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HSC: YUVA '94 Press Release
Press Release
YUVA '94 Conference
Thursday May 27 - Sunday May 29
sponsored by Hindu Students Council
Northeastern University (NU) in Boston, Massachusetts was the venue of YUVA '94, Spring Conference, held from May 27 to May 29, 1994. The conference, organized
by Hindu Students Council (HSC), was attended by 410 students, youth, and
community members from across the USA and Canada. Students represented
universities from sixteen states. The conference theme was "Empowerment for the 21st Century." Students heard various speakers and discussed many issues
relating to their future as Hindus and residents of North America.
The conference began with an inaugural address by Dr. Karen Rigg, Vice-President for Student Affairs at NU. Dr. Mahesh Mehta, President of Vishwa
Hindu Parishad of America inaugurated the conference by lighting a ceremonial
lamp. "Shattering the Glass Ceiling: Entrepreneurship and its Opportunities for
Indian-Americans" was the topic of discussion for the first session. Mr. Raj
Vattikutti, Pres. and founder of Complete Business Solutions Inc. in Michigan,
explained what process one needs to follow in order to build up a business in corporate America. He encouraged Hindu students to take up the challenge to be
the best and thereby overcome the so-called "Glass Ceiling."
Dr. David Frawley, prolific writer and Director of the American Institute for
Vedic Studies in New Mexico, gave an insightful speech on Vedic history. He
presented the most recent archeological findings which disprove the long-held
Aryan invasion theory. Interestingly, he explained that most historians now
believe that the Aryan invasion was "a myth promoted by the British and leftist
historians," and that the ancient Vedic culture is actually native to Bharat
(India). For example, he said, "the references to the battles between light and dark in the Vedas have been misrepresented as fights between light-skinned and
dark-skinned people."
In the session on Ethnic Experiences, Dr. Norman Adler, a Jewish community
leader and Vice-Provost at NU, related the experiences of Jews in America to
what Hindus should do to remain a vibrant and successful community. In
providing guidance to the Hindu community, he said "Intra-community fighting
will bring the community down." He ended by stating "There are a lot of
similarities between the Hindu and Jewish communities in America, and there is
lot of scope for cooperation at the local and global levels."
Ms. Vani Singhal, a member of the Oklahoma State Democratic Party Executive
Committee and youngest Indian-American on the Democratic National Committee, was the featured speaker on the topic: Political Participation and Impacting the
American Agenda. She explained that Hindu culture stresses duty and that "Hindus have a lot to offer to America. Political participation, therefore, will not
only further the interests of our community, but will improve American society
as well. It is our duty to participate in the political process by voting,
letter-writing, and supporting candidates who support the interests of the
community."
A session on "Holistic Approach to Health and Happiness" attracted over one
hundred fifty students. Dr. David Frawley, presented the basic philosophy of
Ayurveda. He said that Ayurveda had developed advanced techniques for performing complex surgeries and presented cures for many ailments. He stressed that the
basic philosophy of Ayurveda was that health depended on relative balances
between the body, mind, and soul. He also conducted a workshop for community
members on Ayurveda which was titled "The Secret Garden." Over 70 community
members attended the event on Friday 27, 1994.
Molly Chaudhuri, Assistant District Attorney for Norfolk County, Massachusetts,
spoke about Social Responsibility and the Indian Family. She declared that
"Offenses that are criminal in nature are happening in our community : domestic
violence, substance abuse, and child abuse. No women deserves to be beaten or
slapped!" To begin to deal with this, she said the community must first admit
that these occur.
Dr. S. K. Majumdar, Amnesty International spoke about human rights violations
against religious minorities in Bangladesh. Mr. K. L. Kaul the founder and
General Secretary of the Indo-American Kashmiri Forum presented the true
conditions in Kashmir valley. He told the audience that terrorists trained and
armed by Pakistan are fighting a proxy war.
Swami Tadatmananda from Arsha Vidya Gurukulum conducted the spiritual
benediction by reciting verses from the Rg Veda. In his address he said that the conflict of Arjuna presented in the Bhagavad Gita reflects the conflicts that we face every day. He also noted that "Hindu Dharma is universal because the
truths enshrined in it are eternal and can be discovered through
self-introspection."
"Rethinking Global Development: Economics & Management" was the topic of
discussion in the final theme session. Prof. Romesh Diwan, former chairman of
Economics Department at Rensselear Polytechnic Institute explained the relevance of Ghandian Economics in the modern day world. He said "it is each persons
responsibility to help in the economic development of their own society by
supporting business in their community instead of a far off place." He
elaborated on the 'Swadeshi' principle of Gandhiji. Prof. Sabine O'Hara of the
Graduate Management Institute at Union College, NY also talked on the global
development. She stressed the importance of ecology and socio-diversity, and
said that they have to be taken into consideration when developing economic
policies. Mr. Debashis Chatterjee of Indian Institute of Management also
addressed the gathering.
Over 70 students participated in a lively discussion on the topic of "Hindu : To be or not to be." They expressed their views on the diverse philosophies of
Hindu Dharma and explored why they identify themselves as Hindus. During the
conference there was also a cultural program with dances from 7 states of
Bharat, and also from Thailand, Sri Lanka, and Indonesia, an evening of
raas/garba/bhangra, and a cruise in Boston harbor. An art exhibition on the
theme of 'Hindu Philosophies and Systems' was also on display. Students
participated in a Yoga workshop, where they learnt about Pranayam and benefits
of Hata Yoga. 40 delegates enrolled in the bone marrow donation program. Kanchan Banerjee, overall coordinator of the conference, said "This conference almost
perfectly fits the ideal of HSC: to provide a forum for Hindus to learn about
religion, culture, history, social issues, political problems, and economics,
and still have opportunities for fun." Dr. Karen Rigg said, "it was one of the
best conferences to be organized at Northeastern University." Mr. Soumitra
Gokhale, graduate student from University of New Brunwick, Canada, said, "the
topics presented, the overall organization and the cultural events
were excellent. I learnt a lot from this conference." Vandna Kataria from
Rutgers university said, "Hindu Students Council is providing a great service to the Hindu youth in America through such conferences." Raman Sharma form Tuffts
university, after hearing to Dr. David Frawley on Vedic History said, "it is
unfortunate that incorrect history and myth of Aryan invasion has been
taught for generations, and we should correct it as soon as possible." Reshma
Agarwal from Boston University commented, "the yoga and meditation session
conducted by Pundit Ramadheen Ramsamooj was very insightful."
Hindu Students Council is an international forum providing opportunities to
learn about Hindu culture and heritage, and to bring Hindu youth around the
world together. HSC is organizing its fourth annual national camp from June 30
to July 4, 1994 in Oxford, Ohio.
