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Shri. KALYAN VISWANATHAN

Shri. Kalyan Viswanathan serves as the President of HUA. He holds a Master’s Degree in Computer and Information Science from Ohio State University. He was associated with Pujya Swami Dayananda Saraswati of the Arsha Vidya Gurukulam for 21 years.

President

Shri. Kalyan Viswanathan holds a Master’s Degree in Computer and Information Science from Ohio State University and a Bachelor’s Degree in Electrical and Electronics Engineering from Birla Institute of Technology and Science. He has engaged with the texts and traditions of Hinduism from an Advaita Vedānta perspective through a 21-year association with Pujya Swami Dayananda Saraswati, the Founder of the Arsha Vidya Gurukulam group of institutions and the first Convener of the Hindu Dharma Acharya Sabha.

Shri. Viswanathan served as the President of the Dharma Civilization Foundation (established in 2012) from 2018 to 2021. He is also the Founder and President of the Sanatana Dharma Foundation, based in Dallas, Texas (established in 2007). He has a profound interest in promoting the academic study of Hindu Dharma and played a crucial role in establishing the Center for Dharma Studies at the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, California.

In his earlier career, he served as a global practice director for an internationally renowned software consultancy services firm. Currently, he is a member of the Board of Hindu University of America and is serving as its President. Additionally, he teaches in the Community Education Division.

Courses Taught By Shri. KALYAN VISWANATHAN

Explore our comprehensive curriculum designed to deepen your understanding of ancient texts, languages, and philosophies.

Orientation to Hindu Studies

HSF5000 - (CPHS Required Course) This Course is an important point of entry into the entire curriculum offered by Hindu University of America and a prerequisite for all Graduate level programs. The word ‘Orientation’ in this course title carries two meanings. The first and obvious meaning is that the course will provide an overview of the unique programs, areas of study and courses offered by Hindu University of America. It will ‘orient’ the student towards the university and provide a map of a possible educational journey. The second and not-so-obvious meaning of the word is the idea, that one can approach Hindu Studies from many different angles and vantage points. In the course we will look at these different ‘perspectives’ on Hindu Studies and inquire into the question ‘What does Hindu Studies mean today?’. What is the unique ‘orientation’ that makes Hindu studies at HUA so distinct, profound, and transformative? How does Hindu studies look when viewed from an outsider’s vantage point, especially through the enlightenment era paradigm? And how does it look when viewed from an insider’s paradigm, i.e., a worldview that is authentic to Sanatana Dharma?

Distinguishing Varna and Jati from Caste

HSF4000 - The Caste System invites both persistent international discourse as well as relentless intervention. This discourse misinforms, embarrasses, and shames the Hindu community worldwide, in as much as it energizes and activates the social justice warriors and reformers of the day. This course, Distinguishing Varna and Jati from Caste, is designed to provide some light, where heat is more prominently present. It provides a searching examination of how the Caste System as it has come to be known today was constructed and established as an essential aspect of Hinduism. This course is designed to assess, challenge, clarify, demystify, and transform.

Introduction to Hinduism

HSF1000 – This course brings to life the central ideas and concepts that constitute the building blocks of Sanatana Dharma i.e., Hinduism, through a careful development of a basic Sanskrit vocabulary. Where appropriate it also compares and contrasts Hindu ideas with some of the axiomatic ideas from other world religions and ideologies. It builds up these ideas using a tapestry of Sanskrit words and phrases that taken together provide an access for appreciating the depth of Hindu thought, enabling the student to embrace these concepts as living guidance in our contemporary world.

Discover the contemporary Relevance of Hindu Dharma

HSF1007 – This course, targets an age group of 18-35 and will explore the question – Is Hindu Dharma relevant in the contemporary world? If so, in what way? Or, has it been superseded once and for all by western modernity, science, and technology? Set in a conversational format, with lively Questions and Answers and Group discussion, the course enables students to explore and discover for themselves, the timeless relevance of Vedic Hindu thought in a modern context.

The course is especially relevant for those who wish not only to explore and embrace Hindu Dharma for themselves, i.e., their own lives, but also represent and communicate the essence and value of Vedic teachings in an environment suffused with western ideas.

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