NEW YORK (TIP): The 20th Hindu Unity Day (Hindu Sangathan Divas) was celebrated with enthusiasm  and grandeur in New York on August 30th.

Hindu Unity Day, a gift to community from Narain Kataria and Arish Sahani, is celebrated every year in New York in commemoration of the coronation of Ch. Shivaji Maharaj, the Hindu warrior king who, after demolishing Islamic domination, established Hindu kingdom in India in 1674. In actuality, celebration of the day has become a tradition for Hindus in New York.

The Hindu Temple auditorium was packed to capacity. The enthusiasm and jubilation on the part of audience was seen to be believed. The general mood of public and the atmosphere in the auditorium was simply electrifying. The energetic spirit of attendees from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Guyana and Trinidad living in New York who freely mingled with one another irrespective of the distinctions of caste, creed, color, language, gender and nationality  shattered the myth and debunked the obnoxious theories propounded by the prophets of doom that Hindus cannot be united.

The meeting was addressed by Dr. Subramanian Swamy, senior BJP leader and former Cabinet Minister of Law, Justice and Commerce, Government of India; Rajiv Malhotra, Founder and President of Infinity Foundation, author, philanthropist and community leader; Suresh Chavanke, Chairman, CEO of Sudarshan TV; Aditi Banerjee, Corporate Counsel at Leading Global Financial Services Firm; Dr. Uma Mysorekar, President, Hindu Temple Society of North America, Vijay Shertukde, Author of Novel, BLUR; Vibhuti Jha, an entrepreneur; Devendra Singh, Founder of HindiUSA, the largest Hindi organization in the United States; Dr. Rajesh Shukla, Member, Central Committee Overseas Friends of BJP, Jagdish Sewhani, Surinder Verma, Dr. Urmilesh Arya, Satya Dosapati, and Ms. Gulati.

Dr. Subramanian Swamy, a true personification of the leadership qualities like courage, fearlessness and perseverance was the Chief Guest at this function. In his brilliant speech, Dr. Swamy time and again, so enthralled the audience with his forceful narration and outstanding arguments in support of the Hindu unity, that he received a frequent ovation from the audience.

Suresh Chavanke was another eloquent speaker who exposed the insidious designs of anti-Indian forces who have been clandestinely  working  to destroy India  from within.

“The notion of Dalit-Christian has been developed to convince the Dalits that they are non-Hindus, and that Hinduism is  a system of exploitation for which Christianity was the solution. It is, therefore, necessary that evangelist-left nexus, media mediocrity must be fought”, emphasized  Mr. Malhotra.

Aditi Banerjee suggested that we Hindus should  devote more attention, energy and resources  to leadership training. We need the leaders who are talented, who have vision, who can think strategically and who can manage and motivate a team.

In recognition of their dedication and commitment to Hindu Samaj, Dr. Uma Mysorekar and Devendra Singh were honored with the award of “DHARMA RAKSHAK” and Suresh Chavanke was awarded the title of “DHARMA YODHA” by the  Chief Guest Dr. Subramanian Swamy.

Presence of Vice Consul from Indian Consulate Shambhu Amitabh  who had graced the occasion, was acknowledged and recognized by the organizers.

The following resolutions were passed unanimously by the voice vote:

We hereby solemnly take a vow that:

1. From this day onward we will work for the rejuvenation, reinvigoration, unification and consolidation of the Hindu Samaj;
2. If there is any discrimination, injustice or cruelty perpetrated on any Hindu anywhere in the world, we will raise our voices  in unison to protest;
3. We will say or do nothing which will create a rift in the Hindu Samaj;
4. We will devote our time, energy , talent, and wealth (Tan, Man and Dhan) to nurturing, preserving and propagating the Hindu values of life, viz. truthfulness, yoga, meditation, peaceful coexistence, compassion and charity;
5. We will always support the associations, organizations, individuals, groups  which have dedicated their lives to the service of Hindu Samaja;
6. We will keep a vigilant eye on anti- Hindu forces in media which have been unfairly and deliberately slandering and demonizing Hindu Samaj; we will vigorously expose their mean, malicious and mendacious designs so that they stop forthwith.

Priya Sahani Sood  gracefully acted as Master of Ceremony. The program started with the blessing and chanting of Vedic mantras by Pandit Jagdish Tripathy. The function ended with the vote of thanks by Sivadasan Nair.