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MILPITAS, California, October 13, 2007: A rallying cry for Hindus, complete with articulate speeches from an academic of Hinduism who is a Caucasian convert, a high tech entrepreneur and a final impromptu appeal from its founder Mihir Meghani, netted the Hindu American Foundation a whopping $500,000 in pledges at the Hindu American Foundation’s 4th Annual Northern California Hindu Awareness and Education Campaign Dinner Sept. 28 at the BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Hindu Mandir here.
Boosted by the impassioned appeal of Meghani, a Fremont, Calif.-based physician, that the continuous work of creating awareness about Hindus and Hinduism in the mainstream community not only needed dedicated volunteers but also substantial financial support, the several hundred-strong audience responded in kind, spurred by the announcement that noted Silicon Valley entrepreneur Desh Deshpande had made a pledge of $100,000.
A short video, made by HAF volunteers, highlighted some of the issues important to the Hindu community. It presented some of the notable achievements of Hinduism, including “ahimsa,” the path of non-violence; “satyagraha,” or the struggle for truth; as well as its achievements in mathematics and science. The video also highlighted misrepresentation or insults to Hinduism, including the portrayal of the Indian Hindu character Appu in the popular cartoon show, “The Simpsons.”
The keynote speaker at the event was Ramdas Lamb, an associate professor of religion at the University of Hawai’i, who had converted to Hinduism from Catholicism. Lamb recalled being advised by his instructors at the University of California at Santa Barbara, where he got his doctorate, to change his name because “Hindus were not objective.”
Yet the vast majority of those who taught Judaism, Christianity and Islam at academia belonged to that faith. How is it that they were considered objective while Hindus were not?
Lamb suggested that there was a “conscious effort to denigrate Hinduism” that began way back in the 18th century when it was imperative for the British, who then ruled India, to establish the superiority of European values and culture. He also talked about the “distortion” of Indian leaders like Raja Rammohan Ray and Rabindranath Tagore whose world view was shaped by European values.
Lamb also took Hindu parents to task. His own kids, he said, had learned Hindi watching the Ramayana. Children needed to be taught about the culture, he said. “We need to do a better job,” he exhorted. “Don’t be afraid to acknowledge the richness (of Hinduism). Hinduism teaches plurality, openness, tolerance.”
A number of HAF officials spoke about the activities of HAF and its efforts to raise awareness and break the “caste, cows, curry” stereotype Hindus.
In his brief remarks, Deshpande chided the community for its tendency to be “too much conformist,” and lauded HAF’s efforts. His son had been a volunteer with HAF, and he quipped that he was “learning about Hinduism from his son.”
While organizers urged for donations with a deftness that was impressive, it was Meghani’s passionate appeal that seemed to touch a chord with many in the audience.
He said audience members needed to make a donation that would be deep enough to make them give up something, because this was something they were doing for their kids.
“If you’re making a donation that won’t change your life, then you aren’t giving enough,” he cajoled.
HAF officials said that its recent achievements were substantial. It had not only made possible a first-ever address by a Hindu organization at a Congressional human rights hearing, it had also released the third annual report on the status of human rights of Hindus where they are minorities, and received mainstream coverage in American media.
HAF has also hired a full-time executive director and part-time administrative assistant in its Washington, D.C. office. HAF also claims it won a lawsuit against the California State Board of Education for misrepresentation of Hinduism and inequity in how Hindus have been treated in the textbook adoption process
It also said it released the first-ever report on Internet hate against Hindus.
Earlier, U.S. lawmakers and influential Hindu Americans shared the dais at the annual Capitol Hill reception hosted in Washington, D.C. by the HAF. For the fourth consecutive year, leaders of the foundation and nearly 150 supporters gathered under the rotunda of the United States Capitol building capping a day of face-to-face meetings on the Hill discussing issues of concern to Hindu Americans.
At the reception, Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, was honored with the Mahatma Gandhi Award for the Advancement of Religious Pluralism and addressed the attendees on his commitment to religious diversity and his deep appreciation for India and Hinduism’s pluralistic traditions.
“It is an honor to be recognized alongside committed activists dedicated to promoting religious tolerance and human rights,” said Brown in his address. “While religious liberty is a fundamental right in the U.S., Hindus in many countries face discrimination, forced conversions, and disenfranchisement. I will continue to work with the Hindu American Foundation on these vital issues.” Also recognized for the same award was Sen. Robert Menendez, D-N.J. Preeta Bansal, commissioner and past chair of USCIRF, and former Solicitor General of New York, shared the pluralism award and expressed her appreciation for the foundation’s legal and political initiatives. Delegate Kumar Barve, Majority Leader of the Maryland’s state legislature and the first Hindu American elected to a state legislature, was among the night’s honorees as was Dino Teppara, chief of staff for Rep. Joe Wilson, R-S.C.
HAF urged members of Congress to co-sponsor the matching House and Senate resolutions (H.Res 245 and S.Res 299) recognizing the Hindu festival of Diwali.

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