Hindu Students Council
The Hindu Students Council (also known as HSC) is an organization of primarily Hindu college students. According to its website, it serves as an "international forum that provides opportunities to learn about Hindu heritage through various activities, events and projects." [1] It is an independent non-profit organization under 26 U.S.C. § 501(c)(3).
The HSC was set up in 1990 with support from the Vishwa Hindu Parishad of America, however it became independent of the organization a few years later[2]. It maintains cordial relations with temples and organizations in America including the Chinmaya Mission, BAPS, Gayatri Parivar, Barsana Dham, Ramakrishna Mission, Art of Living, Arsha Vidya Gurukulam, Indian Temple and Cultural Society of North America, ISKCON, Arya Samaj, etc. The organization also has good relations with many Buddhist, Jain and Sikh organizations. Besides relations with Hindu/Indian organizations in America, HSC also maintain relations with youth organizations in Europe, Malaysia, and South Africa. [3]
Vision and goals[edit]
HSC describes itself as deriving its inspiration from the Sanatana Dharma, quoting the Rig Veda.
The vision of HSC emerges from great realizations like:
- Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam: The entire creation is one family.
- "Ekam Sat Viprah Bahudha Vadanti": Truth is one, sages call it by various names.
- Sarve Api Sukhina Santu Sarve Santu Niramayah: Let everybody be happy, healthy, and blessed.
It describes its goals as:
- Provide opportunities to learn about Hindu heritage and culture.
- Foster awareness of issues affecting Hindus.
- Provide SEVA (service) to the community.
Activities[edit]
Hindu Students Council celebrates many different Hindu festivals on campus around the country.
- The Cornell Chapter has an annual Holi celebration. In 2006 and 2007, it saw over 600 students of all ethnic and religious groups celebrate the event on campus. [4] [5] [6]
- The Cornell Chapter is also the Cornell Hindu Chaplency. [7]
- In April 2007, the Emory Chapter, at the request of the Inter-Religious Council at Emory held a mock-Hindu wedding with over 200 attendees to show the study body how Hindu weddings are conducted and explain what the different rituals mean. [8]
- In July 2003, HSC along with other organizations organized the Global Dharma Conference 2003 which was attended by approximately 2000 people. Speakers at the conference included President of India Abdul Kalam, former Governor of NJ James McGreevey, Deepak Chopra, Shankaracharya of Kanchi Peetham, Swami Dayananda Saraswati, Jain Spiritual Leader Mahapragyaji, Dr. Kiran Bedi and many others. Famous Tabla Maestro Zakir Hussain and Indian Reggae and Bhangra Star Apache Indian performed at the conference. [9] [10] [11] [12] [13]
Chapters[edit]
West Region[edit]
- CSU, Sacramento - CA
- University of California, Berkeley - CA
- University of California, Irvine - CA
- University of California, San Diego - CA
East-Central Region[edit]
- George Mason University - VA
- Johns Hopkins University - MD
- University of Maryland College Park - MD
- University of Maryland Baltimore County - MD
- University of Virginia - VA
- Virginia Commonwealth University - VA
- Virginia Tech - VA
East Canada Region[edit]
- University of Toronto, Scarborough - Canada
- McGill University - Montreal, Quebec
- Carleton University - Ottawa, Canada
- University of Ottawa - Canada
Midwest Region[edit]
- Northwestern University - IL
- Purdue University - IN
- Washington University in St. Louis - Missouri
- University of Illinois - Urbana Champaign - IL
- Drake University - IA
- University of Illinois - Chicago - IL
- University of Michigan - Ann Arbor - MI
- Illinois Institute of Technology - IL
- University of Iowa - IA
- University of Pittsburgh - PA
Mid-Atlantic Region[edit]
- Cornell University - NY
- New York University - NY
- Syracuse University - NY
- Drexel University - PA
- NetOHM (Network Of Hindu Minds) - Metro (NYC/NY)
- New Jersey Institute of Technology - NJ
- Penn State University - PA
- City College of New York - NY
- Princeton University - NJ
- Binghamton University - NY
- Middlesex County College, Edison - NJ
- University of Pennsylvania - PA
- CUNY - Baruch College - NY
- Rutgers University - NJ
- CUNY - Hunter College - NY
- St. John's University - NY
- CUNY - Queens College - NY
Carolinas Region[edit]
- University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill - NC
- University of South Carolina - SC
- Duke University - NC
- North Carolina State University - NC
New England Region[edit]
- Northeastern University - MA
- University of Massachusetts, Boston - MA
- Boston University - MA
- NetOHM Boston - MA
- MIT - MA
South Region[edit]
- Louisiana State University - LA
- University of Houston - TX
- NetOHM Houston - TX
- University of Oklahoma - OK
- Oklahoma State University - OK
- Texas A&M, College Station - TX
- University of Texas, Austin - TX
- University of Texas, Dallas - TX
- Bellaire High School - TX
- Rice University - TX
Southeast Region[edit]
- Georgia Institute of Technology - GA
- University of South Florida - FL
- Florida Institute of Technology - FL
- University of Alabama, Birmingham - AL
- Emory University - GA
- University of Florida, Gainesville - FL
- University of Miami - FL
- Oxford College at Emory University - GA
References[edit]
- ↑ [1]
- ↑ University Hinduism Hinduism Today - September/October, 2001
- ↑ Facts about HSC
- ↑ "Students Throw Colors, Celebrate Holi Festival", The Cornell Daily Sun, April 16, 2006
- ↑ "Holi Festival Celebrates Beginning of Spring", The Cornell Daily Sun, April 30, 2007
- ↑ "Hindu Students Celebrate Holi", The Cornell Daily Sun, April 20, 2003
- ↑ Cornell University Religious Works
- ↑ [2]
- ↑ [3]
- ↑ [4]
- ↑ [5]
- ↑ [6]
- ↑ [7]