Kutumba · Journal of Spiritual Care

Graduation Souvenir

CHT Cohort 3 Graduation
Volume 2021 | 2021
Class of 2021

Counselor of Hindu Tradition | CHT

The CHT Class of 2021 will be remembered for a sustained effort to complete the course in the midst of COVID-19. A significant milestone for 2021 is the HCI-GTU pathway to Hindu Chaplaincy, for which HCI has a very strong pipeline of candidates. This cohort of 22 graduates joins a growing global network of Hindu counselors.

The CHT Class of 2021 will be remembered for a sustained effort to complete the course in the midst of COVID-19. Another significant milestone is the HCI-GTU pathway to Hindu Chaplaincy.

Kailash Joshi — HCI President
Graduation Addresses & Karma Yoga Honorees
GA

Distinguished Speakers

Shri David Frawley — Distinguished Vedic Scholar
Shri Ro Khanna — US Congressman
Karma Yoga Honorees 2021

Recognizing Exemplary Selfless Service

Prof Rita D Sherma, PhD — Graduate Theological Union, for pioneering Hindu academic studies

Reverend Seifu Anil Singh-Molares — Spiritual Directors International, for promoting global spiritual care
From Resident Faculty Members

Dreams Take Doing

The CHT Class of 2021 will be remembered for a sustained effort to complete the course in the midst of COVID-19. Another significant milestone for 2021 is the HCI-GTU pathway to Hindu Chaplaincy for which we have a very strong pipeline of candidates. We wholeheartedly welcome the new CHT's to the HCI Sangha on the exciting journey of life-long community service.

Congratulations 2021 batch of CHT. You committed yourselves to a high cause of learning to serve and put in consistent effort amidst the chaotic happenings of the past year.

Punit Mahendru — Counseling, Psychology
Counselor of Hindu Tradition
72-Credit Course

A Culture of Selfless Service | Karma Yoga + Om Dollars

Counselors of Hindu Tradition (CHT) is a 9-month global online graduate certificate course designed to prepare working and retired professionals to provide high-quality service in their communities. CHT draws upon relevant teachings, wisdom, and traditions of the Bhagavad Gita embodying Vedanta, the spiritual philosophy of India. The curriculum includes group assignments, role play, individual research, and fieldwork.

Starting 2021, qualified CHTs are eligible for the Hindu chaplaincy pathway, in participation with the prestigious Graduate Theological Union's Interreligious Chaplaincy Program (ICP). Om$ 1.5 Million in recognized volunteer contributions since inception.

Hindu Community Institute
Faculty Associates 2020–2021

Karma Yoga in Selfless Learn & Serve

Anil Diddi (SGS Lead) • Savita Garg • Manju Gupta • Ashis Khan • Anoop Kumar • Shobha Krishna • Usha Narasimhan • Pt Neil Persad • Minakshi Rai • Sabita Rajsekhar • Raju Rayasam • Neelam Sethi • Saurabh Srivastava • Ganapathy Swami (Registrar)
Faculty and Leadership

Partners in Selfless Service

Resident Faculty: Mukund Acharya PhD, Kailash Joshi PhD, Mangala Kumar, Punit Mahendru PhD, Gaurav Rastogi • Distinguished Lectures: Subhash Kak PhD, Chinmay Pandya PhD, Yogacharya Uma O'Brien, Rita Sherma PhD, Sw. Svatmavidyananda PhD, Amrutur Srinivasan PhD • Interfaith Speakers: Kamal Abu-Shamsieh PhD, Peter Ilgenfritz, Jessi Kaur, Hugh Seid-Valencia, Farid Senzai DPhil, Lauren Van Ham • 24,500 Volunteer Hours since inception

HCI prepares you to enrich lives, with satisfaction that money cannot buy. Starting 2021, qualified CHTs are eligible for the Hindu chaplaincy pathway with GTU's Interreligious Chaplaincy Program.

Hindu Community Institute — Let Us Put Hindu Tradition to Work
Meet the 2021 Graduates
Padmaja Choday
CHT 2021

Padmaja Choday

Senior IT Manager for LA County's Department of Social Services and certified yoga instructor of 15 years.

Naresh Gautam
CHT 2021

Naresh Gautam

Engineer and business administrator specializing in cloud computing and data analytics. Passionate about discovering scientific spirituality and community service.

Praveena Kala
CHT 2021

Praveena Kala

Former bank executive and current investment strategy advisor. Maintains physical and mental health through yoga and meditation, extending this practice to chaplaincy.

Anitha Katragadda
CHT 2021

Anitha Katragadda

Healthcare professional in Southern California for 26 years. A people person active in both religious and community service, working with children and the elderly.

Nandkishor Khidkikar
CHT 2021

Nandkishor Khidkikar

Instrumentation Engineer and Manager with 47 years across refineries and chemical plants in India, Kuwait, Canada, and USA. Completed Hindu chaplaincy training upon retirement.

Suchitra Krishna
CHT 2021

Suchitra Krishna

Inspired to pursue Hindu chaplaincy after attending an HCI event. Brings enthusiasm for community connection and authentic spiritual engagement.

Anupma Mangla
CHT 2021

Anupma Mangla

Software Engineer in San Jose, CA. A yoga enthusiast and trained instructor from Yoga Bharati who volunteers with SJPL and teaches yoga in the San Jose community.

Kollengode Narayanan
CHT 2021

Kollengode Narayanan

Engineer by training with graduate education from UC Berkeley. Worked in diverse technology domains.

Uthra Natarajan
CHT 2021

Uthra Natarajan

Yoga teacher for five years, currently at San Ramon Valley Unified School District. Teaches all ages and supports cancer patients and survivors through practice.

Akila Padmanabhan
CHT 2021

Akila Padmanabhan

Professional yoga teacher from Yoga Bharati. Interested in understanding Puranas, rich Hindu culture, and incorporating them into everyday spiritual care.

Binay Pande
CHT 2021

Binay Pande

Community leader.

Pooja Parkash
CHT 2021

Pooja Parkash

Studied Computer Science and Engineering at PEC, Chandigarh.

Dr. Sanjay Patwardhan
CHT 2021

Dr. Sanjay Patwardhan

Physician working in the Greater Cleveland area.

Kavita Paudwal
CHT 2021

Kavita Paudwal

Indian singer specializing in devotional music.

Sandhya Prathap
CHT 2021

Sandhya Prathap

Artist based in Atlanta, with a passion for painting.

Rukmini Raghunathan
CHT 2021

Rukmini Raghunathan

Strives to learn broadly and help as many people as possible.

Priya Soma
CHT 2021

Priya Soma

Enjoys nature, cooking, and spiritual practice.

Neeti Soota
CHT 2021

Neeti Soota

Engineer in high tech who now serves as HSCI's Associate Dean. One of the first Hindu graduates of GTU's chaplaincy program, pioneering the credential pathway.

Manu Swamy
CHT 2021

Manu Swamy

Yogini passionate about yoga and holistic living. Studied various schools of yoga and became certified through VyasaLA, integrating practice with chaplaincy.

Aparna Uppala
CHT 2021

Aparna Uppala

Community volunteer.

Lalitha Vishwanath
CHT 2021

Lalitha Vishwanath

Holds an MA in Literature from the University of Bengaluru. Based in San Dimas, Southern California.

Editorial Board

Hindu Spiritual Care Institute

journal@hinduci.com

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