Hindu Students Council to organize “Global Dharma Conference”

New Jersey: Around three thousand people from twenty countries including many renowned leaders, speakers, religious monks, and artists are expected to attend a 3-day Global Dharma Conference (GDC) from 11-13 September, 2015, to explore the relevance of Dharma for the Self and for the society.

In a press release by HSC, Nikunj Trivedi, Chairman of the Board of Trustees said, "the Conference aims to explore and understand the multifaceted applications of Dharma for the Self as well as for the society and the world, whether through Yoga or the invaluable teachings of Vedas and Vedanta." The release further states that the Conference will "focus on the universality of Dharma and its relevance to modern life, going beyond just religion."

Previously, GDC was successfully conducted in 2003 in which around 2000 people from 20 countries and 70 universities had participated including over 60 renowned scientists, literary and religious figures, and dignitaries from various backgrounds like science, economics, environment etc.

The event had seen participation from Former President of India Late Dr. Abdul Kalam, Jagadguru Shankaracharya of Kanchi, Swami Dayananda Saraswati, and Deepak Chopra among others.

The list of speakers for 2015 event includes Sri Sri Ravi Shankar of Art of Living, Swami Dayananda Saraswati of Arsha Vidya Gurukulam, Indian-American writer Rajiv Malhotra, Dr. H.R. Nagendra- chairman of Task Force of AYUSH (Government of India), Dr. David Frawley- a well-known teacher of Hinduism and many others.

The events of 12 September are scheduled to begin with a Yoga and Pranayama workshop. The day's sessions include a live video conference with Sri Sri Ravi Shankar and a panel discussion on "Reconnecting Yoga to its Roots" with H R Nagendra and others. Various other sessions on topic of Dharma are scheduled for the whole day. The day is planned to end with a dramatic Balinese dance performance on the theme "The Victory of Dharma: Rama Defeats Ravana", a Kathak dance performance and a classical music performance.

The final day of the conference will include a video message from Swami Dayananda Saraswati, panel discussions on topics like "Youth Perspectives on the Relevance of Dharma", "Unity of Dharma – Hindu, Buddhist, Jain, and Sikh Traditions," and "Hindu Dharma: Global Influences and Practices".

The GDC will be held at New Jersey Convention and Exposition Center at Edison, New Jersey. The HSC is also organizing a fundraiser banquet at Royal Albert's Palace, 1050 King Georges Post Road, Fords, NJ 08863.