JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA, May 8, 2002: Deshanya Thambi has founded the first Hindu Student Society at Rand Afrikaans University, dispelling the perception that you need to be a white Afrikaner to feel at home on campus. The 22-year-old BCom student says Hindus have always wanted a society of their own, but complacently accepted that they were not legitimate enough to be recognized. “But there is such a need for such an organization,” says Thambi. “It is not, as most people believe, restricted to Indian students or Hindus. Anyone can join. Our aims are to interact with other student communities and to keep students informed. As Hindus, it is important for us to maintain our identity and, in doing that, we also want to create a consciousness of striving towards solidarity, peace and tolerance. If we cannot live harmoniously with each other when we are essentially of the same religion, then we will not be able to live harmoniously with the rest of South Africans.”
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