6^th January 2022 – We are in the first week of the New Year and like every new beginning, this one is exciting and opens an ocean of opportunities for all. We published the Canadian Hindu Community Report for 2021. Now, we wish to offer our own 2 cents on what Canadian Hindus could do in the coming months to serve the Canadian society. Here are some of the things we could do as a community to make Canada even a better place to live.

Charitable Ventures – Although, no one in our community needs a reminder on this. Still, we thought of putting this on top of everything else. With the new Omicron variant, COVID-19 is still a part of our daily lives and it can be safely predicted that it is going to so for the next few months. As a community, we must pledge our support to the needy and less fortunate ones. We must work with local and provincial leadership and offer our assistance in these tough and critical times. Some areas where our community can volunteer is food and clothing donation, blood donation, tree plantation, cleaning parks/neighborhood, work as volunteers with long-term care homes, regional police, not-for-profit organizations, etc. We would be happy to cover your charity stories which not only would help in delivering a positive message within the society; it also encourages others to join the good work.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fight Hinduphobia and Hindumisia – Growing Hindu hatred in the society, particularly in the media and academia, is a big concern for our community. The recent ‘Dismantling Global Hindutva’ conference sponsored and supported by premier Canadian universities has pushed the agenda further for Hindu hatred in the Canadian society. As a community, we must stand against this barefaced and malicious propaganda. We must discuss about this with our elected leaders (local and provincial), community organizations, local temples, police and other policy making institutions. The mainstream media, local media and various social media platforms must be engaged to voice out our concerns and local public are made aware. For instance, special programs can be run to make the society aware of difference between Swatiska and Hakenkreuz and why the use of Swastika instead of the Nazi symbol Hakenkreuz is false and hurtful.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Shobha Yatras – What better way could there be to celebrate our festivities, culture and heritage than to follow the age-old tradition of Shobha Yatras. It can bring the local Hindu community together for a common cause to rejoice Sanatan Dharma. In every province, local Hindu organizations or their chapters can arrange cultural events to boost local businesses. Please invite your friends, family, relatives, neighbors and local community and political leaders to such events.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hindu Heritage Month Planning – There should be two separate goals for Hindu Heritage Month. One, to get it recognized in provinces where it has not yet been approved by the provincial governments. Second, in provinces where it has become recognized, the planning of events shall begin at least 5-6 months before the actual events. Both the goals are of equal importance.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Special Car Rallies for important dates – Hindus can conduct special car rallies for important dates such as Indian Republic Day, Independence Day, Canada Day, Kashmiri Hindu Genocide Day, etc.

 

 

 

 

Build relations with Hindus from other nationalities – Hindus from Indian origin constitute the majority of Canadian Hindus. Therefore, the onus is on them to reach out to Hindus from other nationalities to build a consolidated and unified Hindu voice. There is a big Hindu community from the Caribbean living and thriving in Canada.

 

 

 

 

 

We would be happy to cover your success stories and challenges as and when they happen. We wish you again a very successful and prosperous New Year.