By Linah Baliga
MUMBAI: The Hindu Spiritual and Service Foundation (HSSF) hosted a fair at Lakshmi-Vishnu Park in Goregaon West on Sunday with the aim of “instilling pride in Hindu culture”. The concluding day of the four-day exhibition saw 200 Hindu organisations do their bit, including teaching people how to celebrate birthdays in a Vedic way. The ministry of cultural and home affairs supported the exhibition.
The exhibition aimed to counter the “fake narrative set by the western media” that Hindu society was divided into various castes and sects which fought among themselves. It also focussed on “dispelling narratives” that Hindu temples did not provide humanitarian service and their temple funds were under-utilised.
It was such allegations that had led RSS ideologue S Gurumurthi to found HSSF to provide a platform to all Hindu temples, monasteries and organisations to exhibit their social work through fairs. The organisation has organised 33 fairs since 2009.
Swami Swatmananda Saraswati of the Chinmaya Mission was there to address the “misconception” that Hindu organisations engaged only in religious activities as compared to Christian missionaries’ educational services or Sikh initiatives like community kitchens. “Hindus are also involved in significant service, though often silently,” he said, adding that groups engaged in activities like *annadaan* (food donation) and *agnihotra*, a Vedic ritual for universal peace.
Aditya Moona, representing the Arya Samaj, said that most Hindus were “indifferent and clueless” and did not know even the basic tenets of Hinduism”. “We want the youth to be in touch with their roots,” he said. “We want to inculcate self-respect and a sense of being a proud Hindustani.”
This story was originally published in hindustantimes.com. Read the full story here.
