Hindus honored with Springfield proclamation
City marks end of Hindu Heritage Month, as Diwali is celebrated this week.
Several members of Springfield’s Hindu community, from adults to school children, flocked to the Oct. 26 Springfield City Commission meeting at City Hall. Some wore T-shirts representing their community with the term “namaste” — meaning greetings to you — while others dressed in traditional clothing to receive a city proclamation recognizing Hindu Heritage Month.
Hindu is the third largest religion globally with an estimated 1 billion followers worldwide and 4 million in the U.S. Hindu Heritage Month is being recognized for the first time in the country in 2021 and will be marked each successive October.
Some Ohio cities are following suit and recognizing it at a local level, with Springfield adding to list.
The Springfield proclamation reads “…the Hindu community in Springfield has been a very vibrant, giving, and a positive contributor to the City of Springfield and its residents.”
It also urges Springfield citizens to honor the culture, history, traditions, achievements and contributions of their Hindu American co-workers, neighbors and friends.
Springfield Mayor and Commission President Warren Copeland presented the proclamation to the Hindu citizens, and it was accepted by the youth attendees. There are 40-50 Hindu families locally and about 1,000 in Dayton.
While proud of the recognition, the Hindu attendees said their nature is to be quiet but display the good conduct and morality that is a hallmark of the faith and glad it acknowledges to others they are here.
“We believe in universality and don’t try to convert anybody,” said Dr. Ravi Khanna, one of the leaders of Springfield’s Hindu community and a resident of 45 years. “Hindu culture is positive
and the goal in life is to recognize the good within you.”
Although the nearest Hindu temple is in Dayton, Springfield Hindu members support many community events including Culturefest and the Global Education Speaker Series, and they’ve sponsored their own events, including yoga sessions and Diwali, the Hindus’ biggest annual celebration, also known as the festival of lights.
Hindus will celebrate Diwali in November. The public Diwali celebration has been canceled the last couple of years due to the pandemic, but Khanna hopes it will be celebrated again in the future as well as other events.
“We are always inclusive in what we do and hope for wellness for all,” he said.