Washington, Dec 8 (LatestNewsX) – After months of heated discussion, the UC Berkeley student government finally voted to proclaim Hindu Heritage Month. For many Hindu students, this is the first time a US college has officially recognized the celebration.
CYAN Hindus at Berkeley and Hindu YUVA at UC Berkeley noted that the decision came nine months after the ASUC Senate originally rejected the idea. They said the outcome was possible thanks to sustained talks with the Executive Vice President’s office and other student leaders, marking progress for Hindu visibility on campus.
According to the groups, the proclamation “signals a positive step in improving Hindu representation within student government,” even though it “is by no means perfect.” They thanked the EVP and her office “for engaging in respectful dialogue with our student organisations over the past six months, showing that conversations are possible despite even the most contentious of disagreements.”
The proclamation contains three key acknowledgments. First, it formally recognizes the term hinduphobia and documents the targeted attacks on Hindu temples in the Bay Area. Second, it affirms Sanatana Dharma and its foundations as a decolonial understanding of ‘Hinduism.’ Third, it notes that there is currently no dedicated Hindu caucus on campus, unlike the groups that exist for other religious communities.
The statement invites students and community members to compare the original and revised versions of the proclamation. It stressed that the initial rejection was due to concerns around ‘Hindu nationalism,’ even though the finalized wording never mentioned that term. The groups suggested that the changes could have been settled through discussion and highlighted the higher standard that Hindu students often feel they face from the student government. Despite these reservations, they praised the Senate for taking a crucial first step toward better relations with Hindu students.
They expressed hope that the proclamation will “open the door for genuine, good‑faith dialogue between Hindu student organisations and ASUC leaders,” noting that conversations with the EVP’s office proved such dialogue is feasible.
“Too often, dialogue has been obscured by the conflation of Hindu and South Asian identity, resulting in gatekeeping by ‘South Asian’ organisations on campus,” the statement said. “Their statements and actions on issues affecting our community (i.e. Pahalgam) have shadowed the lived experiences of Hindu students—often made without engaging our communities directly.”
“Its our sincere hope that, moving forward, discussions surrounding Hindu identity and representation will be guided not by external political narratives, but by the voices of Hindu students on campus,” they added.
Student leaders celebrated the milestone, describing the university’s decision as the “FIRST EVER US university to recognise Hindu Heritage Month,” and highlighted the long‑awaited acknowledgment of temple vandalism and rising hinduphobia. They also praised student leaders @aryanshinde21 and Arya Kulkarni and urged their peers to get involved with CYAN.
Hindu Heritage Month is now gaining visibility across several US states and municipalities as diaspora groups formalize recognition and respond to what they describe as a rising tide of hinduphobia. In Berkeley, debates over Hindu identity and representation swelled this year amid nationwide conversations about free speech and minority rights.
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