Indian-American philanthropist donates USD 1 million to Hindu American Foundation

PTI, May 9, 2024, 9:47 AM IST

Indian-American philanthropist Ramesh Bhutada has donated USD 1 million to the Hindu American Foundation (HAF) for Hindu causes in the US.

Houston-based businessman Bhutada during a recent gala of Hindu American Foundation committed USD 1 million over the next four years to HAF.

In March 2023, he donated USD 1 million to the Florida-based Hindu University of America, the only institution in the US whose mission is to provide education based on Hindu philosophy.

Participants of the HAF Gala in Houston also raised another USD 450,000.

Addressing the gathering, tech entrepreneur from Silicon Valley Sundar Iyer shared his frightening experience of allegations of caste-based discrimination.

Iyer said that while California took it to the extreme of putting a target on the backs of the Indian and Hindu communities with the proposed SB403 bill that Governor Gavin Newsom vetoed, the fallacious idea that the Hindu community could be engaging in widespread caste-based discrimination and violence could easily seep into corporate HR departments and local city ordinances via targeted pressure by anti-Hindu caste activists.

HAF executive director Suhag Shukla and Iyer underlined the need for the community to stay vigilant against such scenarios, a media release said.