An Indian-origin doctor in America has announced a donation of 4 million dollars to advocate for Hindu advocacy and awareness issues. The doctor said that Hinduism is not just a religion but a lifestyle.
Emergency Care Physician Dr. Mihir Meghani said he had established the Hindu America Foundation with his friends. He pledged to provide $1.5 million to Hindu causes over the next eight years at the annual Silicon Valley event earlier this month. He will also offer 40 lakh dollars for Hindu welfare in 2 decades.
In an interview, Dr Meghani told ‘PTI-Bhasha’, ‘My wife Tanvi and I have contributed $1.5 million to the ‘Hindu American Foundation’. We have contributed over a million dollars to other Hindu and Indian organisations for these causes over the past 15 years. We pledge to give 1.5 million dollars to pro-India and Hindu organisations in the next eight years.
Dr Meghani said, ‘I don’t have any startup company, I don’t have any side business, I am a doctor dependent on salary. My wife is a fitness instructor and jewellery designer. We’re not making millions of dollars a year. We do not have share options. We are doing this because this is our religion and duty.’
Explaining the purpose behind giving such a massive amount for the propagation of Hindu religion, Dr. Meghani said that most of the American people do not understand Hindu religion easily because most of the people here are Christians.
“They come from an Abrahamic background,” he said. When they look at different religions, they fail to understand that Hinduism is not just a religion; it is a way of life. It’s a way of thinking about life.
He said Hindus who are coming from India do not understand that they have a Hindu identity and an Indian national identity. “We need to talk about this,” he said. He further said, “We need Hindus to be strong in their Indian identity, which is the hallmark of our civilisation, but at the same time, they should be proud of their Hindu identity.”
He said the Diwali festival started being celebrated in Washington, DC, due to his organisation’s efforts. Meghani said that now you can see Diwali being celebrated in the White House, with the Vice President, in the US Congress and various state and local governments across the country. But it took time to get there.
