For Immediate Release

 

4^th Annual Mid-Atlantic Regional Retreat

Compiled by: Pooja Raju, Regional Team Member (pooja.raju@gmail.com)

Pictures
Vraj Bhoomi Temple Participants NetOHM participants Participants 2 Participants 3 Retreat - before Krishna (High res-5MB)

 

“Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam: the world is one big family.”  This Vedic ideal not only has a strong value within the philosophies of Hinduism but also in the hearts and minds of Hindu youths and young professionals around the world.

 

On February 4-6^th, 2005, forty-two students and young professionals from the Hindu Students Council (HSC) and the Network of Hindu Minds (NetOHM) gathered together for the 4^th Annual Mid-Atlantic Regional Retreat held on the auspicious grounds of Vraj Bhoomi in Schuylkill Haven, PA.  The students present at the retreat came from all parts of the Mid-Atlantic region and beyond, including but not limited to schools such as Binghamton University, Bryn Mawr College, City College of New York, Hunter College, New York University, Queens College, Rutgers University, and the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.

 

Organized and conducted by a dynamic and enthusiastic team of regional coordinators and regional team members, this three-day event turned out to be informative and exciting for many.

 

The morning commenced with a meditation session conducted by Ravi Wadhwani, a student of the Ayurveda Institute in Albuquerque, New Mexico. He discussed the importance of managing stress within our daily lives and provided simple routines that individuals can follow to create a healthier, more energetic lifestyle.  The morning continued with a presentation on “Hindu Kashmir” by Mr. Dhiraj Bakaya.  Mr. Bakaya, a native of Jammu & Kashmir and a young professional, provided an in-depth look into the lives of Hindu Kashmiris, the ancient Hindu culture and religion, and how Kashmir is known as “India’s Crown Jewel.”  Mr. Niraj Mohanka, a student of Indology- the academic study of India, and an entrepreneur, gave an interesting discourse titled, “Decoding Hinduism.”  Mr. Mohanka has devoted the past 8 years on two long-term projects: one documenting the entire history of India and the second, translating all 10,000 scriptures of Sanatana Dharma (Hinduism).  He provided a detailed, well-structured spreadsheet to the attendees of the retreat, outlining the entire history of India – which was breathtaking for many.  There was also a special discussion by Swami Nikhilanda – who talked to the participants of the retreat about the significance of “maya” and self-realization.

 

After the conclusion of Swami Nikilanda’s discussion, there was a small bhajan/aarti led by HSC General Secretary Nikunj Trivedi and assisted by Vijay Kumbar, an HSC member from Binghamton University.  The night closed off with an exciting game of Hinduism Jeopardy, organized by Regional Coordinator Sonal Dhawan and Regional Team Member Naisa Thaker, followed by garba/raas/bhangra dancing.

 

The following morning, Naisa Thaker conducted a relaxing session of yoga and meditation.  After breakfast, Nikunj Trivedi provided a slideshow on the “Contributions of Hindus to the World,” which displayed the accomplishments that Hindus have provided to the world in the past.  The participants also divided up into groups for two parallel sessions titled “Are All Religions the Same?” and “A Tribute to Hindu Women.”, both of which were led by Sonal Dhawan and Naisa Thaker, respectively.

 

Nisha Gupta, president of HSC chapter at NYU had this to say: “The 2005 HSC Regional Retreat was awesome!  I really learned a lot and got the chance to meet a lot of incredible people.  It introduced me to many new ideas and allowed me to explore Hinduism more deeply, especially by communicating with others and gaining their viewpoint.  As this was my first HSC event outside of our chapter, the retreat also made me realize that HSC as an organization is much greater than I imagined, whether in size, goals, or accomplishments.  It was an amazing experience, lots of fun, and went by too quickly!” 

 

Jay Rawal, a participant from Ramapo College, was appreciative of the retreat and expressed his views with great enthusiasm.  “I came here as an observer and a participant.  It’s good to see that the retreat combined both history and religion and all the presentations had a positive note to it.  I loved how everything was displayed.”

 

Lé Santha Naidoo, president of HSC at UMASS-Amherst, said, “It was great being at the retreat this weekend. I think for all of us at UMASS, we were able to forget about school and other things, and just concentrate on learning about our religion and heritage. We all enjoyed it thoroughly!”

 

In addition to the numerous friendships that were created as a result of this retreat, the participants not only left with a greater knowledge of Hinduism, but also with the determination to continue promoting the values of Hindu dharma and seva (service) within the world.