Dr Mihir Meghani, an emergency care physician, has recently committed $4 million to support Hindu advocacy and awareness initiatives in the United States. Dr Mihir Meghani – a distinguished Indian-American physician, alongside his associates – had established the Hindu America Foundation twenty years ago.
He has pledged an additional $1.5 million over the next eight years, bringing his total contributions to the cause to $4 million over the past two decades. Dr Meghani’s announcement potentially positions him as the most significant Indian-American contributor to the Hindu cause in the United States.
In a media interaction, he said, “My wife, Tanvi and I, have contributed $1.5 million to the Hindu American Foundation thus far. We’ve also contributed a million dollars more over the last 15 years to other Hindu and Indian organisations and causes. Over the next eight years, we’re making a pledge of $1.5 million to pro-India and Hindu organisations.”
He added, “I say this to all of you who are viewing this to realise that I don’t have a startup company. I don’t have any side businesses. I’m an emergency doctor on a salary. My wife is a fitness instructor and a jewellery designer. We’re not making millions of dollars a year. We don’t have stock options. We’re doing this because it’s our Dharma, it’s our duty.”
'We need to have a professional voice for Hindus in the most powerful country in the world' says @mihirmeghani , Co-Founder of Hindu American Foundation@Sangi_shankar21, Regional Director, HAF shares her views on SB-403 bill @AnchorAnandN | #TheRightStand pic.twitter.com/nrIzH8IAt0
— News18 (@CNNnews18) November 20, 2023
Dr Meghani expressed that Hinduism might be challenging for many Americans to grasp fully, given the predominant Christian context in the country. He emphasised that Hinduism extends beyond being merely a religion; instead, it encompasses a profound way of life.
He said, “They come from an Abrahamic background. When they look at different religions, they can’t understand that Hinduism is not just a religion, it’s a way of life. It’s a way of thinking about life.”
He further said, “Hindus who are coming from India don’t quite understand that they have a Hindu identity and an Indian national identity. We need to talk about that.”
Dr Mihir Meghani said, “What we need are Hindus to be strong in the Bharatiya or Indian identity, which is the political identity for our civilisation, but also they should be very proud and open about their Hindu identity. And when they have that, their coworkers, their friends, and neighbours will understand us better.”
One of HAF’s initial triumphs in Washington, DC, according to Dr Mihir Meghani, was the successful effort to secure recognition for Diwali in the United States. He mentioned, “Now you can see that Diwali is celebrated at the White House, with the Vice President, in the US Congress and all across different state and local governments across the country. But it took time to get there.”
Hindu American Foundation established by Dr Mihir Meghani and others
Notably, fresh out of university, Dr Meghani, along with three companions Aseem Shukla, an associate professor in urologic surgery; Suhag Shukla, an attorney; and Nikhil Joshi, a labour law attorney jointly established the Hindu American Foundation (HAF) in September 2003. This marked the inception of the first-of-its-kind Hindu advocacy group in the United States.
From its early years, when it relied entirely on volunteerism, the Hindu American Foundation has evolved to boast an annual budget of $2.5 million, supported by a dedicated team of full-time staff. The foundation aims to double its budget to $5 million next year and ambitiously reach $20 million by the close of the decade.
