Sep 2022 Newsletter: Art as Resistance, Climate Change and Interfaith initiatives!

October 5, 2022

HfHR's Monthly Newsletter serves as your guide to our progressive Hindu advocacy over the past month! Read on to learn about our webinars, podcasts, articles, advocacy updates, anti-caste initiatives, and more.

Dear Friend,

September has been a month of successful mobilization/campaigns for HfHR--be it the Sadhvi Rithambara's cancellation of UK and US visits, bulldozer showcasing at India Independence Day Parade in NJ, or the Navratri fast in solidarity with Sandeep Pandey in India. We received extensive support for our work in the media which has been indeed very encouraging for us!

As we celebrate the holy days of Navratri through rituals, let us also try to inculcate and promote patience, non-violence and love which VK Tripathi ji in the video alludes to as the most powerful qualities of human beings and the real meaning of fasting and prayers.

It is in this spirit that, over the past month, we have sprung into action, continuing our advocacy for pluralism, civil rights, and human rights for all in a number of fields—including some powerful in-person events. Read on to learn more!

Fight for Human Rights

HfHR has been intensively involved in mobilization of support against the invitation of Sadhvi Rithambara, a hate preacher, to tour the UK, where she was supposed to visit various temples, which resulted in the cancelling of her visit and also other events in the US.

HfHR Executive Director Sunita Viswanath speaks about protests over invitation to Nisha Rithambhra, Hindutva aggressiveness in the USA

HfHR Co-founder and Board Member Deepak Gupta was honored last week by Indian American Muslim Council's NJ chapter with a “Leadership Award!” Deepak has been recently involved in our successful campaigning against the bulldozer display at the India Day Parade in New Jersey which led to several apologies from the organizers.

HfHR Cofounder Deepak Speaks at Edison, NJ Town Hall about Bulldozer Parade

HfHR Deputy Executive Director Nikhil and Policy Director Ria attended @mpvusa's incredible forum on Addressing Apostasy and Blasphemy Laws in Muslim Societies on the Hill!

Hindu Supremacist RSS Involved In Bombings In India: a former member submitted an affidavit in a court in India’s Maharashtra state

Hindutva violence came to England last week as Hindu mobs aligned to the Nazi-inspired Indian paramilitary RSS rampaged the streets of Leicester, 105 miles north of London, in the UK, attacking Muslims and their properties. Hear peace activists from the UK.

Climate Change & Religion

HfHR joined other communities of faith and spirit in support of frontline leaders to rally outside the Capitol. Our fate is intertwined, and we don’t accept that the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act’s climate provisions excuses any subsequent side deal that would gut bedrock environmental protections, threaten tribal sovereignty, endanger public health, fast-track destructive and dangerous fossil fuel projects, or silence those fighting the Mountain Valley Pipeline.

Art as Resistance

HfHR, Bol Worker Owned Bookstore, and Indian American Muslim Council organized a film screening and conversation with two of India's leading artists and human rights activists: Anand Patwardhan and TM Krishna who have both harnessed the power of art, particularly film and music, to push back against right-wing politics and religious nationalism.

Inter-faith Initiatives

HfHR sponsored the International Bahujan Organization's float from the August 15th Independence Day parade in New York City. We believe it is extremely important to support and include the largest segment of India's population, and we look forward to working with IBO in the future!

In support of the detained protesters who had planned to embark on a padayatra (journey taken by foot) in solidarity with Bilkis Bano, including activist Sandeep Pandey - HfHR volunteers are fasting each day for Navaratri.

Further, HfHR Executive Director was invited to speak at an important event organized by CAIR National, “Preventing Genocide in India”. She also spoke at Islamic Society of North America's (ISNA) Inter-faith conference. Sunita’s prayer at the interfaith banquet was for the wisdom and courage to drown out hate with love, and to recognize the divine in each other and in every atom of the universe.

HfHR in Media

Our Executive Director Sunita Viswanath was quoted in The Independent on Leicester violence where she stressed the importance to denounce the violence but also praise the Muslim religious leaders who did all they could to deescalate the situation.

HfHR Policy Director Ria Chakrabarty's comments were featured in The Religious News Service's piece on caste discrimination with regard to Hindu American Foundation's lawsuit against the state of California, objecting to a recent caste discrimination lawsuit that the group said “violates the constitutional rights of Hindu Americans.”

Watch the latest from HfHR and our friends at PAIGAM

This episode of Ulti Pulti Baat tackles the claim that the CAA is actually helping persecuted Hindus and other religious minorities in neighboring countries. With a December 2014 deadline, religious minorities currently facing persecution in neighboring countries will not be able to seek asylum under the CAA.

It's been a busy month, to say the least! We want to keep the intensity of this enthusiasm and passion going forward. Your support energizes us to build a bold and radically inclusive Hindu public voice which opposes Hindutva and caste, and prioritizes the rights of marginalized communities.

Once again, thank you for your continuous support and well-wishes!

With our love, gratitude and solidarity,

HfHR Board and Staff
Bidisha, Deepak, Harita, Manvi, Nikhil, Preeti, Punya, Raju, Ria, Shanti, Sravya, Sunil, Sunita, Swati, Swathi, Thrisha, Urmila, Vijay

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