MILIPITAS, CA: The Hindu American Foundation educates the public about Hinduism, speaks out about issues affecting Hindus worldwide, and builds bridges with institutions and individuals whose work aligns with HAF’s objectives. HAF focuses on human and civil rights, public policy, media, academia, and interfaith relations.
Over 500 enthusiastic supporters attended the Hindu American Foundation’s (HAF) Northern California Fundraiser on Saturday, September 14 at India Community Center, Milpitas, California. In attendance were several local government officials, including city council members, Mayors and other elected representatives from Fremont, Cupertino and San Jose. This was HAF’s 10th annual fundraiser and as before, it was a combination of outstanding food, rousing speakers, and a feeling of common purpose revolving around the work of the organization.
The evening kickstarted with prayers by Chinmay following which SriVani Ganti, Director of Member and Chapter Relations, thanked the media and volunteers for their persistent support. Council Member Ash Kalra and SriVani were the emcees and welcomed the members. Mihir Meghani, M.D, Co-founder of HAF thanked the donor circles and long time supporters.
He urged the guests to open their hearts and wallets to the organization. As he pointed out, HAF’s peer organizations such as the American Jewish Council and the Council on American Islamic Relations spend far more on advocacy, which enables them to influence policies. He made a quick reference to Murali who was working on textbooks.
Congressmen Eric Swalwell, who has supported FBI tracking anti-Hindu crimes, addressed the gathering on his stand against the military intervention. Congressmen Mike Honda sponsored a letter to secretary of State John Kerry about the plight of Hindus in Pakistan, supported FBI tracking anti-Hindu hate crimes and lauded HAF’s persistent work.
Ro Khanna, who is running for District 17, spoke on how unique was the district. The New California 17th Congressional District is located in the heart of Silicon Valley in the Southern area of the San Francisco Bay area housing largest technological companies such as Yahoo, eBay, Apple, Intel.
Samir Kalra and Vineet Sharma welcomed State Senate Majority Leader Ellen Corbett and presented her the Friend of Community Award. “We are extremely grateful to Senate Majority Leader Corbett for spearheading SCR 32 and the State Senate for unanimously passing the resolution, which will go a long way to raising awareness and understanding about the Hindu American community and our beliefs,” said Vineet Sharma.
Ellen Corbett while addressing the large gathering said, “I am honored to represent the 10th State Senate District, which has constituents from many diverse backgrounds, including a significant number of Hindu Americans”.
“California is home to a thriving community of over 370,000 Hindu Americans that enrich our state’s diversity and professional assets in fields as diverse as academia, science, technology, business, arts and literature”, said Ellen.
SCR 32 designates October 2013 as California Hindu American and Appreciation Month and recognizes and acknowledges the significant contributions made by Californians of Hindu heritage to the state.
Keynote speaker Congresswomen Tulsi Gabbard, the first Hindu ever elected to the US House of Representatives and a Democrat from Hawaii, electrified the audience with her narrative of serving in the combat zone in Iraq. “I believe strongly in embracing diversity,” said Tulsi Gabbard. She invoked the “aloha spirit” to convey her Hawaiian sentiment for affection, peace, and compassion.
“The Gita has been a tremendous source of inner peace and strength for me through many tough challenges in life, including being in the midst of death and turmoil while serving our country in the Middle East,” she said. She added, “I support the work HAF does because there are many organizations that care about Hinduism, but HAF cares about Hindus.”
The night then closed with Interns Tejas and Rupa sharing their experience on working in Capitol Hill followed by sumptuous Indian vegetarian dinner.
Vidya Sethuraman
India Post News Service
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