Happy New Year from HfHR

January 1, 2024

Happy New Year!

Hindus for Human Rights is back and ready to get to work in the new year, but we know the year ahead is going to be a difficult one.

We are up to the challenge but need your support!

Check out all the incredible work we did last year, and join us for all we have in store in 2024!

Donate Today

Building Our Community Worldwide

2023 was a tremendous year of growth and strengthening our networks across the globe.
This year we:

Launched Hindus for Human Rights in the United Kingdom
Hired 2 full-time and 3 part-time staff
Coordinated advocacy meetings in Geneva and organized Capitol Hill Diwali
Forefronted voices from Manipur at the Parliament of World Religions in Chicago
Launched our Hindu-Muslim Interfaith Harmony Student Fellowship on 5 college campuses with one Hindu and Muslim student fellow from each campus
Honored 4 individuals and partner organizations with this year's Swami Agnivesh Memorial Awards

Learn More About the Fellowship Here!

Our Interfaith Harmony Fellows meet in Chicago while attending the Interfaith America Leadership Summit in August 2023.

Advocacy and Policy Achievements

In 2023, HfHR continued to fearlessly raise our voices against Hindutva and influenced policy and global discourse.
This year we:

Traveled across India, met progressive Hindu leaders, and published the Prema Yatra report on pluralism, progressive Hinduism and its leaders, based on our journey
Led the campaign to get 75 Congressmembers to write to President Biden about human rights in India
Organized a side event at the 54th Session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva
Coordinated statements on Indian democracy and human rights with Senators Cardin and Sanders
Contributed to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee's private human rights correspondence with President Biden
Impacted 7 bills at various government levels, including anti-caste discrimination laws in Seattle and California
Coordinated boycotts with 10 officials for Modi's visit and organized a human rights panel with Ilhan Omar
Testified at a USCIRF hearing
Represented the organization in various coalitions and briefings, challenging Hindu supremacist actors in the US
Drafted reports about the harms of VHP-A and HAF and engaged in advocacy for SB403
Held 7 events in our Bay Area Desh Videsh Conversation Series

"Prema Yatra - A Pilgrimage of Love"- click to read the full report.

Media Advocacy: Defending Democracy and Human Rights in the Diaspora and Worldwide

This year, we worked hard to bring attention to the decline of Indian democracy and to galvanize the South Asian American community around various issues related to democracy, human rights, and social justice.
This year we:

Led protests in NYC and DC demanding that President Biden hold Prime Minister Modi accountable for his long list of human rights violations, authoritarian and anti-democratic acts
Were featured in over 200 articles across various media outlets
Published 27 articles/op-eds in prominent publications like TIME Magazine and The Washington Post
Were the Hindu presence and leadership in many demonstrations, and gathered Hindu prayers for peace in Palestine, Manipur, Yemen, Haiti and so many places riven by conflict worldwide
Challenged the Indian government's transnational repression, including legal action against the Indian government banning our Twitter account and fought back against digital attacks on our Executive Director Sunita by BJP officials Smriti Irani and Amit Malviya

Listen to Season 3 of the Ganesha's Tusk Podcast!

ULTI PULTI BAAT

In 2023 we shared more of our Ulti Pulti Baat series consisting of short, accessible videos aimed at debunking widespread myths and misinformation.

Watch our lastest Ulti Pulti Baat episode: Canada and India

VOICES OF LOVE
From Sant Namdev to Kabir, we shared the stories of various saints and poets who demonstrate the beauty of religious pluralism and the syncretic history of India through our Voices of Love series.

Watch our video on Akka Mahadevi: The Rebel Saint Who Defied Gender Norms

Indian Americans for Ceasefire in Gaza

The horrific war in Gaza has mobilized our members all across the world. From our Capitol Hill Diwali event, to the protests we've marched in together, we've highlighted the Palestinian and Jewish voices doing the work to fight for justice and we demand a ceasefire in Gaza now. Join Us: tinyurl.com/iaceasefire

From the Bay Area, to NYC, to DC, the UK, and even Iceland, HfHR members have been demonstrating for a ceasefire in Gaza, giving speeches, risking arrest, and building solidarity with our Palestinian and Jewish siblings alike.

What We Wrote in 2023

Media Moments

HfHR's Former Deputy Executive Director Nikhil Mandalaparthy on Karan Thapar's The Interview, for The Wire

HfHR Co-Founder Raju Rajagopal on Tamil America TV discussing the crisis in Manipur

Chapter Updates

United Kingdom

This year we formally launched our HfHR UK chapter! Our UK organizer Rajiv hit the ground running and has organized several events highlighting the dangers of Hindutva in the UK, represented HfHR at protests and demonstrations, and is working to bring together progressive Hindus in the UK.

Australia & New Zealand

HfHR's ANZ chapter made a big splash this year, penning articles, drawing attention to the dismal state of human rights in India, and hosting a screening of the BBC Documentary on Modi and the 2002 Gujarat Riots at the Parliament House in Canberra.

Continue Supporting Us!

With your support, we hope to double our staff, double our budget, and thus double our impact. Please consider making a New Year's donation to HfHR today!

HfHR Board and Staff
David, Deepak, Harita, Pranay, Punya, Raju, Ria, Shanti, Sravya, Sunil, Sunita, Swati, Swathi, Urmila, Vijay

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