HAF Holds Hindu Awareness Campaign in New York

DATE: May 30, 2005

NEW YORK, NY: Between May 20 to May 22, the Hindu American Foundation (HAF) made a successful initial foray into the New York (NY) metropolitan area with several events designed to present HAF's vision, goals, and achievements.

On Friday, May 20, HAF President, Mihir Meghani, M.D., held a press conference at the Maalika Indian Restaurant in Manhattan. A number of Hindu and Indian journalists attended the press conference at which Dr. Meghani discussed HAF, its accomplishments, its objectives for 2005 and 2006 and his recent groundbreaking visit to the United Kingdom. "The press conference was important because it allowed HAF to broadcast its message of understanding, tolerance and pluralism to the greater New York/New Jersey community," stated Dr. Meghani. Several interviews were done for the print and television media.

On Saturday, May 21, HAF presented its Hindu Awareness Campaign (HAC) at the Ganesha Hindu Temple (Hindu Temple Society of North America) in Flushing, NY. The first HAC event in NY attracted a large audience of highly motivated Hindu community leaders. Dr. Meghani, Mr. Nikhil N. Joshi, Esq., (HAF Board Member), Mr. Pawan Deshpande (HAF Executive Council Member), and Ms. Adeeti N. Joshi (HAF Associate and Gift Coordinator) conducted the inspiring HAC event. Dr. Gaddam Reddy, Vice-President of the Temple, stated that HAF "has proven its weight in gold after less than two years in existence. We are very pleased to see an organization take charge to lead Hindu Americans into the future. In my mind, HAF's leaders are the future Vivekanandas!"

Dr. Meghani speaking with a reporter in Manhattan during a press conference

On Sunday, May 22, HAF held a HAC program at the Bhuvaneshvar Mandir in Queens, NY. An audience consisting of mainly Caribbean Hindus warmly welcomed Dr. Meghani, Mr. Joshi, and HAF's Human Rights intern Preetom Sikder. Dr. Meghani and Mr. Joshi presented the HAC event to an audience that included a large number of youth and young professionals. The Caribbean community openly solicited support for HAF and in doing so, Pandita Indrani Rampersad, the first Hindu Pandit from Trinidad and Tobago, implored that "Hindus who care to preserve their heritage and who want to have a voice in the American mainstream must do everything in their power to enable HAF to accomplish its noble objectives."

During the course of the weekend in New York, HAF leaders discussed ways to reduce hate and promote understanding, tolerance, and pluralism with the leadership of the Simon Wiesenthal Center. In Long Island, NY, HAF was hosted by Dr. and Mrs. Narinder Kukar at a dinner meeting, where Mr. and Mrs. Joshi, and Dr. Meghani formally presented HAF to a gathering of community leaders. HAF also met with Dr. A.V. Raghunath of the Kanchi Kamakoti Seva Foundation and received an update on issues surrounding the deplorable attack on the Sankaracharya of Kanchi and the work of the Kanchi Math in India. At all venues, HAF was asked to return again for further programs to promote awareness of the issues Hindu Americans face and the work of HAF, and to raise money to support HAF's plans to serve the community.