Heads of State, Spiritual Leaders And CEOs to Attend World Hindu Congress 2018

Washington: Heads of several countries with sizeable Hindu populations like India and Mauritius, chief ministers of some of India’s BJP-ruled states, top corporate heads and religious leaders are scheduled to attend the second World Hindu Congress (WHC) in Chicago in September, organisers of the mega event announced today. The announcement also confirmed the participation of more than 2,000 Hindu delegates from over 50 countries as well as the confirmation of  the chair. Tulsi Gabbard, the first Hindu lawmaker in the U.S. Congress, is the chairperson of the Chicago event, which is being organised by World Hindu Foundation headed by former IITian Swami Vigyananand.

Upon confirming her acceptance as the chair, Gabbard, 36, had said in 2017, “Hindus from across the world "would be able to come together, share ideas and inspire one another as we seek ways to positively impact the communities around us" and the world. The three-term Democratic Congresswoman from Hawaii, Gabbard is currently the co-chair of the House Congressional caucus. "With all that's happening in the world, the universal message of aloha - love, peace, respect and unity - is so needed. I am looking forward to working with you and seeing you soon," Gabbard said in a video message to the organisers.

Billed as the biggest-ever gathering of the who's who of the Hindu community across the globe, WHC from September 7-9 is being held to commemorate 125 years of Swami Vivekananda's historic Chicago address on September 11, 1893. The event will see representation of some of India’s states by two BJP chief ministers – Yogi Adityanath from Uttar Pradesh and Devendra Fadnavis from Maharashtra, who have confirmed their participation at the event. RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat would also be addressing the mega event in Chicago.

Noted religious leaders like Tibetan spiritual head -- the Dalai Lama, Art of Living founder Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, and Pranav Pandya from Gayatri Parivar are among the religious leaders who will speak at the event.

With India emerging as a global economic power, top corporate leaders from India, the United States and others parts of the world will attend the three-day WHC which include heads of Fortune 500 companies. According to organisers, some Bollywood and Hollywood superstars would also be participating and addressing the mega event.

The purpose of the conference  is to "ignite" global Hindu community for its political and economic empowerment, Vigyananand told a Washington audience today on the occasion of the first anniversary of the Washington DC Chapter of the World Hindu Economic Forum (WHEF). He said the purpose of the WHEF is to make Hindus visible and respectable across the globe. "Hindus should be the dominant force in the world economy," Vigyananand said. "The day Hindus –- who constitute 16 per cent of the world population -- become 16 per cent of the world economy, people would start listening to them (Hindus)." he said.

Noting that some 30 years ago, no one in the world cared about China, Swami Vigyananand said the world is now paying attention to China, because of its economic power, which results in military power and global power. "Our whole purpose is to regain economic strength," he said, as he urged the entrepreneurs present at the gathering to consider entire world as the market.

The inaugural WHC held in New Delhi in November 2014 had seen participation of 1800 delegates from over 50 countries. Its seven parallel conferences showcase how the values, creativity, and entrepreneurial spirit of the global Hindu community find expression in a variety of spheres, including economic, education, media, organisational, and political, as well as the unique leadership and contributions of Hindu women and youth.

Held once every four years, WHC is a global platform for Hindus to connect, share ideas, inspire one another and impact the common good. The theme of WHC 2018 is "Sumantrite Suvikrante" -- think collectively, achieve valiantly.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 30, 2018 05:44 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).