December 2020 | Vol 14.1
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A publication of the Hindu American Foundation NEWS DECEMBER 2020 | VOL 14.1 Despite the challenges brought on by the pandemic, HAF IT WAS pulled together, pivoted, and A YEAR TO delivered. 2020So what exactly REMEMBER did we do? STAFF BOARD OF DIRECTORS Suhag A. Shukla, Esq Arjun Bhagat Executive Director Rishi Bhutada Samir Kalra, Esq Mihir Meghani Managing Director IN THIS ISSUE Rajiv Pandit Sheetal Shah Managing Director & CFO Aseem Shukla Our New Website and Podcast . 2 Dharma Advocates and Seetha Aiyar Swaminathan Venkataraman Dharma Ambassadors . 4. Senior Director of NATIONAL COVID Webinars . 2. Philanthropic Partnerships LEADERSHIP COUNCIL Education Beyond Diwali . 5 Mat McDermott Rachita Chandak Instagram . 2. Senior Director of A Special Gift for You . 6–7. Communications Arvind Chandrakantan Virtual Galas . 3 . Tejus Shah Pooja Deopura Senior Creative Director Pawan Deshpande Policy and Advocacy. 4 Shereen Bhalla, PhD Naman Gupta Director of Education Nikhil Joshi, Esq Pakistani Hindus . 4. Easan Katir Prerana Katti-Raikar California Advocacy Director Raman Khanna Taniel Koushakjian Director of Public Policy Kaushik Macherla Krishna Parmar Kavita Pallod Sekhsaria Director of Development Priya Pandit Syama Allard Rajeev Singh Content Writer Fred Stella Deidra Prather Office Manager Almost 2,000 Our new website folks benefited from our and podcast Coping expanded With COVID webinars? awareness about Featuring the likes of Former Surgeon General Hinduism. Dr. Vivek Murthy, Ashtanga Yoga legend Eddie Stern, and wellness icon Deepak Chopra, Our new website— Garnering over 13,000 our Coping With COVID hinduamerican.org—reached downloads in its first year, webinars provided beneficial and relevant programming. over 500,000 people in 2020. That’s So Hindu—our new We even made stewed apples That means, more people are podcast—brings together with the cooking expertise of receiving fair and accurate entrepreneurs and activists, ayurvedic chef Divya Alter. content about Hinduism. Check politicians and professors, out our most popular blogs: journalists, entertainers, and spiritual teachers. We talk ❱ 10 Things About Swastika about how Hinduism shapes ❱ 12 Things About Hinduism their work and lives. Check out ❱ 4 Stages of Hindu Life our most popular podcasts: ❱ 4 Things About Hinduism ❱ Sheetal Shah talks to and Vegetarianism Ashtanga Yoga legend Eddie By the way, have Stern about his new book you checked One Simple Thing. us out on ❱ Easan Katir talks about Dharmic investing Instagram? ❱ Suhag Shukla speaks with You may want to... Guru Prakash about ending @hinduamerican! We created caste based discrimination 101 posts on Instagram for ❱ The influence of Islamist our Hinduism 101 content and ideology in the Kashmir expanded our social media Conflict: Samir Kalra Speaks reach by 11%. with the Middle East Forum 2 | HAFNEWS | DECEMBER 2020 Our three virtual galas connected 1,000 of us from across the country. The virtual nature of the year allowed us to connect directly with many of you who have not been able to attend our in-person events in prior years. Our three virtual galas brought together over 1,000 of you from across the country. We heard from Grammy nominated artist Chandrika Tandon, played Hinduism Trivia together, and were awe-struck by the talent of speed painting artist Vilas Nayak. Our year end gala featured a conversation between Fred Stella and Drishti Mae about their respective journeys to Hinduism. It was so popular that we offered the recording on demand and even brought Fred and Drishti back for a second conversation. Pakistani Hindus Our policy team continued to be has been working a focus for 2020. We continued our support for to ensure Hindu the wellbeing of our Hindu brothers and sisters who fled persecution in Pakistan and still Americans are live in refugee camps in India. Thanks to the generosity of many of you, over 4,000 refugees have treated fairly received vital medical services for and afforded the the past five years. Additionally, we published Hindus in Pakistan: A Survey equal rights and of Human Rights, 2020 to continue highlighting the discrimination and persecution opportunities. faced by the minority Hindu community in Pakistan. We successfully partnered members to contact elected with community members officials directly. 12,000 to fight off a bill in New advocates sent 33,000 700 of you York that would have messages to over 400 offices completed our forced the swastika to be in 2020. taught solely as a symbol community of hatred. We continue to Our annual Advocacy Forum training push for the elimination of went virtual this year with programs. green card country caps that 350 of you joining in over the two days. Themed Dharma disproportionately affect Hindus. We expanded our popular Advocacy: Empowering Dharma Ambassador program Our new Advocacy Center Hindus at Home and Abroad, and launched a new program... allowed community the forum addressed Hindu Dharma Advocates designed human rights in Bangladesh to train Hindu Americans to and Pakistan as become more effective and well as US-based influential advocates on a wide advocates variety of local, state, and 12,000 issues including federal issues of importance. sent to over Hinduphobia. More trainings are scheduled 33,000 for 2021… we hope to see you 400 offices at one of them! DAY 5: ANIZHAM Across the state in Kerala, the Vallamkali Boat Races begin, which are long snake boat races featuring hundreds of boatmen and thousands of spectators. Additional flowers are added to Our education the pookalam designs. ONAM SADYA ELEPHANT PROCESSIONS and other epics. The most recognizable folk dance is known as Kathakali and features Onam Sadya (Onam feast) which occurs on Elephant processions are oneDAY of the 6: THRIKETTAmost the tenth day of Onam and is traditionally awaited events of Onam. Elephants are dancers with green facial paint with dances By this time, many people begin to visit their families and some served on a banana leaf, usually consists of decorated with flowers, ornaments, and enacting famous legends and folktales. businesses start to shut down as Onam vacation begins and at least nine courses with many vegetables. jewelry and are paraded around, often fresh flowers continue toKERALA be added to pookalams. ‘dancing’ and interacting with people. ONAMKALI A true pluralistic state, Kerala is home to Onam Kali refers to all the games played at FOLK DANCES significant Chirstian (approximtely 18%) and the festival of Onam, including ball games, Folk dances are a major attraction of the Muslim (approximately 25%) communities, tug of war, and archery. festival and there are several varieties both of which join in on the celebrations specific to Kerala and/or Onam festivities. and recognize the symbolism it holds for SWINGS Kaikottikali is a clap dance performed by the Hindu community. Christian churches efforts went hold festivities and place their own spin Swings are an integral part of Onam, women and while dancing they praise King especially in the villages and rural areas of Mahabali. Thiruvathira Kali is a women’s on it and many Muslims participate in the Kerala. It is common to see young couples dance performed in a circle around a lamp. celebrations. For these communities, it and children sing Onappaatt (songs for Kummattikali is a colourful-maskDAY 7: danceMOOLAM with is seen as a cultural event rather than as Onam) and rock one another on swings. masked dancers going fromIn several house parts to house of Kerala, thespecifically dances related religious, to the but festival respects the Hindu performing. Onamkali is astart. form The of dancestate is often beautifullystories anddecorated significance. by this time with where players arrange themselvespookalams in and circles swings adorned with flowers to celebrate the around a pole or tree or king’slamp, thenhomecoming. dance Many places start serving smaller versions beyond Diwali. and sing songs derived offrom the the traditional Ramayana Onam Sadya. Days of Onam DAY 8: POORADAM Onam festivities last for ten This is a day when the murtis (sacred images or statues) of King days, with each day having a Mahabali and Vamana, the fifth incarnate of Lord Vishnu who sent the King away and allows him to visit every year during unique name and significanceOnam Onam, are erected at temples and at homes. These murtis are with a mixture of competitive often placed at the center of pookalams, which should have and celebratory practices. A celebration foreight the rights harvest. by now. Onam is an annual Hindu festival, which usually Art Activity falls between August - September, and is celebrated for ten days. In India’s southern state For each day of Onam, colorof Kerala, Onam is considered the state festival. Our revamped Diwali toolkit brought one of Hinduism’s in the illustration to make It commemorates New Year’s Day and is also it your own art. Share your recognized as a harvest festival. Hindu American Foundation coloring activities with us onWhile predominantly a Kerala festival, regions in other states, Promoting dignity, mutual repect, and pluralism. Instagram! Justhinduamerican.org use the hashtagincluding Uttar Pradesh (Balia and Baway), Gujarat (Bharuch), and #onamwithhaf in your postMaharashtra for also honor its significance, while Malayali’s or KeralitesFor educational purposes only. across the world celebrate from afar. As like manyQuestions? other Hindu Email holidays, us: [email protected] a chance to be featured on our most famous holidays right to your classrooms. We also there are multiple legends of why a particular celebration occurs and what the Instagram account: religious significance is. The most common is the story of King Mahabali’s devotion and selflessness. @hinduamerican. King Mahabali and As soon as King Mahabali said yes to over the ten days. Most pookalam feature Vamana’s request, Lord Vishnu became a ten rings of flowers with the center being Three Steps gigantic form known as Trivikarma (Sanskrit made up of yellow flowers to represent King created explainers about two popular but less known For many, Onam commemorates the arrival translation, “having three steps”) and Mahabali.