics of Indic Dharma, creation of materials/holding of classes to train community workers dealing with the media, and creation of various local as well as a national contact list of resource persons for various Hindu and Vedic topics. The full report of the Vedic Friends Association conference can be found at “source.”
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