HOUSTON, July 18, 2013: The Hindus of Greater Houston, recognized young people for their contributions in the local community in roles of service and leadership in the 2013 Hindu Youth Awards Gala, hosted at the VPSS on the southwest side on Saturday, July 13.  The organization’s President, Sharad Amin, said that the ceremony marked a “stepping stone” in the promotion of youth involvement in Hindu events, and noted that the Youth award event is presented, organized and conducted mainly by young people and their participation in the event, which is free to the youth.

Dr. Snehal Desai, Kaushiki Tewary, Dr. Keyur Patel, Niyati Vaidya, Neeraj Salhotra, and Garima Doshi received awards from HGH, and were the central focus of the evening, recognized amongst 550 other guests in a comfortably packed hall. The event was presented entirely by youth volunteers. The Sri Meenakshi Temple Society was also recognized for providing outstanding contributions in youth education and development.

The evening was marked by the presence of Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard, Democrat of Hawaii, who is the first Hindu representative elected into Congress, and declared she would not shy away from opportunities to increase awareness of Hindus and Hinduism. She had visited Houston last year during her campaign to collect donations. Youth had the opportunity to speak with Gabbard in a private meeting before the ceremony commenced, where she answered questions on a variety of topics.

Speaking of the youth, the Congresswoman said “The questions these young people were asking me reflect their engagement in the community. They raise the bar each year.” She spoke highly of local cultural and religious organizations like the HGH, saying that they help expound upon the application of Hindu principles, a topic she also addressed in her Keynote speech.

After the meetings, the group Riyaaz Qawwali opened the show in the main hall with a bhajan. The ceremony itself was initiated by the ritual lamp-lighting by Congresswoman Gabbard, Indian Consul General Parvathaneni Harish, and other distinguished figures in the community. The Anjali School of Performing Arts performed a classical dance piece, while Riyaaz Qawwali also closed the Gala with more bhajans.

The recognitions were interspersed with speeches and performances, the first being an introduction on the organizational vision and accomplishments of HGH, whose goals are to unite Hindus and encourage youth.

During the award show, Gabbard related her personal life story, explaining the role of karma yoga as a cornerstone in her life and her work successfully raising awareness of Hindu culture on Capitol Hill. She recalled an incident with a previous year’s awardee, Tejas Dave, who works as an intern in her office. “He approached me with an idea to improve education in America,” she said, “and I responded by outlining how to make it happen,” telling him to “find your supporters and know your critics’ arguments.”

Consul General Harish spoke during the award ceremony, saying that those born in India have a natural connection with their culture, but it was more difficult for those born overseas. He applauded the work of organizations like HGH for helping build those connections for people born outside. In a year marking the sesquicentennial anniversary of the birth of Swami Vivekananda, Harish gave the moral of a story from the life of the Swami, “Gods can take care of Gods. Religions can take care of religions. People, however, must take care of people.”

Source: Indo American News, DT. July 18, 2013.