The Hindu Students Organization (HSO) at the University of Connecticut is leading the effort to have a separate Hindu prayer area in the Storrs campus, a process that has taken years to materialize.
“Ever since HSO began, a long-term vision has been to give Hindu students a prayer space,” HSO co-president Sreeja Terala said. “As the number of Hindu students increased, it became indeed something we started to push for, particularly since other religions have several spaces available in the campus where students can practice in a safe and accepting environment.”
Currently, UConn has multi-faith prayer rooms in places like McMahon Hall and Homer Babbidge Library. HSO, however, hopes to create a room particularly dedicated to Hindu practices and hopes to construct a campus mandir (temple) in the long run.
“We have on-campus churches, but Hindu students do not have that same permanent presence,” Terala explained. “It will not happen overnight, but we’re determined to make progress.”
Terala said the work of HSO this year has been experiencing good momentum due to its collaboration with the Undergraduate Student Government. USG President Andy Zhang and Vice President Haritha Subramanian have come out in support of the project, as well asSenator Tanya Sinha, who is also a member of the Indian Student Association. Other student organizations like Hindu Yuva, the Indian Student Association and cultural dance groups like ThundeRaas, Surya, Bhangra and Sanskriti have also supported the cause.
In the attempt to develop the support, the HSO and ISA distributed an interest form during their last mixer and distributed mango lassi refreshments to students. The form was not only responded to by Hindu students, but non-Hindu students also responded in support of it.
“The response has been spectacular,” Terala said. “The students of different faith and origin are on our side, which proves how well our community is built, and how significant the factor of inclusivity is.”
Terala also spoke about the financial challenge of the project.
“Funding is one of the most important issues of making the prayer room work,” she said, “Past endeavors to purchase such a space have been unsuccessful due to lack of finances.”
HSO is presently joining forces with USG, local temples, alumni and community organizations across Connecticut in an effort to find enduring support.
“It is not only about getting the space, but it is about keeping it over time. It is a lifetime project and not a one-time event,” Terala said.
She added that the vision of the organization is also that the prayer room should be an inviting place that students can visit anytime, and especially during stressful times, exams, or personal occasions. The survey data gathered showed that more than 80% of the surveyed students were ready to volunteer to assist in the process of maintaining the space, which also demonstrates a high level of student engagement in the program.
For Terala, who grew up in Hyderabad, India, before moving to the United States, the initiative has a personal connection.
“I was fortunate to find HSO as a family away from home,” she said. “The construction of this prayer space is a matter of making a lasting impression at UConn — a place where Hindu students can exercise their faith, identify with their heritage and have a home.”
HSO is already working with the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, headed by Director Angela M. Eikenberry, and student leaders to get the project going. Although there has been no set deadline, the organizers are hopeful.
“It has been raised over the years but this time we are learning from the past and coming together as a community,” Terala said. “The support we’ve received gives us hope that we will make it happen.”