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Ths ’taSo HiudnNeret lswA publication of theHindu American FoundationA P R I L2 0 2 2STAFF Suhag A. Shukla, Esq, Executive Director & Co-Founder Samir Kalra, Esq, Managing Director Sheetal Shah, Managing Director & CFO Seetha Aiyar, Senior Director of Philanthropic Partnerships Mat McDermott, Senior Director of Communications Tejus Shah, Senior Creative Director Shereen Bhalla, PhD, Director of Diversity, Education, and Inclusion Easan Katir, California Advocacy Director Deepali Kulkarni, Director of Human Rights Krishna Parmar, Director of Development Anita Joshi, Associate Director of Policy Research Syama Allard, Content Writer Celina Mahabir, Social Media Coordinator Loren Lopez Gelb, Office AdministratorBOARD OF DIRECTORS Arjun Bhagat Rishi Bhutada Mihir Meghani, MD Dena Merriam Rajiv Pandit, MD Swaminathan VenkataramanNATIONAL LEADERSHIP COUNCIL Rachita Chandak Arvind Chandrakantan, MD Pooja Deopura Pawan Deshpande Naman Gupta Nikhil Joshi, Esq Prerana Katti-Raikar Raman Khanna Kaushik Macherla Kavita Pallod Sekhsaria, PsyD Priya Pandit Aseem Shukla, MD Rajeev Singh Fred Stella 2022, Hindu American Foundation. All rights reserved. HAF is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Visit www.hinduamerican.org for more information.

All abouteducation.From the classroom tolived experiencesOver the past year,our Education teamhas been in overdriveproducing materialsfor the classroomas well as the realworld. We continueto train teachers andstudents on Hinduismwith continuouslyupdated and accuratecontent. Alongside ourvarious educationaltoolkits and primers,we’ve produced someunique productssuch as our DharmicDays and HinduHolidays Calendar.We also partneredwith Google as theylaunched .day—a toplevel domain similarto the familiar .comand .org. Finally, ourstrong relationshipwith interfaith leadersallowed us to partnerwith the AmericanJewish Committee(AJC) and the InterfaithCouncil of MetropolitanWashington to producea brochure called“Swastika: Use andAbuse of a SacredSymbol.”

Dharmic Days andHindu HolidaysCalendarJanuary 2022Visit www.hinduamerican.org/hindu-holidays-guideHoli.day andYoga.dayJanuary 2022Visit www.holi.dayVisit www.yoga.daySwastika:Use and Abuse ofa Sacred SymbolNovember 2021Visit www.hinduamerican.org/swastikaThat’s So Hindu Newsletter, April 2022 2022, Hindu American Foundation. All rights reserved. HAF is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Visit hinduamerican.org. 3

Contentis king.All about our podcastsand blog posts.If you haven’tsubscribed to ourThat’s So HinduPodcast, you’vemissed topics acrossthe spectrum— fromyoga in the wilderness(no goats involved), toHinduism and LGBTQ equality, to the statusof the ongoing conflictwith the extremistKhalistan movement.But, if it’s readingmaterial you seek,check out our That’sSo Hindu Blog. Westarted our Hindu poetsseries that featurethe likes of Kabirand Meerabai. OurHinduism Beyond Indiablog series showcasesHinduism’s globalinfluence in places notso obvious. We eventugged at heartstringswith romantic Hindutales of love (and theconsequences of lust).Either way, That’sSo Hindu materialswill fill in the gap ofHinduism in applicationthroughout the world.

That’s SoHindu PodcastSome of our toppodcasts in thelast year.Visit www.hinduamerican.org/podcast Episode 60: Autobiography of a Yogi,with Phil Goldberg Episode 51: Focus, Dandapani Episode 48: Homophobia, Ankit Bhupani Episode 45: Hinduphobia is Real, Parth Parihar Episode 44: Modernizing Mantras,Shivali BhammerHinduism Beyond IndiaHinduism’s influence can be seen all over the world,not just India. Our Hinduism Beyond India seriesexplores places like Bali, Trinidad & Tobago, and more!All About KabirWe kicked off our Hindu poets series with a post thatwas all about Kabir.How Yoga Helped MeSurvive While Lost in theFrigid Wildernesswith Jolly Yogi BoseWe’ve Forgotten ThatHindu Teachings Give TransPeople Equal Statuswith Anjali RimiWhere is the KhalistanMovement Nowwith Terry MilewskiThat’s SoHindu BlogSome of our topblog posts in thelast year.Visit www.hinduamerican.org/blog Hindu Roots of Yoga 5 Things Dharmic Faiths Have in Common5 Stories of Love andLust in Hinduism Purpose of the BindiWe all know Cupid and Valentine’s Day, but do youknow about Kamadeva? 5 Things About the Swastika What It’s Like Growing Up African American,and Hindu Sri Sarada Devi: The Universal MotherThat’s So Hindu Newsletter, April 2022 2022, Hindu American Foundation. All rights reserved. HAF is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Visit hinduamerican.org. 5

Remembertheir cause.For Hindus in Americaand beyond.Hindus around the worldface daily human rightsviolations from state andcivil society actors, oftenwithout support fromthe local or internationalcommunity. Often, thesehuman rights violationsare minimized or ignoredby the internationalcommunity to thedetriment of Hindus,religious freedom, andhuman rights as a whole.For those who currentlylive with the abuseand violence, who aredeemed insignificant,who are lost in thenoise they deserveto be heard.Throughout the years,HAF has given voiceto the voiceless.We launched threemajor campaignsin just the past twoyears: the KashmirExodus, BengaliHindu Genocide, andthe saving Pakistan’sstolen girls.Our resources aboutthe tragedies facedby Hindus all over theworld are your guideto keeping theirhopes alive.Learn the history.Share their stories.Raise their cause.

1971 Bengali Hindu Genocide:Remembering the Lost,Celebrating Survival.March 2021Visit www.genocide1971.orgOn March 25, 1971, the Pakistan military began a 10-month campaign of genocide against the ethnicBengali and Hindu religious communities in East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) to stop the movement toliberate Bangladesh. Pakistan was defeated by India, but not before hundreds of thousand were rapedand millions were killed. This genocide is rarely taught in classrooms or discussed in foreign policy circles.Save Pakistan’sStolen GirlsNovember 2021Visit www.savepakistansgirls.orgExperts estimate since 2011, more than 10,000Hindu and Christian girls across Pakistan havebeen kidnapped from their families. Once abducted,the girls face a continuous barrage of violenceincluding forceful conversion to Islam, forcedmarriage, and rape.In November, we officially launched the “SavePakistan’s Stolen Girls” campaign. We created oneplace for you to learn about their tragedy and ways inwhich you can help bring them closer to freedom.#iheartkashmirJanuary 2020Visit www.kashmirexodus1990.orgOn January 19, 1990, a Pakistan-sponsored campaignof violence reached fevered pitch resulting in thecleansing of 95% of the Kashmiri Hindu populationfrom their ancestral homeland. January 19 is knownas Exodus Day.On the 30th anniversary, we launched #iheartkashmirto amplify the voices of so many of you who joinedus in advocating for their right to return without fearor persecution. You’ve shared our Kashmir lessonplans, gathered at vigils, used our action alerts,and much more.That’s So Hindu Newsletter, April 2022 2022, Hindu American Foundation. All rights reserved. HAF is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Visit hinduamerican.org. 7

A spotlightfor you.Exemplifying the spiritof generosity.Without the supportfrom people like you,there would be nopodcasts or Dharmiccalendar. We wouldn’tbe able to run ourpopular DharmaAmbassadors program(it fills up every time!).Education on Hinduismwould be left to chanceas teacher training andclassroom materialswould not exist. Andviolations of the rightsof Hindus aroundthe world continueunchecked.Every one of youcontributes to thesuccess of Hinduism’sprogress in Americansociety, and beyond.You bring strength tobuilding our community.You give hope to theHindus living in fear andpersecution aroundthe world.Today, we’d like tocelebrate two incrediblecouples who exemplifythis spirit of sevawith their lifetimecontributions to HAFexceeding 1M!

Shekarand ShylajaReddyReal-life secretSantasShekar and Shylaja have dedicated their lives toservice in their home state of Florida and beyond.Every year, they visit local department stores and payoff families’ layaway purchases for the holiday.Real-life secret Santas!They are founders of the Gummakonda ReddyFoundation, a non-profit charity organizationthat provides assistance to people in need. Thefoundation supports children’s education andhealth in underdeveloped nations, helps childrenwith underlying medical conditions gain accessto treatment, supplies meals to the South Floridacommunity hospitality industry, fosters rescue effortsto help furry friends find loving homes, and more.Their support of Hindu organizations expandsbeyond HAF to Ekal Vidyalaya, the InternationalHindu University, and Hindu temples in South Florida.In 2018, they received HAF’s Lifetime AchievementAward in recognition of their local and national HinduAmerican advocacy efforts.Tanvi Jhaveriand MihirMeghani, MDCalifornia powercoupleTanvi and Mihir are a California power couple.When Mihir is not saving lives in the ER, he’s servingon HAF’s Board of Directors and leading the HAFAdvisory Committee.Alongside owning her own jewelry line, Tanvi is alsoa highly sought Bombay Jam fitness instructor whohosted a COVID virtual class for HAF supporters.For decades, the couple has spent countless hourschampioning the HAF cause by hosting the annualNorthern California gala, building relationships withinterfaith leaders, and supporting a number of localand national nonprofits. Their tradition of giving apercentage of their annual income to charity is notonly inspiring, but it’s also infectious!That’s So Hindu Newsletter, April 2022 2022, Hindu American Foundation. All rights reserved. HAF is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Visit hinduamerican.org. 9

Law of theinstrument.If all you have is ahammer, you’ll treateverything like a nail.Hindus are one of the most successful groups here in theUnited States. We are active members in our communities. We raise ourchildren here. We participate in threading the fabric of America.When we see Hinduism being tarnished on social media, or offensivearticles from major publications, or poorly written classroom textbooks—it makes us angry, and rightfully so!Our religion ought to be seen for the goodness it instills, and not definedby stereotypes or Indian politics.And so, it can be easy to get caught up in the emotion of thesesituations. It may leave you wondering if there is something we cando legally. Sometimes there are grounds for legal action; often times,however, there are not. You can talk to a group that treats everythinglike a nail, or