Hindu University of America (HUA) in association with Hindus of
Greater Houston (HGH) hosted a
Friends of HUA Gala on Sunday, March 26,
2023 in Houston. Close to
500 members of the Houston
community attended the event. The gala honored Kiran and Ramesh Bhutada for their generous gift
of $1 Million to HUA.
HOUSTON, April 1,
2023 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Hindu University of
America (http://www.hua.edu) in association with Hindus of
Greater Houston (HGH) hosted a
Friends of HUA Gala evening on Sunday, March
26, 2023, at VPSS Haveli in Houston. Close to 500 Members of the
Houston community attended the
amazing event.
The gala honored Smt. Kiran and Sri
Ramesh Bhutada and their family for their generous gift of
One Million dollars to HUA.
Sri Ramesh Bhutada, CEO of Star Pipe
Products, is a successful Houston-based businessman and philanthropist,
The Houston community also heard
from the Chairman of the HUA Board Padma Bhushan Sri Ved Nanda, and
the HUA President Sri Kalyan
Viswanathan about the rejuvenation of HUA, its current
state, and future roadmap.
The Gala opened with Deep Prajwalan or the auspicious lighting
of the lamp. This was followed by a scintillating music performance
by HUA faculty Dr Kanniks Kannikeswaran and his ensemble of Hindu
classical music singers accompanied by western music
instrumentalists who set the right tone for the rest of the
evening. He engaged the audience in the performance by having them
hum along as well as sing some of the lyrics, for which he received
a standing ovation.
The musical performance was followed by a short video on HUA's
courses and programs, as well as voices and experiences of students
and faculty. Dr. Raj Vedam and Sri Chandra
Raghu, both Houston-based
faculty members of HUA shared their thoughts as well.
The highlight of the evening was the speech by Sri Ramesh Bhutada where he talked about why he
chose to support HUA. He said, "Even though I was born and brought
up in a traditional Hindu family, and I had grown up as a Hindu
with many prominent Hindu organizations, traditions and groups, I
did not really understand the essence of Hindu Dharma. It took 60
years for me to recognize the silver spoon that I was born with
i.e., to understand the true essence of Hindu Dharma: it teaches us
how to live in harmony within ourselves, with our family, friends
and colleagues, and with the entire world. Other universities may
impart knowledge for students to earn a livelihood. Only an
institution like HUA can impart Hindu knowledge that teaches the
student how to live their life!"
Sri Ramesh Bhutada emphasized
that he does not want the next generation of Hindus to take as long
as he did. He urged the attendees to support HUA so that the youth
of today and tomorrow can gain the knowledge and understanding of
Hinduism much earlier in life, enabling them to live happy,
productive lives for themselves and for the benefit of the entire
world.
With his own personal stories as well as stories from the Hindu
American community, Sri Ramesh
Bhutada explained to the attendees that traditional Hindu
upbringing and teaching about Hinduism within the family and home
environment alone would not be sufficient. He said, "Knowledge
imparted by established educational institutions in the modern
academic setting is critical to ensure the younger generations
understand and apply Hinduism in their lives.
Sri Kalyan Viswanathan, President
of HUA said, "We all need to come together to build a Hindu
University that lasts a 1000 Years! Like the Brihadeeswara Temple
in Thanjavur which has stood strong for over 1000 years, or like
the Nalanda University that was a beacon to the world for 1700
years before it was destroyed." He added, "Over the next five
years, HUA aspires to become self-sustaining, and establish itself
as a shared platform for all Hindu traditions and organizations to
offer their teachings."
Sri Ved Nanda, Chairman of the
HUA Board added, "HUA will seek to become an authoritative voice in
the academic domain for all matters pertaining to Hindu Dharma, not
only in the United States, but
also globally." He invited friends and well-wishers from all
Hindu-American organizations, community leaders and members to
support the efforts of HUA in becoming a leading hub for Hindu
knowledge and learning. He proclaimed that the institution belongs
to the entire Hindu community.
Mr Robert Boustany, Houston-based Physicist and Yoga Instructor,
said, "The awareness dinner of the Hindu University of America
highlighted the necessity of all our Seva in developing an
educational system true to the deepest history of India in order to preserve that wisdom and
value for our children and grandchildren!" Sri Rasesh Dalal, Chairman of HGH Board of
Advisors, said, "Hindus can make wonders when they work diligently
with unity. The success of the HUA event is a live example!" Ahimsa
Yukta, a freshman at University of Texas,
Dallas, who participated in the event as an MC, said that
the HUA's motto - "That is knowledge which liberates, was so
inspiring, that I am motivated to take a course at the
university."
The event was hosted at VPSS Haveli, who provided a great venue
and delicious dinner. Excellent volunteer support was provided by
members of Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh, Houston.
Support and participate in HUA's mission by going to:
http://hua.edu/Houston
About Hindu University of America (HUA)
Hindu University of America was founded with the vision of
promoting dialogue across disciplines, cultures and civilizations
while enabling self-discovery, conscious evolution, and harmony.
Its mission is to provide education in knowledge systems based in
Hindu thought involving critical inquiry, ethics, and
self-reflection. Committed to fostering the culture and traditions
of Hindu Dharma in an atmosphere of academic excellence and
freedom, it prepares students for service, leadership, and global
engagement.
Since Oct 2019, more than 2600
students have taken courses at HUA and close to 75 students are
currently enrolled in Master's and Doctoral programs. HUA currently
offers 15 different continuing education programs with over 150
courses taught by more than 70 faculty members. The motto of HUA is
that Vidya or true Knowledge is that which liberates.
Established in 1989 and authorized by the Govt of Florida in 1993, HUA has been offering online
courses since 2019 in various aspects of Hindu Dharma, tradition
and culture. For more information, please visit http://www.hua.edu
or contact +1-407-205-2118.
Media Contact
Aravind Swami, Hindu University of America, 1 407-205-2118,
info@hua.edu
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SOURCE Hindu University of America