University students conduct Sewa activities at Grayslake Temple

Geetha Patil

CHICAGO: A team of 25 university students from Mid-West region affiliated with the Hindu YUVA (Youth for Unity, Virtues and Action) and Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh (HSS) USA, Chicago Chapter conducted their Sewa activities at the Hindu Mandir of Lake County, Grayslake, IL on Saturday, November 20, 2021 as part of their annual retreat program (Nov 19-21, 2021).

Their help with the housekeeping arrangements at the temple was appreciated with much gratitude by temple presidents and the priest.

Vineet Gaurav, Joint Director for HSS, Chicago Chapter, led the team. Saurabh Srivastava, and Pallav Ranjan, Hindu YUVA Co-coordinators coordinated the program with the temple management and arrived at the temple around noontime. The young crew cleaned the entire temple building including shrine, halls, office room, auditorium, kitchen, dining hall, storage areas very neatly by dusting and vacuuming and arranging all the scattered things and putting them in the place where they need to be.

After their services, Pt. Joshi Ji delivered a brief discourse on topic, what should be your own Dharma in life, family setting, school, collage, work, nation and universe. He told that Dharma is to follow right ways of living and doing services/duties without any expectation is your real Sewa. He blessed the entire volunteer group and wised them great success and prosperity in life. Temple served them delicious Prasadam with love.

Dr. Harsh Kumar, Ex-President of the temple honored all the volunteers with scarfs and appreciated their Sewa activities by saying, ‘Service to others basically is a great way to help our community. You all helped our devotees to worship in a clean and safe environment thatallows them to have a special connection to their Lord in prayers and services. We believe in loving, helping and supporting others per Lord Krishna’s preaching.’

‘This is a real way to give thanks for what God has given us in life. Cleaning God’s house with happiness, devotion, and dedication is probably the most practical way of expressing one’s gratitude – said Dr. Manoj Adhikari while thanking the volunteers.

HSS is a voluntary, non-profit, social, educational, and cultural organization. It aims to organize the Hindu American community to practice, preserve and promote Hindu Dharma. It conducts regular value-based education programs for children, youth, and adults through more than 251 chapters nationwide, 6 in Chicagoland area. These programs are geared towards instilling discipline, self-confidence, teamwork, and the spirit of selfless service. They conduct weekly family meetings involving activities for all age groups. HSS also conducts year round activities like Festivals, Sewa activities, and Outreach Events such as Yoga awareness at schools, Teachers’ appreciation, Raksha Bandhan focused on civic officials and many more.

Their community Sewa activities usually include highway cleaning, service at food pantries and temples, Sewa Diwali (Food donations to food pantries). During Covid-19, HSS participated in several Sewa activities countrywide and assisted FEMA’s volunteer response teams in providing COVID-19 vaccinations & supplies to local sites, temples, and pharmacies.

Hindu YUVA and Vivekananda Houses are affiliated organizations of HSS that operate on the University campuses where students coming from Bharat and non-Bharat can find these cultural centers for their overall development. It aims to provide a platform to preserve, practice, promote, and protect Dharma by bringing together college students and working professionals across the United States. In its 15th year since inception, Hindu YUVA continues to have an impactful presence at 39 University campuses. During the pandemic, youths of Hindu YUVA were at forefront to help students & surrounding communities with COVID-19 aid.

Its weekly gatherings, called shakha, at 20+ universities across the country to gain knowledge about Hindu Dharma, and discussions, Yoga, games, community services around campuses. Speakers are invited to university campuses to present on topics such as Yoga, Ayurveda, Sanskrit, and various aspects of Hindu philosophy. Their daylong workshops or weekend retreats help them connect to their roots. They have projects throughout the US, India, and the Caribbean that are designed for building leadership and teamwork, empowering visionaries, and providing firsthand experience in helping the community.

Also weeklong leadership development camps are organized to help young Hindus realize and prepare for exceptional leadership roles. Tata is a unique Hindu magazine, which provides a way to present inspiring aspects of the ancient Hindu culture and related current day issues while also offering the readers a forum to share ideas. It has audience of 2,500 readers in 18 countries, with contributing articles from all over the world. For more information, visit: https://hinduyuva.org/ and https://www.hssus.org/