Hindu American Seva Communities

Transforming Our Self, Our Communities, Our Country

Announcement – SAVE THE DATE Hindu American Seva Communities hosts 2014 Fourth National Seva Conference at the White House Dharmic Dialogue: Seva and Social Justice* Conference to be held 1st Week of October, 2014

Washington, D.C. April 8, 2014. On this auspicious occasion of Ramnavami, Mahavir Jayanti, Ugadi, Vaisakhi, Onam, Chetichand, Gudi Padwa, where we celebrate new beginnings and victory of good over ignorance, the Hindu American Seva Communities (HASC) announces the fourth annual Seva Conference, “Dharmic Dialogues: Seva & Social Justice*”. It will be held in the nation’s capital during the 1st week of October. Join us this October and be a part of our transformative journey! *The conference theme inspired by Mahatma Gandhi’s legacy of Seva & Social Justice Dharma, honors his 145th birth anniversary. HASC is hosting the conference to highlight an inside-out approach to development and service through traditional Dharmic values of seva and social justice to address priority issues impacting our community and our country. “The best way to find your self is to lose yourself in the service of others." Mahatma Gandhi Seva (selfless service) is an important part of our Dharma** and sadhana (spiritual practice). We hope the participants will work to alleviate current social justice issues. “Each one of us is driven and inspired by our individual Dharma to our self, and through seva, to those around us. Faith plays a significant role in the political landscape and moral values provide a common ground for diverse communities to come together to develop solutions,” observed Dr. Anant Rambachan, Board Member, Hindu American Seva Communities. **Dharma is defined as one’s obligation or duty to serve. The idea of dharma as duty or propriety implies there is a natural order and that justice, social harmony and human happiness are part of the balance.

The inspired conference will focus on Dharmic self-transformation leadership to bring to the forefront the Dharma based values which strengthen us and our nation. Examples include: - Expanding the Dharmic dialogue and partnership initiated from 2009 on governance and ethics, Environmental Stewardship and Climate Change with the White House Faith Based and Neighborhood Partnership; UtsavSeva program with the President’s Interfaith Campus Challenge; Health and Yoga, Let’s Move Faith and Communities’ caregiver and HASC’s “Mythali” training programs with NIH and Dept. of Health & Human Service; pioneering Dharmic Faith-Based Organizations Tabletop (simulated) exercise with Dept. of Homeland Security; mentoring students, Women, Violence Prevention, Immigration, civil rights, Service, etal. HASC invites the community to participate in the conference. We request you to answer the following in your statement of interest: What role does your dharma play in civic engagement, social justice and development issues? How do you propose to establish and expand seva (service) and social justice and grow the faith and/or interfaith movement? What is the change you want to see in yourself and in your communities by doing selfless service? (750-1000 words). We will recognize the best essays and statement of interest and commitment at the White House and will publish them. We will give priority to students and young adults and invite them to be part of the Next Generation Seva Leaders (NGSL) program. With your ideas, you can be a change maker, be part of growing the Dharmic seva and social justice movement and play a role in America valuing the talents of its diverse faiths and pluralistic, multicultural communities. We invite you to visit HASC website for details, and click here to complete your statement of interest by August 1st 2014. This program is open to all. Contact us at [email protected] with any questions you may have. Media Contact:

Dr.Ved Chaudhary [email protected] (732-853-2666): Dr. Subramanian [email protected]

Hindu American Seva Communities (a registered 501 (3) c not-for-profit organization). 184 South Livingston Avenue, Ste 9 #174, Livingston, NJ07039 Contact: [email protected]; Tel: 732‐972‐1489/973-992-5210 www.hinduamericanseva.org