June 23, 2020

Namaste Dear Friend,

We are excited to be writing to you in the month of the 1-year anniversary of Hindus for Human Rights. The year since we started has been a tumult for much of the world — with the COVID-19 pandemic, the increasingly majoritarian actions of the Indian government, and the systematic violence of the American state all rocking communities in ways that no one could have predicted. It has given us a measure of hope that we have been able to begin building a community and platform of inclusive and justice-oriented Hindus, and that we have been able to respond to these events swiftly and passionately — all from a Hindu perspective. We have even begun to launch the Hindi version of our website, which can hopefully make our movement even more accessible.

All of this is in no small part thanks to the growing team working with us. We have found immeasurable support in our Advisory Board, consisting of Akriti Bhatia, Dr. Rajmohan Gandhi, Dr. Linda Hess, Faisal Khan, T.M. Krishna, Martin Macwan, Medha, K.P. Ramanunni, and David Barun Kumar Thomas. The work of these individuals is remarkably expansive, covering the terrains of history, politics, music, literature, economics, psychology, law, and religion (to name a few), and our work will only continue to be enriched by their contributions. 

In this past month, examples of the art, politics, and thought we have seen from our Advisory Board members (often in collaboration with our Executive Board members) include: HfHR co-founder and board member Raju Rajagopal's examination of "Maithreem Bhajatha" (A Song for Lokasangraha/Universal Common Good), which has been rendered beautifully by Advisory Board member and prolific Carnatic music vocalist and activist T.M. Krishna; Advisory Board member Martin Macwan's participation in a joint policy talk on the critical parallels between Black lives in the U.S. and Dalit lives in India; The Kabir Jayanti celebration hosted by Advisory Board member Medha of Bhaktiversity & HfHR co-founder and board member Sunita Viswanath, who celebrated the famous poet and mystic Kabir by delving into one of his verses, while Malwa folk singer Dayaram Ji joined them to sing the verse. These are just a few examples, and we thank you.

In terms of gratitude, we can also say the same of our amazing team of Staff and Volunteers. This includes Aminah Ahmed, Shabana Begum, Kapil Chowskey, Brandon Juhl, Vijayendra Kadalabal, Urmila Kutikkad, Dr. Sharmila Roy Esq, Meghna Sudhakar, and Sravya Tadepalli. These individuals bring a similarly expansive set of interests and skills to HfHR, and our work would not be possible without them. (*Note: we are always welcoming volunteers!)

Finally, HfHR has also endeavored to build a network of organizational alliances, which has tremendously expanded our scope and strength. Among our amazing allies are Global Indian Progressive Alliance (GIPA), Indian American Forum (IAF), Indian American Muslim Council (IAMC), International Network of Democratic Indians Abroad (I.N.D.I.A.), Progressive International, Coalition Against Fascism in India, and Students Against Hindutva Ideology. Finally, blessings and warmth, as always, to our sister organization Sadhana, which works to build a progressive Hindu community and platform in the United States. Please support and stand with them!

Year In Review

We would like to take this opportunity to list some of our achievements in our first year of existence; we are energized by these accomplishments and hope to continue growing:
 

• Our first initiative after our inception was to be a part of the organizing committees for the protests outside the Howdy Modi event in Houston, TX; and outside the United Nations when Modi was addressing the UN General Assembly. We participated in both protests, garnering significant attention.

• HfHR has become a consistent — and often lone — Hindu voice in the ongoing advocacy efforts for democracy, religious freedom, and human rights in India in the following arenas: Capitol Hill and the U.S. State Department, USCIRF, and more recently, the United Nations. We are deeply grateful to our partner in this work, Indian American Muslim Council.  We are also grateful to our incredible volunteer, Sravya Tadepalli, for all her work in helping us produce our official Statement and Recommendations on Religious Freedom in India, addressed to Dr. Ahmed Shaheed, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief.

• HfHR members have met with elected officials including Rep. Ro Khanna, Rep. Pramila Jayapal, and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in order to advocate for human rights in India, particularly Kashmir. 

• We added a Hindu voice to the (successful) advocacy for city council bills opposing the CAA/NRC in Seattle, WA and Saint Paul, MN.

• Several HfHR co-founders were in India over Winter 2019. While there, we held a strategy meeting at Swami Agnivesh’s ashram near Delhi where we gathered many like-minded friends who believe in our mission. A few of us were able to travel across India to meet front-line activists, Dalit leaders, and vocal anti-Hindutva faith leaders. The trip has deeply enriched and informed our work.

• We were quick to respond to the COVID pandemic by organizing webinars on critical issues of human rights in India, often in partnership with fellow organizations. Speakers have included our own Martin Macwan and T.M. Krishna, politician Sitaram Yechuri, journalists Kalpana Sharma and Niranjan Takle, and former Justice Markhandeya Katju. We also held a two-part webinar where we could engage directly with daily wage laborers and migrant workers in Kerala and Delhi. All our webinars can be viewed here.

• Our response to the COVID pandemic also included a timely fundraising effort for our partner organization RIGHTS in Kerala. This was followed by advocacy for organizations we are close to across India, who are spearheading lifesaving relief efforts. It is still not too late to support these wonderful organizations, and the need is increasing as India’s COVID cases continue to rise.

• It is incredibly important to HfHR members that we stand in solidarity with our Muslim brothers and sisters. Along with our other solidarity advocacy, our wonderful young volunteer, Aminah Ahmed, who is also affiliated with Indian American Muslim Council, launched the #Art4ShaheenBagh movement. She has been hard at work mobilizing artists all around the world to express their solidarity with India’s pro-democracy activists. Visit the growing gallery here.

• Many of us have been writing as a way to advocate for justice in India. We have also been sharing important video messages from often unheard voices through the video series: #FaithLeadersSpeak and #PeopleofFaithSpeak. Please see our videos here and here.

• In recent months we have redesigned our website and are beginning to add Hindi web pages. In time, we hope to make most of our website bilingual, as well as adding other languages such as Tamil and Telugu.

UPCOMING EVENTS

On Sunday, June 28 at 11 am EDT / 8 am PDT / 8:30 pm IST, we invite you to join us for the webinar: "The State of Indian Democracy — A Dalit Perspective." This will be a conversation with Thiru. Thol. Thirumavalavan (Tamilnadu MP & Leader of The Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (Liberation Panthers Party)), moderated by Thiru. A.S. Panneerselvan of "The Hindu", with simultaneous translation from Tamil to English. Thiruma will speak on caste and reservations, atrocities against Dalits, his opposition to Hindutva ideology, surging violence against minorities, and what NRIs can do to help preserve India’s constitutionally guaranteed rights

ZOOM LINK: https://tinyurl.com/castewebinar

Early registration is required, and all are welcome at what is sure to be an urgent and fascinating conversation. Please spread the word!

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Finally, as a group committed to the rooting out and the abolition of state violence, there is no question that the systemic brutality occurring here, in America — particularly against black lives — is as much a part of our work and sorrow as anything else. Members of HfHR have written on Indian Americans' obligation to the Civil Rights movement and to engage in solidarity work; on questions of ahimsa (nonviolence) during this time; and on remembering Oluwatoyin Salau in love. For now, however, in this letter, we are simply stopping to remember and honor the lives that have been lost this past month for the angels that they were in life. Wishing we could lay fresh flowers and light camphor—but no matter what, we remember you, and we will fight for you.

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Please Join Us

As Always, Get Involved. We would love to hear from you — write to us. Volunteer. Start a chapter. Hold a birthday fundraiser and raise both awareness and money!

And of course, make a donation!

We work to achieve justice and peace through compassion. We choose to have hope, and to work hard to turn our hopes for that better world into a reality. Please join us, strengthening the movement and helping us to work towards achieving lokasamgraha (the well-being of all).

—HfHR Board & Program and Communications Manager,
Deepak, Giri, Punya, Raju, Sunil, Sunita, Urmila

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