About the Hindu Students Council at UofM
Hindu Students Council, an independent, non-affiliated organization at the University of Michigan, is a religious and cultural student group dedicated to creating an atmosphere conducive to worship, education, and service, as relating to the Hindu faith.
HSC-UM believes in the principles of tolerance and respect that are so essential to and characteristic of the Hindu faith. Furthermore, we recognize that formal definitions of Hinduism are various and vague. Hence, we adhere to a simple definition of Hinduism, namely, that Hinduism encompasses the various cultural, religious, spiritual and ethical beliefs associated with, indigenous to, or inspired by the Indian subcontinent.
At present, our activities include a Sunday prayer session (Darshan) consisting of bhajans and devotional songs, philosophical/scriptural discussion, and, occasionally small pujas. We also engage in weekly discussions and community service/fundraising events. Lastly, we organize talks on Hinduism by various speakers, traditional Indian dance nights (Garba/Bhangra), and celebrations for Diwali, Holi, Shivaratri, and other important Hindu festivals.
All students and community members are always welcome at all of our events!
No membership is required.
The Core
Chandramouli Nagarajan - President
Junior in Mechanical Engineering
Chandra is an international student from Ghana and has been involved with HSC since his first year at U of M. He is really passionate about educating others about the Hindu religion and culture. Chandra is on Residence Staff at one of the residence halls on campus and spends a lot of his time in his hall trying to build an inclusive community. He is a big cricket and soccer fan and has a new found interest in racquetball.
Tulsi Patel - Vice President
Senior in Cell and Molecular Biology
Bio to come soon!
Rujul Parikh - Treasurer
Junior in Neuroscience and Mathematics
Rujul is a pre-medical student from Canton, MI. He was born and raised in India, and so he is in touch with his native roots. He is not only passionate about Indian culture, but also about promoting diversity in the community. In addition to HSC, Rujul is involved in several activities, including doing research at the Akaaboune Lab, volunteering at the Motts Children’s Hospital, and tutoring his peers. In his free time, he enjoys playing Tabla and participating in cultural dances.
Kanika Kochhar - Secretary
Senior in Brain, Cognition and Neuroscience
Kanika is from Northville, Michigan and has been involved with HSC since her freshman year at Michigan. She is a Pre-Med student studying BCN. Kanika is also an avid dancer, and is on a dance team on campus.
Pooja Sivakumar - Secretary
Freshman in Cell and Molecular Biology
Pooja is from Glenview, Illinois and joined HSC as a freshman this year. She likes keeping in touch with her religion and culture and loves helping others understand them better. She is a pre-med student hoping to pursue biomedical research in the future. She works as a lab assistant at the Pletcher Lab and is also an active member of Michigan Ultras, the Michigan Soccer fan club. Her favorite cheer is “When the Blues”.
Smita Garg - Public Relations Officer
Freshman in Business/Economics
Smita is from New Jersey and has been a part of HSC since the beginning of the year. She has been deeply involved with Indian culture and religion since her childhood, and hopes to continue to spread awareness of her values and beliefs to the community at large. Smita is heavily active in the community as an RHA representative for her multicultural council, competes in business competitions through DECA, and performs in cultural dance functions.
Vilas Vasudevan - Public Relations Officer
Junior in Economics
Vilas is from Long Island, NY, and has been involved with HSC since the beginning of this year. Outside of HSC, he enjoys classical music and has been playing the viola for over ten years now. He is also an avid chess player and loves to play tennis with friends and family.
Jaimini Patel - Darshan Coordinator
First Year Student in Pharmacy
Bio to come soon!
Purabi Devi - Interfaith and Community Building Officer
Freshman (Undecided)
Purabi is from Hamtramck, MI and has been involved with HSC since the beginning of this year. Whenever she has time, she likes to read a good book, watch a good movie, or watch a good Hindi drama. She also does not know what she wants to go into and is trying really hard to figure that out.
Gautham Senthilkumar - Interfaith and Community Building Officer
Senior in History/International Studies
Gautham is from near Toledo, OH and has been involved with HSC for four years. He is very interested in studying history and culture, particularly Hindu and Indian history and culture. He eventually hopes to work in a field relating to his interests in India. In his spare time, he enjoys reading, bird-watching, and listening to classical music.
Want to be a part of the Hindu Students Council?
If you are interested in being part of the Core Committee of the Hindu Students Council at UofM, please contact us at hsc.core (at) umich (dot) edu.