ORLANDO, FLORIDA, February 19, 2002: The developers of Orlando’s Hindu University of America are certain of one thing: the unique institution they are planning already has plenty of good karma. “When you are doing God’s work, He makes things happen,” says Hindu University chairman, Braham Aggarwal, 66. In Hinduism, the faith of nearly a billion people, the concept of karma dictates a world in cosmic and individual balance. Soon after the university acquired a ten-acre site on Econlockhatchee Trail for the school, officials received an unsolicited gift from an absentee neighbor who donated an adjoining 2.5-acre parcel of land. The school’s present core curriculum includes principles of Hinduism, practice of Hinduism and basic Sanskrit. Ultimately, the curriculum will be a mixture of academic and nonacademic disciplines, from the study of the sacred Vedas, to yoga, meditation and astrology. Aggarwal believes the need for such an institution is critical, especially for a faith that does not proselytize. “Hinduism is the least understood philosophy in this country,” he says.
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