email : Webview : Emory Hindu Chaplaincy Alumni Update

Dear Friends,

Greetings! Wishing you joy and peace as we approach the beloved festival of Navaratri. The fall semester began just a few weeks ago, but the lively energy at Emory has already brought the community together in meaningful ways, and we’re excited for what the rest of the semester will bring.

To start off the new academic year, the Hindu Students Association held a beautiful interactive puja to celebrate Ganesh Chaturthi. Each attendee was provided with a personal puja thali and the program was rounded out with a traditional Ganesh aarti and laddu prasad. We were truly inspired to see the enthusiasm around the festival with over 80 Emory community members in attendance.

The enthusiasm continues as we now prepare for a festive Navaratri season. The HSA will be hosting their highly-anticipated, annual Garba tomorrow, and the days following will include a Golu-making session and Durga puja. We are just thrilled to have the opportunity to revive and revisit these festivities in full swing.

The Office of Spiritual and Religious Life (OSRL) began the new year with its signature WISE pre-orientation program, an interfaith program intended to introduce incoming freshman to the wide variety of spiritual and religious expression at Emory and in Atlanta. As part of the orientation, we had the wonderful opportunity to visit the beautiful BAPS Swaminarayan temple in Lilburn. Additionally, OSRL continues to make progress in building out the new Interfaith Center. A unique feature of this center will be a multi-faith shrine room that will include altars for our Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist and Jain traditions.

As we put the finishing touches on the designs for the shrines, which will be handmade in India we would be grateful for your continued support in reaching our fundraising goals for this effort. Your contribution will go towards creating an inclusive and tangible space for our diverse interfaith community, including our growing Hindu community. We hope you may also consider giving to the OSRL Hindu Life Fund especially on Thursday, November 3 as part of Emory Giving Week. More on that coming soon, and you can always make a gift here.

I also want to invite you to join Emory OSRL for Homecoming 2022 on October 20-23. There are many events, including Aarti on Friday at 5:00 p.m. in Cannon Chapel and please come visit us on October 22 from Noon-5:30 pm at the Emory OSRL affinity tent on the main quad. See our schedule of programs here.

This Navaratri, I’m drawn towards a well-known verse to Devi which reads, “Salutations, again and again, to Devi, the one who resides in everything as strength.” May the Goddess bless us to discover our innate strength as we continue to seek ways to empower one another within and across our communities.

Warmly,
Shweta

Brahmacharini Shweta Chaitanya
Hindu Chaplain
Emory University OSRL

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