Hindus of Greater Houston honors 75 youth for commitment to community

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At an event in Houston Sept. 10, 2022, hosted by Hindus of Greater Houston, HGH, 75 youth were recognized and honored for their strong sense of community, fostering conversations about Indian culture, and inspiring the next generation of leaders with their contributions. The event was held at the newly renovated auditorium at Sri Meenakshi Temple which was filled to capacity with more than 500 people.

Past President of HGH Partha Krishnaswamy came up with the idea of awarding 75 Hindu youth this year to commemorate India’s “Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav” – (75 years of India’s Independence), a press release from Krishnaswamy said. It was approved by the HGH team.

More than 44 organizations participated, 75 awardees were selected and included those of Caucasian, African American, Caribbean, Nepali, and Indo-American origin. The event was attended by representatives from participating organizations, donors, HGH Advisory board members, community leaders and distinguished guests, the press release said.

A lamplighting cermony kickstarted the evening which was replete with insights, inspiration, and practical takeaways. Beth Kulkarni, HGH and Hindu Temple of The Woodlands founding member, highlighted the organization’s prominent role in “encouraging and mentoring” the youth.

Keynote speaker Partho Ghosh offered a transformative way of thinking with his seven-point vision to make the world a better place, and also dwelt on how Vedanta philosophy’s tenets can drive better leaders.

Young speakers Somansh Agarwal and Naisargi Jaiswal of the National President of Hindu Students Association shared pointers on ways to engage with others in promoting Indian culture and traditions and how the youth could take these practices forward in their colleges.

Also part of the evening was a Kathak performance from the Shivangini Academy of Performing Arts and a Bharatanatyam Thillana by the Abhinaya School of Performing Arts.

Deputy Consul General of India in Houston Sandeep Choudhary congratulated the awardees and spoke briefly of the importance of connectivity of the youth awardees with those in India.

Interfaith Ministry of Greater Houston Program Manager Kim Mabry thanked HGH for inviting the Interfaith Ministries to the Hindu Youth Awards ceremony, describing it as “a beautiful display of the life, art, and culture of the Hindu community of Houston.”

A surprise 75-item dessert station accompanied the dinner. The sweets were prepared by BAPS Shayona and Bombay Sweets. Nalini Kannan of Decor One decorated the dessert station in tune with the theme of the evening.