Hindu American Foundation Returns to Houston, Holds Successful Annual Gala

Houston: It may have been four years since their last gala, but it felt like there hadn’t been any gap at the Hindu American Foundation’s (HAF) annual gala on Saturday, April 15 at India House. A packed house greeted HAF co-founder Dr. Mihir Meghani and National Leadership Council member Fred Stella as they came to present an update on HAF’s activities and raise funds for HAF. The evening was so successful that HAF raised over $350,000, greatly surpassing the expected target for the event.

The evening started with a welcome from HAF Board of Directors member Rishi Bhutada and a lamp lighting ceremony that included elected officials and dignitaries such as Fort Bend County Commissioner Andy Meyers, District Judge Surendan Pattel, Member of the Sindh Provincial Assembly (Pakistan) Mangala

Sharma, and community leaders Dr. Rashmi Sheshadri and Subhash Gupta. Emcees Karuna Kankani and Shiven Danayak took over from there, first starting with a musical invocation performed by 11 year old twins Aalia and Riaan Shah, students of Houston’s resident musical gurus Pandit Shantilal Shah and Smt Aparna Shah. Meghani and Stella were then introduced to provide the update on HAF’s activities, covering a top ten list of HAF’s achievements, discussing the advocacy efforts of HAF on behalf of the Hindu American community, and detailing the work HAF is doing to promote education about Hinduism in schools and workplaces.

The audience was also treated to dances performed by the Storytellers School of Dance led by Ekta Popat, who put on 4 dances inspired by classical Indian dance included styles. Many of the dancers were elementary school age children. “One of our commitments with the Houston gala is to do our best to showcase Hindu classical music and art, which led us to have a musical invocation and these beautifully choreographed dances accompanied by stirring music,” said HAF Houston Chapter Team

Lead Dr. Lavannya Pandit.

Meghani also announced the plan to hire a Regional Director for the Southwest region, primarily focused on Texas. Coupled with a video that provided a disturbing view of multiple academics calling for Hinduism to be dismantled, the audience was spurred to support HAF’s critical work in advocacy and education, and responded with generous donations. “We ourselves were inspired by the work HAF is doing, and were motivated by the presentation and videos, and saw that reflected by the attendees,” said HAF Houston Chapter Team Lead Vinay Sarda. To learn more about HAF, please visit hinduamerican.org

ACT Foundation Celebrates Earth Day with Tree Plantings at Texas Gaushala

Houston: In honor of Earth Day on April 22nd, 2023, the ACT Foundation USA team contributed 60 fruit-bearing trees to the Fruit Tree Plantation Drive, initiated by Mohanji, a notable humanitarian and philanthropist. The movement has already planted close to 90,000 fruit trees globally, promoting ecological balance and adding value to the communities they collaborate with.

These 60 trees were then planted at Texas Gaushala in Houston, where the event was attended by parents, youth, and children, with Neeta Sane, a former HCC Trustee for District VII in Fort Bend County, serving as a distinguished guest. Sane relished the experience of planting trees and feeding cows, and the group expressed their appreciation to Mohanji, their founder, for providing them with a platform to make meaningful contributions to their communities.

In Mohanji’s words, “Fruit tree plantation is not just an act of kindness; it is a social responsibility. This is giving the fruits of kindness to the coming generations beyond species. Fill the forests with fruit trees. Plant more fruit trees in and around your city. It brings sweet grace to our lives beyond time!”

For More information on ACT Foundation USA/Volunteer/Donate please visit: https://actfoundation.org/unitedstates-of-america/

For More information on Mohanji: https://mohanji.org/