Latest Blog Raising Hindu Children in a Polarized America
Annual Giving Campaign - 2025-2026 is under way. Donate today by Clicking Here, and help us reach our goal.
So far $1,248,668 has been raised out of a target of $ 3 Million. Click Here to donate today and help us reach our goal.

Team: Advancement

Smt. Esther Dhanraj

Director of Advancement

esther.dhanraj@hua.edu

Director of Advancement

Smt. Esther Dhanraj serves as the Director of Advancement at the Hindu University of America (HUA) bringing a unique blend of academic insight, persuasive communication, and community engagement to advance HUA’s mission and visibility.

Esther holds a Master’s degree in English Literature from Osmania University, India, and a research-focused Master’s in Christian Studies with a specialization in Apologetics from Luther Rice University, Georgia. Her in-depth study of Christian doctrines and theological frameworks has shaped her nuanced understanding of faith, philosophy, and comparative religion.

Initially a devout Christian, Esther subjected her dogmatic beliefs to rigorous academic inquiry, ultimately returning to her roots in Sanātana Dharma. Her memoir, Unbaptized: Why I Left Christianity and Returned to My Roots, chronicles this transformative intellectual and spiritual journey.

Also known as Kamakshi, she is a passionate advocate for Sanātana Dharma and actively supports grassroots initiatives aimed at educating rural communities and mentoring leadership teams engaged in Dharmic education and awareness. At HUA, she leverages her experience working with volunteer groups, her eloquence in communication, and her research acumen to strengthen fundraising efforts and community partnerships in service of Hindu civilization.

View our whole team

Dr. Mahadevan Seetharaman

mahadevan.seetharaman@hua.edu

Dean of California College of Ayurveda (HUA Subsidiary)

Dr. Mahadevan Seetharaman serves as the Dean of the California College of Ayurveda (CCA), a subsidiary of Hindu University of America, and as an Ayurveda and Integrative Health Faculty in HUA’s Community Education Division. A Duke-certified Integrative Healthcare Leader and Founder of Ayurveda Living, he brings over 20 years of executive leadership experience in high-growth organizations within integrative health and Ayurveda.

Dr. Mahadevan’s academic credentials include a Ph.D. in Medicinal Chemistry from the University of Minnesota and post-doctoral research at the Cleveland Clinic Lerner Research Foundation. He is an Ayurveda Diet & Nutrition Consultant, Yoga Teacher, and an active voice in the global Ayurveda community. He serves on the boards of the Global Council for Ayurveda Research (GCAR), American Association of Ayurvedic Professionals (AAAP), and American Academy of Yoga and Meditation (AAYM), and co-founded the Texas Ayurveda Professionals Association (TAPAS).

Previously, he held leadership roles as CEO and Managing Director of the Institute of Ayurveda & Integrative Medicine (I-AIM) in India—one of the largest integrative research university hospitals—and as Professor & Dean at the School of Health Sciences, Transdisciplinary University (TDU), where he provided academic and research guidance to faculty. He also served as COO of the Isha Arogya Research Foundation, where he played a pivotal role in establishing an Integrative Healthcare Centre.

With a deep passion for Ayurveda, a keen understanding of the U.S. integrative health landscape, and a track record of strategic leadership, Dr. Mahadevan is guiding CCA into a new era of growth, innovation, and global impact.

View our whole team

Shri. Ankur Patel, Ms.

Director of Outreach

ankur.patel@hua.edu

Director of Community Outreach

Shri. Ankur Patel serves as the Director of Community Outreach at the Hindu University of America (HUA), where he leads the university’s outreach initiatives, coordinates HUA’s webinar series as a regular host, and supports the growth of Friends of HUA and other community-based efforts. He brings to this role a strong academic foundation, holding a B.S. from the University of California, Los Angeles (2007) and an M.S. from California State University, Northridge (2014).

Ankur’s career spans a wide range of professional and educational experiences. He has taught English in South Korea and China, worked as a public-school teacher in the United States, conducted peer-reviewed scientific research on ants, sold solar panels, and represented hospital staff at Kaiser Permanente through his work with the National Union of Healthcare Workers. His varied experiences reflect a lifelong commitment to service, learning, and community empowerment.

Deeply engaged in public service and civic life, Ankur has run for elected office multiple times, including Los Angeles City Controller (2013), Los Angeles School Board (2015), and California State Assembly (2018). His participation in the World Hindu Congress in Chicago in 2018 further strengthened his connection to his Dhārmic roots. It was there that he met HUA President Kalyan Viswanathan, who invited him to join the university in 2019 as its first Director of Advancement.

In 2023, Ankur transitioned to his full-time role as HUA’s Director of Outreach, where he continues to support the university’s mission with enthusiasm, dedication, and a passion for Dharmic education and community engagement.

View our whole team

Shri. Kalyan Viswanathan

kalyan.viswanathan@hua.edu

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.

View our whole team

Courses Taught By Shri. KALYAN VISWANATHAN

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

Featured Image

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?

Read More
Featured Image

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.
Read More
Featured Image

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.
Read More
Featured Image

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.

Read More
Mitra! Ask me anything!
Cart
Checkout - $0.00
  • 0
  • 1
Please click on the link below to enroll into the Shri. KALYAN VISWANATHAN Program or the appropriate phase.

On the program page, there are multiple payment plan options to choose from.