TAMPA, Fl (Sep. 6, 2006) - The Hindu American Foundation (HAF) successfully concluded its 2006 internship program. In its second annual summer internship program, HAF hosted three interns from various parts of the nation who were mentored by members of the HAF Executive Council on projects relevant to the Hindu-American community.

"This year we accepted fewer interns for our program," said Pawan Deshpande, member of the HAF Executive Council. "As a result, each intern was able to interact much more closely with their mentor."

Chetan Surpur (Cupertino, CA), who previously interned in 2005, worked on web development projects. Angana Homchaudhuri (Westbury, NY) and Rathi Srinivas (Howell, NJ) documented human rights violations against Hindus. The interns also presented their work to members of the Executive Council. All of the interns plan to continue working on their projects during the academic year on a volunteer basis.

"Interning with HAF this summer has really opened my eyes regarding the intensity and frequency of human rights violations that happen all over the world directed towards Hindus," said Rathi Srinivas. "Working with HAF on the annual Hindu human rights report has been one of the best summer experiences that I've ever had."

The Hindu American Foundation is a non-profit 501(c)(3), non-partisan organization, promoting the Hindu and American ideals of understanding, tolerance and pluralism.