Indian-American doctor commits USD 4 million for Hindu advocacy and awareness in US

Fremont (California), November 24

Hinduism is not just a religion, it’s a way of life, a prominent Indian-American physician, who has committed USD 4 million to advocate Hindu advocacy and awareness causes in the United States, has said.

Emergency care physician Mihir Meghani, who founded the Hindu America Foundation along with his friends two decades ago, at the annual Silicon Valley gala early this month of the organisation pledged to donate USD1.5 million more to the Hindu cause over the next eight years.

The announcement by Dr Meghani possibly gives him the distinction of being the biggest Indian American donor for the Hindu cause in the United States.

“My wife, Tanvi and I, have contributed USD 1.5 million to the Hindu American Foundation thus far. We’ve also contributed a million dollars more over the last 15 years to other Hindu and Indian organisations and causes. Over the next eight years, we’re making a pledge of USD 1.5 million to pro-India and Hindu organisations,” Dr Meghani told PTI in a recent interview.

Just out of university, Dr Meghani and three of his friends Aseem Shukla, an associate professor in urologic surgery; Suhag Shukla, an attorney and Nikhil Joshi, a labour law attorney co-founded the Hindu American Foundation (HAF) in September 2003, the first of its kind Hindu advocacy group in the US.

Responding to a question, Dr Meghani said Hinduism is not as easily understood by most Americans because most Americans are Christian. “They come from an Abrahamic background. When they look at different religions, they can’t understand that Hinduism is not just a religion, it’s a way of life. It’s a way of thinking about life,” he said.

Hindus who are coming from India don’t quite understand that they have a Hindu identity and an Indian national identity, he said, adding: “We need to talk about that”.

“What we need are Hindus to be strong in the Bharatiya or Indian identity, which is the political identity for our civilisation, but also they should be very proud and open about their Hindu identity. And when they have that, their coworkers, their friends, and neighbours will understand us better,” he said.

One of the early successes of HAF in Washington DC, he said, was to get Diwali recognised in the US.

The Hindu American Foundation, which in its initial years was all based on volunteerism, now has an annual budget of USD 2.5 million and has several full-time staffers. Its goal is to increase its budget to USD5 million next year and USD 20 million by the end of the decade, he said.