A new organization for students who want to learn about Hinduism was formed last week, despite a lack of support from students of the same racial and ethnic background.
The Hindu Students Council received e-mails from Indian students who said the organization would cause conflict because of the many religions in the country.
But Satish Patel, a council member, said the feedback won’t affect the group members’ purpose - to teach others about their religion and culture.
“I think people don’t really think about what they say before they say it,” the human biology senior said. “The purpose is for Hindus and non-Hindus to learn. I was totally surprised that it was coming from other Indian people. They thought it was segregating people from India.”
Patel said the idea for the council stemmed from a group he was a part of at the University of Illinois-Chicago.
“We’ve been thinking about this for a while,” he said. “We want to have priests come and lecture and answer questions students have about Hinduism.
“We will not be forcing students into practicing. Our organization will be on a volunteer basis.”
The group plans to hold programs designed to teach people about Hindu culture, holidays, festivals and the origin of the religion. It held its first meeting Thursday night in Holmes Hall.
Physiology senior Mehul Patel was one of the group’s organizers.
“I think Hinduism is a way of life, not a religion,” he said. “We are going to discuss religion lessons, learn morals and try to follow them.”
Patel said living in India for 11 years was his reason for starting the council.
“I grew up in a city that was surrounded by temples,” he said. “My parents are Hindus. My mom is very religious. We are not trying to preach. Basically, most people have limited knowledge because we don’t have resources.
“What I want to do is provide people, not just Hindus, resources so they can learn about Indian culture and philosophy.”
Ketan Patel, a computer science senior, said the council aims to be open-minded toward all students who wish to join.
“People want to know about Hindu culture and know about the gods and how those things work,” he said.
“Sometimes I get into big discussions with classmates about these things. We aren’t here to preach for those who aren’t Hindu, but learn more about all the historic pasts of Hinduism.”
