Hindu Society: Religious & Interfaith Officer

Hi, I am Amishi and I would love to be your Religious and Interfaith Officer this upcoming year! As a Hindu raised in the UK, I have enjoyed learning about the Hindu Dharma through speaking to family in India, going to the mandir, and being a member of the UK’s largest Hindu organisation (HSS UK). Part of my role at HSS is organising charity events and talks/debates on the history, uniqueness and diversity of Hindu Dharma. Together, these experiences have allowed me to explore elements of our religion which are enriching and exciting. As your Religious and Interfaith Officer, I aim to bring similar intriguing experiences to our Hindu Society.

Attending the Garba and the Diwali events this past year has shown me how enthusiastic our UCL Hindu community is, which I hope to build on and widen through collaboration with other Hindu Societies in London. Further, my time as Co-President of the Current Affairs Society at Sixth Form has equipped me with the appropriate skills for this role such as being organised, thorough and approachable. Together, I ensure to coordinate events that run smoothly and regularly.

I also wish to take on board what our society members want to see and deliver events to those interests. Expect interactive talks, engaging discussions, aartis and much more - let's have fun learning and appreciating the values and beliefs we share!

Hinduism consists of multiple schools of thought which create a lot of discussion as to how Hinduism should be interpreted. The society is the ideal place for such discussion to take place; where all students can not only better understand how they celebrate the religion but also build intellectual relationships.I am also a part of societies of other dharmic religions or philosophies such as Jain society and Krishna consciousness society. This has helped me strengthen my overall understanding of dharmic inter-related faiths. After attending the Gita Circles organised by Hindusoc and kcsoc, the importance of having such philosophical and insightful seems clear.  Hindu society should be the centre of such religious activities which aim to bring the community closer to celebrate all aspects of our religion.

Having some of my childhood in India, I have seen many festivals and celebrations firsthand which is what initially developed my admiration for Hinduism. Festivals such as Holi, Navratri, Diwali and Sankrant/Lohri/Pongal should be celebrated on a grand scale in my opinion. I hope to arrange such celebrations with the rest of the committee. I am studying Management Science which gives me a better skillset than needed to do so.

I hope to arrange such celebrations with the rest of the committee. I have attended events such as the Kashmiri Hindu talk which I think was quintessential as to the type of events I hope should be arranged in the future to bring the community closer. 

This year, I’ve played a key role in organising large flagship events such as “The Monk Who Studied At UCL”, as well as creating a loving environment that allowed sustainable weekly events like “Gita Circles” as a collaboration with Hindu Soc. These events let me serve a vibrant community where UCL students can find deeper meaning and connection with each other, and with our culture. With the opportunity of being Religious and Interfaith Officer, I hope to make Hinduism more accessible to students in UCL and lead events which facilitate greater coherence between the different dharmic societies. One of my main goals will be to provide seva opportunities: both locally with nearby Hindu organizations and to raise awareness for the greater issues facing Hindus around the world. It is really important to me that our Hindu Society keeps a strong hold onto our samksaras by maintaining a community that values personal relationships and individual growth through the expression of our own unique faiths. I plan to introduce more social events (quizzes, bhajan nights, temple trips) and more intellectually stimulating events where external speakers come to highlight how to embrace our heritage.