Hindus for Human Rights Announces 2024 Swami Agnivesh Memorial Awards to Honor Global Champions of Justice and Unity |
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Honoring the fearless legacy of Swami Agnivesh, this year’s awards recognize individuals and organizations whose work transcends boundaries of faith, caste, and community to champion justice, unity, and human rights across the globe. |
(December 4, 2024) Hindus for Human Rights (HfHR) is thrilled to announce the upcoming 2024 Swami Agnivesh Memorial Awards, honoring individuals and organizations whose work exemplifies action and activism for justice and human rights. The virtual event will be held live on Saturday, December 7, 2024.
Named in honor of the fearless activist Swami Agnivesh, the awards recognize the transformative power of faith to challenge systemic injustice and promote compassion and equality. This year’s honorees include The Sikh Coalition, SALDEF, Zara Choudhary, Deepa Iyer, and Satya Dharam Samvaad (SDS) with a special acknowledgement and celebration of the role of Student Movements Worldwide |
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| Event Details The 2024 Swami Agnivesh Memorial Awards will take place virtually on Saturday, December 7, 2024 as part of the Hindus for Human Rights Annual “Celebration of Hope” Gala. Honorees and organizational representatives will attend live, sharing their insights and stories and accepting their awards.
Tickets are available here |
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Zara Choudhary - A celebrated writer, producer, and educator from Chennai, India, now based in Madison, Wisconsin, Zara Choudhary holds an MFA in Creative Writing and Environment from Iowa State University and an MA in Writing for Performance from the University of Leeds. Her acclaimed memoir, The Lucky Ones, offers a deeply personal and poetic exploration of a multigenerational Muslim family navigating the aftermath of India's partition and modern-day pogroms. Through her powerful storytelling, Zara examines forgotten histories, resilience, and the rebellion of women who claim their place in the world on their terms. We hosted Zara for multiple readings of her breathtaking memoir earlier this year. Her work exemplifies the intersection of art and activism, echoing Swami Agnivesh’s legacy.
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Deepa Iyer - A South Asian American writer, strategist, and lawyer, Deepa Iyer has spent two decades supporting social movements, particularly in Asian American, South Asian, Muslim, and Arab communities. As the Director of Strategic Initiatives at the Building Movement Project, she leads efforts to advance solidarity and social justice through training, workshops, and her acclaimed podcast Solidarity Is This. Deepa is the author of We Too Sing America (2015), which chronicles post-9/11 community-based histories, and Social Change Now (2022), a guide for building solidarity movements. Her newest children’s book, We Are The Builders!, celebrates inclusivity and resilience. We constantly draw inspiration from Deepa’s work to build community across divides.
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The Sikh Coalition - Founded in response to post-9/11 hate crimes, the Sikh Coalition is the largest Sikh civil rights organization in the United States, advocating for religious freedom, legal protections, and anti-discrimination policies. We have had the honor of working with Sikh Coalition to advocate for Hindu-Sikh harmony, especially amid a rise in temple vandalisms and increased transnational repression by the Indian government against the Sikh community. Representing the Sikh Coalition at the event will be Harman Singh, the organization’s Legal Director, who has played a key role in advancing Sikh civil rights in courts and legislatures.
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| SALDEF (Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund)
The nation’s oldest Sikh civil rights organization, SALDEF empowers Sikh Americans through advocacy, education, and outreach programs. Their mission to uphold justice and religious freedom aligns deeply with the values of Swami Agnivesh. We worked closely with SALDEF to share how different faith communities have faced transnational repression by the Indian government. Kiran Kaur Gill, Executive Director of SALDEF, will represent the organization at the event. |
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| Satya Dharam Samvaad (SDS)
SDS connects Hindu leaders and communities to promote fraternity, compassion, and the true essence of Sanatan Dharma. At their October 2024 Dharam Sansad in Kolhapur, over 100 spiritual leaders from diverse sects came together to reject the politicization of Hinduism and emphasize unity, inclusiveness, and non-violence. Representing SDS at the event will be Swami Raghvendra, Swami Korneshwar, Swami Sandeepanandagiri, and Sadhvi Madhuri, who embody the compassionate leadership needed in these polarized times.
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A Celebration of Student Activism
In 2024, the bravery of student movements defined the global landscape of resistance. From Gaza to Bangladesh, students have been a vital force for justice, echoing Swami Agnivesh’s own fearless activism. HfHR has stood in solidarity with these movements, offering support and amplifying their voices in the fight for human rights. These students remind us that the future of justice depends on the courage and conviction of young people.
This year, HfHR acknowledges the courage of student movements, which have inspired change in 2024 and beyond. From the encampment protests against the war in Gaza to the demand for secular democracy in Bangladesh, students have faced police brutality, academic sanctions, and personal risks to stand on the right side of history. The diversity and scale of these movements make them impossible to represent through a single individual or organization. HfHR’s Massachusetts Chapter Lead, Eshaan Vakil, who participated in the Harvard encampment protests, will speak on behalf of this essential force for change.
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Honoring Swami Agnivesh’s Legacy
Swami Agnivesh was a visionary whose life was dedicated to transcending boundaries—of faith, caste, and community—and forging connections rooted in justice and compassion. As one of the few Hindu religious leaders in recent years to unequivocally oppose Hindu nationalism and caste oppression, Swami Agnivesh embodied the profound teaching of vasudhaiva kutumbakam—“the world is one family.” This principle, central to Hindu philosophy, inspired him to champion the rights of those far beyond his own identity and immediate community: bonded laborers, religious minorities, Adivasis, and caste-oppressed groups.
Swami Agnivesh’s activism defied labels and resisted the constraints of institutionalized faith. In 1981, he founded the Bonded Labour Liberation Front, rescuing tens of thousands from forced labor and restoring their dignity. His courage was evident during the anti-Sikh pogroms of 1984, when he directly confronted Hindu mobs in Delhi, provided shelter to Sikh community members, and called for an immediate end to the violence. These actions, guided by an unwavering commitment to solidarity, placed him at the center of India’s most pressing human rights struggles.
Throughout his life, Swami Agnivesh endured physical attacks and threats, often at the hands of extremist groups. In 2011 and 2018, he was violently targeted for his fearless advocacy. Even beyond India, his work faced resistance; at the 2018 Parliament of the World’s Religions in Toronto, Canada, where he was a keynote speaker, Swamiji received death threats from Hindu nationalist groups. Yet, he remained steadfast, exemplifying the courage needed to challenge oppression in all its forms.
Swami Agnivesh’s work was deeply rooted in his Hindu faith, yet he never allowed it to limit his worldview or his activism. His legacy reflects a rare ability to unite across differences—religious, cultural, and social. He believed that the fight for justice required rejecting narrow identities and embracing a collective human responsibility. His partnerships with Sikh, Muslim, Christian, and secular organizations highlighted his commitment to building bridges, creating an inclusive vision of liberation.
Swami Agnivesh was also a personal inspiration to many at Hindus for Human Rights. Members of HfHR had the privilege of standing with him at the Toronto Parliament, and the organization’s very first retreat was held at his ashram. His life and teachings continue to shape HfHR’s mission to uphold the values of pluralism and equality.
The Swami Agnivesh Memorial Award honors his fearless legacy, recognizing individuals and organizations whose faith—not confined by labels—inspires them to fight for justice and unity. In a world increasingly divided, Swami Agnivesh’s example reminds us that true spiritual practice lies in bridging divides and standing firmly on the side of humanity. |
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Hindus for Human Rights (HfHR) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization founded in 2019. We advocate for pluralism and civil and human rights in South Asia. North America, the UK, Australia and worldwide, rooted in the values of our Hindu faith: shanti (peace), nyaya (justice) and satya (truth). We work with a broad coalition of partners to educate elected officials and the public about civil and human rights issues in South Asia.
Please direct all media inquiries to: David Kalal, Director of Communications for HfHR david@hindusforhumanrights.org, |
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