On October 5th, 2021, Congress declared October as National Hindu Heritage Month.
Hindus are the fourth largest religious population in the United States and the third-largest religion in the world. Hindus are a significantly growing community within the greater Charlotte area, and, make no mistake, Hindus throughout our country have made tremendous contributions to our economy, culture, and civic life. For that, we celebrate them.
According to learnreligious.com, Hinduism is a conglomeration of religious, philosophical, and cultural ideas and practices that originated in India thousands of years before the birth of Christ. Hinduism remains the dominant faith practiced in India and Nepal today.
I had the privilege to speak with some of our Hindu neighbors and friends to ask them what this recognition means.
Tanha Patel, a local Hindu businesswoman, and mom, said that it makes her proud "to see Hinduism gain this recognition. It is a wonderful way to bring local awareness and understanding of Hindus and Hinduism as well as their contributions in America."
Tanha explained to me that "Charlotte is an emergence of the various religious ideas. It is an amazing blend of the various sects within Hinduism that we get an opportunity to observe and participate in. We meet people from different parts of the world that are Hindus and are able to let our children absorb the variety within our culture. In the Charlotte area, you get the opportunity to celebrate various Hindu festivals like Navartri, Golu, Karvachauth, Diwali, and Lohri."
If you are looking to learn more about Hinduism, I'd encourage you to reach out to any of the Hindu Temples in the Charlotte area:
- The Hindu Center of Charlotte
- BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir
- VPSC Shrinath Dham Haveli
- Trimurti Temple Devasthanam
And make sure to wish your friends and neighbors a Joyous Diwali, which occurs on November 4th! Don't worry - you can count on MacKID to have more on that, too.
