Desi Talk

www.desitalk.com – that’s all you need to know 10 CITY VIEWS May 8, 2026 Hindus For Human Rights Endorses Vichal Kumar Of New York For US Congress T he advocacy organization Hindus for Human Rights Action (HfHR Action) announced May 1, 2026, its endorsement of Vichal Kumar, who is running to represent NewYork’s 7th district in the United States House of Representatives. “Vichal is a proud, progressive South Asian who will fight for all communities across Brooklyn and Queens,” a press release from HfHR said. Calling him a “vocal supporter of civil liberties and human rights here at home and abroad,” the organization added, “Hindu Ameri- cans deserve a champion for dignity and a better future, and we are confident that Vichal would carry out that mission and fight for justice, peace, and truth every single day.” Accepting the endorsement, Kumar ( https://linktr.ee/kumar4ny. ) is quoted saying, “I’m honored to have earned the endorsement of Hindus for Human Rights Action. Their commitment to equi- ty and their recognition of how our com- munities and issues intersect are values that have shaped my career and define our campaign. They represent the com- mitments that so many Hindu Americans have been waiting to see organized.” Kumar, a public defender of 20-years standing, said he was not taking any corporate money for his campaign. He has been endorsed by UnrigWashington, an initiative that supports overturning the Citizens United Supreme Court decision regarding corporate campaign money as well as enacting anti-corruption reform. Kumar began his legal career at The Bronx Defenders while attending Hof- stra Law at night, went on to build the Civil Defense Practice at Neighborhood Defender Service of Harlem, and most recently served as the Managing Director at Partners for Justice, “where he scaled holistic-defense programs across the country—from NewYork to rural and con- servative jurisdictions including Illinois, Missouri, and Texas.” He is a past President of the South Asian Bar Association of North America (SABA) and the South Asian Bar Associa- tion of NewYork (SABANY). By a StaffWriter Vichal Kumar PHOTO:COURTESY HINDUS FOR HUMAN RIGHTS M ore than 75 students, scholars, educators, and community members came together for Demystifying Hinduism: Clarity Through Scholarship, a seminar organized at Rutgers University, by the Coalition of Hindus of North America (CoHNA) and the Rutgers chapter of its youth wing CYAN (CoHNA Youth Action Network), in partnership with the Rutgers Hindu Students Council (HSC) and the univer- sity’s Hindu Chaplaincy. The conference held on April 30, 2026, and featured distinguished academics, a press release from organizers said. “The invigorating presentations, the pointed ques- tions, the energetic panel discussion, the food, and the enthusiasm of my fellow students, all made for a memo- rable day,” said Dhyey Ray, president of CYAN Rutgers and a senior in Biomedical Engineering. “I came away energized by the passion of the panelists and attendees, and with so much clarity on how to understand my faith and use it to guide important questions in life as I get ready to graduate.” Professor of Indian History and Religions at Shaw- nee State University Dr. Lavanya Vemsani, examined how the stories of prominent Hindu women have been presented in contemporary academic texts, media and popular culture. The talk explored what Vemsani sees as sexual objectification in the portrayal of several power- ful and well-known figures from Savitri, Urvashi, and Ganga to Satyavati, Kunti, and Draupadi. She saw these “distortions” as having a wide-ranging impact, especially on young Hindus and their understanding of their own history. Dr. Jeffery D. Long, Professor of Indian Philosophies at Elizabethtown College and a widely published scholar on Hinduism, traced the history of Dharmic influences in theWest. Drawing on the likes of George Harrison, Julia Roberts, and J.D. Salinger, as well as M*A*S*H and Star Wars, Prof. Long aimed to show Hindu thought has left its mark on some of the most beloved cultural touchstones of theWest. The seminar also featured an informative session with Neil Desai, a high school history teacher, on what he saw as Hinduphobia manifesting itself in academic settings over the years. The event closed with a student-moderated panel discussion covering a wide range of questions — from historical research to textual representation of Hinduism to issues directly impacting Hindu students on campus like the persistence of tropes around caste, atheism, plu- ralism in Hindu Dharma, misogyny, and menstruation. “For over a year, the CYAN and HSC teams on campus have been working hard to create an authentic space where scholars and students could discuss and debate the Hindu faith,” said Shyam Kumar, a junior majoring in Political Science at Rutgers and vice president of CYAN. “I was thrilled to see the results at Demystifying Hinduism, where we created a unique and refreshing counterpoint to the discourse we normally hear about Hinduism.” By a StaffWriter Scholars And Students Gather For Academic Discussion On Hinduism At Rutgers PHOTOS:ORGANIZERS A section of the audience at a discussion of Hinduphobia at the March 30 conference at Rutgers University. Organizers and participants at the Hinduism and Hinduphobia conference held in Rutgers University March 30, 2026.