Sati Gurdial

New York : A Hindu Caribbean Conference scheduled to be held in Queens, New York, on October 5 & 6, 2012 under the auspices of the VHP, in collaboration with several local Hindu Organizations.

Since January  this year a group of Caribbean Hindus, comprised of prominent Pandits and community leaders, have been quietly meeting to draft plans for a Conference to examine the challenges facing Hindu Caribbean Americans. There is a burning need to evaluate and understand the experiences and needs of our people in a foreign environment, but it is an area that was sadly neglected. Not anymore.

We are now happy to announce that several key parts of the conference have been satisfactorily worked out, and we are now ready to share information about the event and to invite the members of your Organization to participate fully. The conference will examine the challenges of the Hindu Caribbean American under the following subjects: Education, Organization, Politics, Women, Media, Youth, Economics, Plight of the Elderly, Domestic Violence & Other.

We have prepared a list of prominent Hindus from our community who will present papers on each of the subjects above, after which delegates will discuss and propose solutions and resolutions. These resolutions will be presented at a Hindu Regional Conference in 2013, and then tabled at the Hindu World Conference in India in 2014, when the VHP celebrates its 50th Anniversary.

The organizing committee has secured the facilities of three of the leading Mandirs in Queens, NY, where the conference will be held, namely: The Prem Bhakti Mandir, the Shri Surya Narayan Mandir, and the Shri Devi Mandir. All three of these host Mandirs are located within a hundred yard radius of one another on 172nd and 173rd Streets in Jamaica, Queens.

There will be registration and a welcoming cultural program on the afternoon of Friday October 5. On Saturday October 6, Professor Anantanand Rambachan will deliver the keynote address in the morning, after which there will be business sessions all day.

Participation at this Conference is free, and we wish to encourage all Organizations or groups of Caribbean Hindus to visit our website at www.vhpa-chc.org and begin preparing for this historic event for Hindu Caribbean Americans. Additionally, you may contact any of the following members for more information:

Bhai Patanjali Rambrich 718 496 0416, [email protected]

Bahen Sati Gurdial 631 512 3778, [email protected]

Pandit Ram Hardowar 646 210 2754, [email protected]

Bhai Naidoo Veerapen 917 714 7596, [email protected]

Bhai Vickram Deonarain 718 314 2393, [email protected]

Bhai Robby Mangroo 917 622 3396, [email protected]

Pandit Baya 917 847 4501, [email protected]

Pandit Tillack Seeratan 646 772 4272, [email protected]