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This organization gives NC's Hindu population a place to share community, culture

Indian Americans make up the largest Asian American ethnic group in our state. From India to the Triangle, the culture and traditions of the Hindu faith have found a home Morrisville.

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By
Renee Chou
, WRAL reporter/anchor
MORRISVILLE, N.C. — Indian Americans make up the largest Asian American ethnic group in North Carolina. From India to the Triangle, the culture and traditions of the Hindu faith have found a home Morrisville.

96-year-old Gangahar Sharma and his wife 90-year-old Saroj Sharma first established the Hindu Society of North Carolina in Morrisville in 1976.

It’s membership is at 3,000 people and it’s open to all, says Saroj Sharma, "And we want to grow and we want to work with everybody. It’s not only Hindu. In this place, everybody is welcome, because God is one."

Manoj Pandya, the president of the Hindu Society of North Carolina, came to the U.S. for an IT job in 1998. He left San Francisco and Silicon Valley for the Triangle.

Pandya keeps track of all the ways the center serves Indian Americans.

"Religion is first, spirituality, food, music, education," he said. "At the heart of it is faith and service to the larger community."

The organization hosts vaccine clinics and health clinics, blood drives and food drives, serving 100,000 meals since the pandemic. Hot vegetarian meals are delivered to local homeless shelters, churches and schools.

Duke sophomore Gargi Mahadeshwar often helps her dad who first organized the food drive. She grew up in the HSNC community.

"Where my elementary school was primarily Caucasian, it was really nice to have a separate community where I could learn more about my culture and feel more connected to how my parents grew up," she said.

She says she especially loves the music and dance festival events. They attract thousands of participants. It’s a taste of India far from India, where thirty different regional languages are spoken.

"That’s how we are trying to keep the young generation," said Pandya, "with the languages, with the traditions, with the culture here."

They serve all generations and have done so for more than 45 years, connection a community through culture and faith.

The Hindu Society of North Carolina is funded through donations.

It plans to expand its campus over the next few years, with a future yoga center, as well as outdoor and indoor volleyball and basketball courts.

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