Washington, June 7 (IANS) Educating Hindu families and young people is essential to preserving cultural and religious traditions among the growing Indian diaspora in the United States, eminent Indian American community leaders said.
Students, educators and community leaders at HUA Samvāda 2026 reflected on how a deeper study of Hindu philosophy and traditions can help practitioners move from ritual observance to an informed understanding and confident articulation of their faith.
The event featured a keynote address by Hindu University of America (HUA) president Kalyan Viswanathan and a panel discussion titled “From Practice to Understanding to Articulation: How HUA Nurtures Confident Hindus.”
The panel was moderated by Dr Archana Shyamsunder and included HUA students Muktha Tyagarajan, Varadarajan Atur and Aparna Dave.
Shyamsunder said many Hindus engage in rituals and devotional practices without always understanding their deeper significance.
“HUA gives students the opportunity to study into knowledge and traditions in a serious, authentic,” she said, adding that the university helps students understand “the why behind our practices.”
The panelists described their academic journeys as transformative.
Tyagarajan, who has completed nearly 20 courses at the university, said HUA allowed her to revisit long-held beliefs and ask questions she had never explored before.
“There was this great opportunity, go back and learn everything, relearn everything, and now ask all those questions that needed to be asked,” she said.
Dave, an immigration attorney based in Maryland, said her studies revealed dimensions of Hindu thought she had not previously encountered.
“There is so much philosophy, there is so much knowledge, there is so much of intellectual discussions,” she said, adding that the courses helped her understand her roots and view Hindu traditions through a broader intellectual lens.
Atur, a retired World Bank professional, said HUA provided a “dispassionate and a historical perspective of understanding of dharma”, helping students combine intellectual inquiry with personal faith.
A major theme throughout the evening was the challenge of transmitting Hindu knowledge to younger generations growing up in the United States.
Tyagarajan argued that educating parents is critical because children often look to them for answers about culture, faith and identity.
“Continuing the education, Hindu education for the parent is very, very important,” she said.
Dave said many second-generation Indian-American children seek explanations rather than instructions.
“Unless we ourselves get educated and we understand what Hinduism is, it’s no way we can enlighten the second generation,” she said.
Outlining the university’s growth and its plans to secure academic accreditation, Viswanathan told attendees that HUA had submitted its accreditation application and described the process as a major milestone for the institution.
“I am very, very pleased to share with all of you that we just submitted our application for accreditation with the Higher Learning Commission last night,” he said.
Viswanathan also argued that Hindus remain underrepresented in humanities and social science disciplines and called for greater participation in academic and cultural institutions. He said HUA aims to prepare future educators, scholars, community leaders and advocates who can engage confidently with questions about Hindu traditions and civilisation.
During the discussion, Tyagarajan defined a “confident Hindu” as someone who possesses both knowledge and conviction.
“A confident Hindu knows his dharma, knows dharma, and has the clarity of vision of what he she should do and the integrity to follow through on it,” she said.
Founded in 1993, the Hindu University of America is a private institution dedicated to the study of Hindu traditions, philosophy, Sanskrit, yoga and related disciplines. It offers degree, certificate and continuing education programmes to students in the United States and internationally.
–IANS
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