Kutumba · Journal of Spiritual Care

Graduation Souvenir

CHT Cohort 6 and HCP Cohort 2 Graduation

Volume 2024 | 2024

Kutumba Volume 4 • Fall 2024

HSCI Sixth Graduation Gala

August 30, 2024 • Hindu Spiritual Care Institute

The Fall 2024 issue of Kutumba, Journal of Spiritual Care, celebrates the graduation of the 6th cohort of HSCI, bringing the total to 200 Hindu counselors in 6 countries. This issue features the 8 Pioneers of emerging global Hindu chaplaincy, the 37 Hindu Counselors graduating from HSCI 2024 courses, personal journeys and developments at HSCI, and the 40 HSCI leaders and contributors.

It all started about 10 years ago with a constructive dialog among a small Silicon Valley group of Hindus about sustainable ways forward for the Hindu tradition to thrive outside India. We concluded that the introduction of spiritual care and chaplaincy is much needed.

Kailash Joshi, PhD, DSc(Hon) — President, HSCI

From the Editorial Board

Way Forward

Kutumba Editorial Board: Lakshmi Srinivasan MD, Punit Mahendru PhD, Gaurav Rastogi ERYT-500 MBA, Kailash Joshi PhD DSc(Hon)

We are pleased to present to you the Fall 2024 issue of Kutumba, Journal of Spiritual Care. This publication supports the mission of Hindu Spiritual Care Institute (HSCI). We have structured this issue in three sections: the fruits of ten years of community effort to create Hindu chaplaincy; introduction of the Hindu Chaplaincy Resource Centre (HCRC) with six invited papers on spiritual care; and profiles of the HSCI functional leaders.

Namaste from HSCI

President's Message

We Are Well on Our Way!

Kailash Joshi, PhD, DSc(Hon) — President, HSCI

In 2024, we celebrate the graduation of the 6th cohort of HSCI, taking us to 200 Hindu counselors in 6 countries. We also celebrate the recognition of 8 pioneers who have completed the requirements to become Hindu chaplains — the trail blazers in our quest to build a global network of spiritual care providers. The HSCI-GTU cooperation in advancing interreligious chaplaincy; and the launch of the Hindu Chaplaincy Resource Center (HCRC) with Kutumba Journal and Traya, the tele-chaplaincy platform of HSCI. Our aspiration: a global network of 108 Hindu chaplains and 1008 Hindu counselors by 2027.

Inspirational Role Models — Karma Yoga Honorees 2024

Graduation Address

Acharya Arumuganathaswami — Senior member of the Ganapati Kulam, and the Managing Editor of Hinduism Today magazine, Kauai's Hindu Monastery. Guest of Honor.

Karma Yoga Honorees

Mihir Meghani, MD — Physician & Community Leader. Karma Yoga Honoree in recognition of his long-standing support of Hindu values and tradition by way of the founding and growth of the Hindu American Foundation (HAF).

Mukund Acharya, PhD — Community Service & Author. Karma Yoga Honoree in recognition of his pioneering initiatives to care for the elderly & people dealing with serious illness, by helping build Sukham, HSCI and Sandhya's Touch as novel community service organizations.

Message from the Dean

Selfless Service is the Heart of Karma Yoga

Oath of Service

Gaurav Rastogi, BE, MBA, ERYT 500 — Dean, Hindu Spiritual Care Institute

HSCI started in 2018 in a tiny cramped room in Silicon Valley, but with big ambitions to become a prestigious institution for the Hindu diaspora. Our goal is to put the Hindu tradition to work in the service of humanity, and by so doing, transmitting this living tradition to the future generations. Now, as we expand into tele-chaplaincy, we are also redefining how we teach. We will teach our ancient spiritual tradition with a strong "kit of tools," through the use of advanced video technology augmented by AI.

The oath of service every scholar takes at graduation emphasizes how we must bring the richness and sweetness of the Hindu tradition to serve ALL of humanity in a spirit of Karma Yoga, selfless service.

Gaurav Rastogi — Dean, HSCI

Meet the 8 Pioneers

Global Hindu Interreligious Chaplaincy Pathway

Our deepest gratitude to the Graduate Theological Union (GTU) and the Motwani-Jadeja Foundation (MJF) for their support for this pathway.

The 8 Pioneers

Usha Narasimhan (MBA, US) • Neeti Soota (MS CIS, US) • Nisha Singh (PhD Genetics, Australia) • Madhuri Velagala (PhD Diet-Nutrition, Australia) • Varsha Kaushal (PhD Biochemistry, US) • Bindu Gupta (MA Sociology, US) • Jag Gossai (MS, Canada) • Smriti Murali Krishna (PhD Biomedicine, Australia)

HCP 2024 Graduates

Congratulations to the HCP 2024 Graduates

Happy and Proud to be a Part of HSCI

Swathi Anantha (Master's in Public Health) • Rebecca Samyukta Chaney (MA in Education) • Marco Escareal (Physician, Philippines) • Zachary Ginder (Doctorate in Clinical Psychology) • Chakshu Madan (Master's in Business) • Sharad Patel (Semiconductor/Healthcare) • Prashant Rajan (IT Professional, Sydney) • Sudhanshu Shukla (Network & Communications) • Mohan Sinnapillay (MSc International Marketing, Singapore)

We are thrilled to support this pioneering initiative. By integrating Hindu spiritual care into various sectors, we can address critical issues of mental health and well-being in our communities.

Asha Jadeja-Motwani — Donor and Founder, Motwani-Jadeja Foundation

CHT 2024 Graduates

Congratulations to the CHT 2024 Graduates

Happy and Proud to be Part of HSCI

Roshika Akhil
Andy Bissoon
Ashok Chandrasekhar
Rajinder Gandhi
Raj Gohil
Sadhna Hamchander
Shubhada Hegde
Pallavi Joshi
Chandrakala Kanhangad
Sengkuttuvan Kanniyappan
Sarita Kulkarni
Kirenkrishen Maharaj
Haytal Makadia
Bramdeo Mokooniall
Sharita Moodley
Meena Devi Motilal
Smriti Murali Krishna
Punit Pandya
Satya Pappu
Anusha Raghavan
Bageswari Raju
Sheethal Ramsunder
Yashpal Singh Rawat
Leila L Singh
Priya Soobramoney
Rakesh Taneja
Ram Narayan Tewari
Nand Kishore Upadhyay

Hindu Chaplaincy Resource Center (HCRC)

A Global Hub for Spiritual Care Excellence

The HCRC

HCRC is the serving arm of the Hindu Spiritual Care Institute, providing a beacon of support and knowledge for compassionate spiritual guidance across religious boundaries. Functions include: Library and Archive, Kutumba Journal, TrayaCare Platform (tele-chaplaincy), Mentoring & Guidance, and Membership and Access. HCRC Co-Chairs: Sudha Bhat (BTech, MBA, CHT-ICP scholar) and Zachary Ginder (PsyD, MSW, CHT-ICP scholar).

Spiritual Care Where and When Needed

The Innovative HSCI TrayaCare Platform

Kailash Joshi, PhD, DSc(Hon) and Gaurav Rastogi, ERYT-500, MBA

Everyone needs access to Spiritual Care, but current models of in-person engagement mean that these services are limited in time, space, and demographics. HSCI dreams of making spiritual care available worldwide by deploying chaplains and trained service providers. We have developed a technology platform to make spiritual care support available to anyone with a smartphone and an internet connection. We are calling this TrayaCare because the cure for traya-tapa (the threefold affliction) will bring relief to the body, mind, and spirit.

As one of the few full-time Hindu chaplains working in US higher education and the Chair of NAHCA, I have witnessed the tremendous value of our Hindu practices and philosophies towards supporting individual human flourishing. We need more Hindu chaplains.

Asha C Shipman, PhD — Director of Hindu Life, Yale University

Full Journal

Read Kutumba Volume 4 — Fall 2024

This graduation souvenir was published as part of Kutumba Volume 4. Read the full journal with all articles, including feature stories, personal journeys, and the Hindu Kit of Tools.

Editorial Board

Hindu Spiritual Care Institute

journal@hinduci.com

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