Midwest Hindu Youth Retreat
October 2004
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In keeping with the Hindu values of unity and dharma, over 50 youth from
across 9 Midwestern states and representing 14 different universities and 3 high
schools came together at the Hindu Youth Retreat this past weekend (October
16-17, 2004). A core team of vibrant youth, led by the Hindu Students Council (HSC)
and HSS joined in spirit, strength and resources to coordinate the two-day
retreat at the
Amongst the key guest speakers at the retreat was Professor
Subhash
Kak. Dr. Kak is an acclaimed poet, historian, and computer scientist who is
currently on faculty at Louisiana State University. He offered a broad
perspective by sharing Hinduism in modern perspective. He emphasized the
interrelation between religion and many of the scientific fields of study, as
well as discussing the role of youth activity in society. He actively engaged
in discussions with students at the retreat by answering their questions ranging
from ancient Hindu history to the concept of dharma, and offering his knowledge
and passion of Hinduism.
Several other speakers emphasized the preservation of Hindu culture and outlined
the youth’s responsibility in the global Hindu renaissance. Among them was
Saumitra Gokhale
of the Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh
(HSS) for the weekend. Originally from Trinidad, and now in Chicago, Gokhale
gave an inspirational talk commending the participants of the retreat, and
asking them to increase the awareness of Hinduism across the world. Although
Hindus constitute a large portion of the world population, there are but a
handful of “towering personalities” in the community. It is the responsibility
of interested and dedicated individuals to increase the strength of all the
people as a whole. Dr. Bharat Barai, a cancer specialist and Vice Chair of
Medical Licensing Board of Indiana, joined the panel of speakers to share his
thoughts on the current movement in Hinduism as well.
There was also the opportunity to learn about various Seva
(service) projects at the retreat. Ravi Raghavan, Joint-Vice President of Chapter and Regional
Activities of HSC International, shared the great outreach work and fundraising
that HSC is doing through its Seva Initiative, NetSEVA. The currently supported organizations include
Ekal Vidyalaya, All-India Movement for
Seva (AIM), Indicorps, the 5H Program of the International Association
for Human Values, and Conservation International.
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Shyamji Gupta, a founding member of Ekal
Vidyalaya, briefly joined the youth to share his
vision of service. He encouraged all the youth to “be the Vivekananda of 2004”
and remember that the importance of Seva is not
service to others but rather towards purification of self.
In addition to the inspirational talks and intellectual discussions, there was
time to underline spirituality, share bhajans, and
enjoy the feeling of family around a campfire. The weekend could not have been
so successful without the tireless months of planning amongst the core team, as
well as support from Laxman Alreja, Shamkant Sheth, Sham Dabadgao, and Sitraram Patel.
The end of the retreat marked the creation of fifty new friendships and the
emergence of many new leaders who carry with them the vision of Hindu dharma,
and love and dedication for their Hindu family.
- Poonam Merai, Madhavi Khare, Pooja Jain
Hindu Students Council,
Midwest Region
HSC is an international forum
providing opportunities for college students and young professionals to learn
about Hindu heritage through various activities, events and projects. HSC
presents ample opportunities for self-development at the spiritual and
professional level via campus study groups, seminars, lectures, workshops,
conferences and camps. With over 70
chapters and affiliated organizations around the world, HSC is the largest Hindu
Youth organization outside of India.
For more information, please visit
www.hscnet.org
or email us at
info@hscnet.org