Washington, Dec 8 (IANS) Following months of extensive debate, UC Berkeley’s student government approved a Hindu Heritage Month proclamation. Hindu student organisations have described this as the first such recognition by a US university.
CYAN Hindus at Berkeley and Hindu YUVA at UC Berkeley stated that the measure was approved nine months after the ASUC Senate first voted to reject Hindu Heritage Month. The statement credits extensive discussions with the Executive Vice President’s office and student leaders, describing the outcome as a step forward for Hindu representation in student government.
According to the statement, the newly approved proclamation “signals a positive step in improving Hindu representation within student government,” even though the groups noted that “the new proclamation is by no means perfect.”
They thanked the EVP and her office “for engaging in respectful dialogue with our student organisations over the past six months, showing that conversations are possible despite even the most contentious of disagreements.”
The proclamation includes three recognitions. First, the ASUC Senate formally recognises the term Hinduphobia and acknowledges several targeted attacks on Hindu temples in the Bay Area.
Second, the Senate acknowledges Sanatana Dharma and its foundations as a decolonial understanding of the term ‘Hinduism.’ Third, the Senate notes that there is no dedicated Hindu caucus representing Hindu students, unlike the unions and coalitions representing other religious groups on campus.
The statement encourages students and community members to review both the original and revised proclamations, emphasising that the ASUC Senate initially rejected Hindu Heritage Month due to concerns regarding ‘Hindu Nationalism,’ although the new version remains substantively similar. The groups further note that neither version referenced Hindu Nationalism.
The groups argue that the edits could have been resolved through discussion and contend that Hindu students are held to a higher standard by their student government. Nonetheless, they commend the Senate for taking an important first step towards improving relations with the Hindu community.
They express hope that the proclamation will “open the door for genuine, good-faith dialogue between Hindu student organisations and ASUC leaders,” adding that their conversations with the EVP’s office demonstrated such dialogue is possible.
“Too often, dialogue has been obscured by the conflation of Hindu and South Asian identity, resulting in gatekeeping by ‘South Asian’ organisations on campus,” the statement said. “Their statements and actions on issues affecting our community (i.e. Pahalgam) have overshadowed the lived experiences of Hindu students—often made without engaging our communities directly.”
“It is our sincere hope that, moving forward, discussions surrounding Hindu identity and representation will be guided not by external political narratives, but by the voices of Hindu students on campus,” they said.
Student leaders marked the milestone by celebrating the university’s decision as the “FIRST EVER US university to recognise Hindu Heritage Month,” pointing to long-awaited acknowledgement of vandalism attacks on temples and rising Hinduphobia. They also praised student leaders @aryanshinde21 and Arya Kulkarni and urged students to engage with CYAN.
Hindu Heritage Month has recently gained visibility across several US states and municipalities, as diaspora organisations formalise recognition and address what they describe as a rising tide of Hinduphobia. At UC Berkeley, debates over Hindu identity and representation intensified this year amid nationwide discussions on free speech and minority rights.
–IANS
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