Hindu Collective Initiative

                                                                            North America

VISION

Hindu Sampradayas and Organizations Coming Together to promote the Universal Values of
Hindu Dharma in North America
(See our brochure)

We, the followers of Hindu Dharma, believe in the core values of Satyam (truth), Sauchyam (purity), and Ahimsa (non-violence).  We understand its profound sense of universal unity and abiding respect for diversity.  We know that “Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam” (The Whole World is One Family) and “Ekam Sat Vipra Bahudha Vadanti” (The Truth is One, The Wise Call It Variously)offers a much needed worldview to nurture peaceful co-existence for all progressive people in today’s world torn with much religious strife.     

 
It is laudable that our community has built so many organizations and temples that are replicating our traditions from India for the benefit of our India born (1^st generation) Hindus. Yet most of our next generation, and American society in general, have scantknowledge of our culture or traditions.  They do not know about the positive contributions Hindu Dharma has made in the past and can make in the world today.

“Every day, young Indian children and teenagers are unreasonably tormented because of our perceived background.  The school textbooks are half the cause.  The average American doesn’t know squat about India (and Hinduism), and with the help of poorly researched textbooks, they learn nonsense…It’s not going to change
unless we become part of the solution.”-          T.P., 14 years old, Houston, TX

How Did We Get Here?
This is because unlike other faith traditions there is no ‘concerted effort' made by our community (except for a few notable exceptions) to educate our youth or reach out and involve others from the general public in our events and festivals and explain to them in English what we are doing, and why.  There is no forum to facilitate networking and open dialog among our organizations and sampradayas.  While these groups may have differing philosophical views, they do share many common goals and face many of the same challenges.

The lack of a unifying forum has adversely affected Hindu American aspirations and identity in North America.  The need for such a forum is felt even more acutely now as our community is rapidly growing with the arrival of our second and third generations.  This need for a forum was strongly articulated and enthusiastically endorsed by the large audience who attended the first Hindu Dharma Summit in North America held at Rutgers University, New Jersey, in August 2005.  The Hindu Collective Initiative of North America (HCI) was launched to meet this need.

A Non-Profit Organization Incorporated in New Jersey, USA