The Hindu Student population on American campuses continues to grow and flourish. There is an ever-growing need to establish a Hindu Cultural Center on College Campuses in America. There is a giant vacuum of significant Hindu representation in the University setting. As a matter of fact, all influential stakeholders of society come across the university ecosystem at some juncture in their lives. Thus having a significant Hindu presence on university campuses will bring a Hindu perspective into the mainstream discourse of our country.
Hindu student groups have existed in the past in numerous US universities, however, due to the nature of the floating population, these groups survive as long as they have dedicated individuals working for them. Thus there is a need to institutionalize Hindu presence on University campuses, which can give more sustenance to the efforts.
US Universities have a strong tradition of fraternity-sorority lodges and cultural/religious houses. These institutes are an integral part of university culture and have a strong influence on student’s life. Most of these societies have a residence house as their center of activity, which sustains their presence on campus and influences students’ day-to-day life. With the growing need for Hindu representation and increasing Hindu demography in universities, a similar institutional structure will serve as a nucleus for Hindu representation on University campuses.
There came the idea of Vivekananda House, which is a residential facility where 4 to 5 students can live comfortably on the 2nd floor and have the 1st floor dedicated to activities of Hindu YUVA and other Hindu Cultural events such as Yoga, Pranayam, Chanting, and discussions/lectures on Hindu Dharma.
Vivekananda House is a project of the Hindu Society of America.