World Hindu Council of America (VHPA)

REFLECTIONS@50: Walking in Dharma
Virtual Conference

Dr. Jai G. Bansal
Distinguished Fellow – Argonne National Lab (ret.)
Convener’s corner…
Reflections@50 is a unique conference with one simple goal: To reflect on how the Hindu socio-cultural-spiritual movement has flourished in Americas over the past half-century, and to explore its course for the next half-century. We not only wish to pay tribute to the pioneers who tenaciously and steadfastly nurtured its growth, we also wish to give voice to the next generation so they can articulate their vision for the future as they take up the torch of this movement so lovingly nurtured by the pioneering generation.
To that end, we are pleased to bring together an array of eminent speakers and panelists who, over the course of conference, will share their thoughts on a variety of subjects of importance to all Hindu Americans, such as, the important role Hindu women play in preserving our valuable traditions, the many contributions of our pioneering generation, the perspectives of our youth on issues relevant to their generation, effective advocacy to ensure the voice of the Hindu community continues to be heard in the public square, the evolving role of our dharmic institutions as the future unfolds, the role of selfless service in expanding our influence in the American society, and so on.
Our speakers and panelists come from many different areas of expertise, and with an amazing list of accomplishments as scientists, technologists, business leaders, medical professionals, spiritual leaders, thought leaders, policy makers and so on. We are truly honored to have them with us on one platform.
I invite you to peruse the list of our guest speakers/panelists and check out their diverse backgrounds and the summaries of what they will be discussing. I am confident that you will come away just as excited about this unique event as I am.
Stay healthy and safe. See you at the conference!
Inaugural Session
Keynote Address:
President & CEO – 3D System, Former Exec VP – HP Imaging and Printing Group
- Opening Ceremony Convener's Welcome
Dr. Jai G. Bansal – Distinguished Fellow, Argonne National Lab (ret.)
- Opening Remarks
Dr. Abhaya Asthana – President, World Hindu Council of America (VHPA)
- Keynote Address
Vyomesh Joshi – President & CEO, 3D Systems

Vyomesh Josh
September 19, 2020 (Saturday): 10:30 - 11:30 AM (Eastern)
Panel 1: Hindu Women's Network (HWN)
"The Hindu Woman as Sustainer of our Timeless Tradition"

Ami Patel
Management Professional, Co-Chair - Hindu Mandir Exec. Council

Maha Pula
Vice President and Senior Sales Leader

Sadhna Gupta
Associate - McKinsey & Co Management Consultants

Renu Sophat Malhotra
Entrepreneur and President - Seed the Word Foundation

Dr. Seshu Sarma
Associate Professor - Howard College of Medicine, Washington DC
September 19, 2020 (Saturday): 11:30 AM - 12:30 PM (Eastern)
Panel 2: Advocacy
"The Power of Dharma in Action"

Moderator: Rakhi
Israni President - Excel Test Prep

Samir Kalra
Managing Director - Hindu American Foundation

Brahmachari V. Sharan
Director - Dharmic Life & Hindu Spiritual Advisor, Georgetown Univ

Aparna Rayasam
VP of Engineering (Cloud Security) at Akamai

Shambhav Sharma
Creator and host of The Sham Sharma Show
September 19, 2020 (Saturday): 11:30 AM - 12:30 PM (Eastern)
Panel 2: Advocacy
"The Power of Dharma in Action"

Moderator: TBD

TBD

TBD

TBD
September 19, 2020 (Saturday): 2:30 PM - 3:30 PM (Eastern)
Panel 4: Seva(Service)
"Evolving Nature of Seva in North America"

Moderator: Mani Keeran
Founder and President of SCIFAR a FinTech Startup

Hardik Bhatt
Head - Digital Government and Transportation Bussiness at Amazon

Renu Gupta
VP of Support-A-Child Project of VHPA, Entrepreneur and Writer

Dr. Sree Sreenath
President - Vivekananda Yoga University, Los Angeles, CA

Suresh Iyer
President - Infospectrum, President - Ekal Foundation USA
September 19, 2020 (Saturday): 3:30 PM - 3:50 PM (Eastern)
Day 1 Closing Keynote Address
Vandana Tilak
CEO & Director - Akshaya Patra USA, Founder - Almex USA
Convener’s corTitle: Seva - The First and Last Frontierner…
September 20, 2020 (Sunday): 10:10 AM - 10:30 AM (Eastern)
Day 2 Opening Keynote Address
10:00 AM – 10:10 AMÂ Â
 Introductory Remarks
10:10 AM – 10:30 AMÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
 Dr. Raj Vedam – Keynote Address
Title: Reclaiming the Narrative on Hindu Identity
Scholar – Indian History, Co-Founder of think-tank on Indian History Awareness and Research (Houston, Tx), Director, Arsha Vidya Satsanga
Dr. Raj Vedam
September 20, 2020 (Sunday): 10:30 AM - 11:30 AM (Eastern)
Panel 5: Mini-Threads Panel presents Lighting Talks on
"Influence of Hindu Heritage on Life Choices and Decisions"

Moderator: Priya Samant
Social Impact Advisor

Dev Tandon
Founder - OBO Movement

Rami Desai
Author, Columnist

Niraj Antani
State Representative - Ohio 42nd District

Anuraag Saxena
Founder, Board Member, & Public Policy Columnist

Ananya Pati
Youth Advocate against Substance Abuse

Sunanda Sahay
Painter Artist - Mithila/Madhubani Style

Pratap Anand jha
Director - National Mission for Manuscripts (Govt of India)

Pavan Vangipuram
Communications Coordinator - Great Lakes Coalition
September 20, 2020 (Sunday): 11:30 AM - 12:30 PM (Eastern)
Panel 6: HAVAN (Hindu American Vanaprasthis Network)
"The Legacy of the Hindus in North America"

Moderator: Dr. Yash Lakra
Former President - VHPA and Ekal

Prof. Prasad Jayanti
James Frank Family Professor of Comp Sc at Dartmouth University

Thara Narasimhan
President - Hindus of Greater Houston

Dr. Revati Teeparti
Physician - Internal Medicine

Dhiru Shah
Businessman, Alumni of London School of Economics, UK & Harvard Business School, Boston
September 20, 2020 (Sunday): 12:30 PM - 1:30 PM (Eastern)
Lunch Break
September 20, 2020 (Sunday): 1:30 PM - 2:30 PM (Eastern)
Panel 7: Hindu Youth
"Hindu Youth - Being the Change today for Better Tomorrow"

Moderator: Prasiddha Sudhakar
President - Hindu Student Council at Rutgers University

Arnav Kejriwal
National President - Hindu Student Council

Arushi Ramaka
President - Hindu Student Council at Montgomery High School, NJ

Denish Patel
Hindu Student Council, Former VP of Hindu YUVA at Ohio State Univ

Amruta Houde
National President - Hindu YUVA
September 20, 2020 (Sunday): 2:30 PM - 3:30 PM (Eastern)
Panel 8: Dharmic Institutions
"The Role of Dharmic Houses of Worship - Challenges and Opportunities"

Moderator: Sant Gupta
Business Development Executive

Dr. Vijender Agarwal
Trustee - Hindu Society of Minnesota

Vishal Agarwal
Advisory Board - Hindu American Foundation

Bhakti Modi
School Administrator at Hindu Temple of Minnesota

Srilekha Palle
Healthcare Executive

Padma Kuppa
State Representative - Michigan 41st District

Fred Stella
Theater and voiceover artist
September 20, 2020 (Sunday): 3:30 PM - 3:50 PM (Eastern)
Closing Keynote Address
Benny Tillman (Balabhadra Bhattacarya Dasa)
President - Vedic Friends Association(VFA)
Title: Expanding the Positive Impact of Hindu/Vedic Practices in Modern Society