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Houston couple donate $1.75 million for Hindu Youth Campsite
The new campsite in Texas will house 1,200 campers when it is completed in June 2024
Houston based philanthropic couple Subhash and Sarojini Gupta donated $1.75 million towards the construction of the first Hindu campsite in Texas, which will host Hindu Heritage Youth Camps every summer. Similar to schools and colleges providing academic education, the Hindu Heritage Youth camps provide a life-molding education, an official statement noted.
Housed on a 37-acre property in Columbus, Texas, the campsite will be completed next summer in time to welcome campers a six-night, five-day camp. It will offer Hindu teenagers in the United States a chance to build their confidence, gain leadership skills and learn about Hindu values and traditions.
Participants will also be exposed to yoga and meditation and take classes on Hindu philosophy and religion. In the evenings, they will practice Indian styles of dance, such as Garba and Raas.
Speaking about the significance of the camp, Subhash who started the Hindu Heritage camps three decades ago, said, “We are already losing youth in this country because they are not interested in our Hindu dharma and preserving our value system, so whatever we can do to cultivate that, the better. This is the best thing we can do for the next generation.”
Youth Volunteers, Image: supplied
“Young campers learn to be self-reliant while building friendships that often turn into lifelong relationships. Some have even found life partners at the camp,” he added.
Started in 1985, the camps have been held at a variety of campsites, including Camp Lantern Creek in Montgomery. However, since its growing popularity in the recent years, organizers were looking for a location that could accommodate the 1,200 plus youth who want to participate.
Known for his commitment to service, Subhash wanted to ensure every child who wished to attend the camp could have the opportunity. “It dawned on me that it was such a sin that we couldn’t provide the camp experience to every kid who wants to go,” he said explaining the reason behind the Texas campsite.
With support from the Houston Hindu community in 2019, Subhash and Sarojini, purchased a piece of land for the campsite in Columbus, which sits about an hour west of Houston. The development of the campsite started but was stalled during the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to a release, the new campsite will include cabins, a swimming pool, a dining hall that will accommodate 200 people, an outdoor amphitheater, covered basketball courts and classrooms.
“We hope this can be a place kids can be proud of,” said Sarojini. “It’s not only for this generation. It’s for many more generations to come. It’s a community property for everyone.”
Currently the president of Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh Greater Houston, a board member of the Hindus of Greater Houston and chairman of the board of advisors to Ekal Vidyalaya Foundation, Subhash hails from Pilkhuwa, U.P. and graduated from the Indian Institute of Science with a degree in metallurgical engineering in 1971.
He immigrated to the U.S to complete a master’s degree in metallurgical engineering from the University of Nevada. Meanwhile, Sarojini hails from Delhi and completed her master’s in political science from Delhi University.
The couple are longtime residents of Houston and have founded a research publications company in the city. In 2006 they closed it to fully dedicate themselves to community service.
Sarojini served as the past president of the Houston chapter of Sewa International, a non-profit that promotes volunteerism, and is currently one of five national directors for the organization. A natural poet, she is also active with the International Hindi Association.
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