Hindu American Strives to Keep Tradition Alive

October 24, 2005

Source: Tri-Valley Herald

http://www.insidebayarea.com/trivalleyherald/localnews/ci_3146510

On October 24, 2005 the Tri-Valley Herald ran a feature article on Mihir Meghani, an Indian-American whose parents moved to Philadelphia 35 years ago from Gujarat in western India. "The 33-year-old Fremont resident is founder and president of the Hindu American Foundation, a nonprofit advocacy organization created two years ago by a group of second-generation Hindu Americans who wanted to promote understanding of Hinduism, as well as encourage tolerance and pluralism. Today, Meghani is scheduled to fly to Washington, D.C., for the foundation's leadership conference, where he will attend meetings with congressional leaders and representatives from the U.S. State and Justice Departments. The first generation of Indian Americans was concerned with being economically stable, Meghani said. The second generation realized that we didn't have a credible voice out there that could affect public policy. There are many Indian organizations taking on Indian issues, but none focusing specifically on Hindu-American issues. This week, Meghani and other members of the foundation will submit a draft resolution asking the House of Representatives to recognize the importance of the Hindu festival of Diwali. They also intend to raise concerns about what they see as an erosion of the separation of church and state."