An Interview with the leader of the movement Jai P. Misir
An interview with the leader of the movement Jai P. Misir.
Who are you?
My name is Jai Misir, I am 22 years old, I live in Loudonville, NY, and I am the leader of the youth group at the Schenectady Hindu Temple.
What are the roots of the movement?
The Schenectady Hindu Temple and my father. I wanted to educate the younger generation about our Hindu culture, encourage the young people to understand our religion, and to be able to educate the western world on our Hindu religion and eastern values.
What makes you qualified to lead a movement?
Coming from a mixed background of White American on my moms side and Indo-Guyanese on my dads side gave me the opportunity to understand different cultures and different races. I used my experiences to help people who are also of different backgrounds educate themselves on Hinduism. Also being the son of a Pandit has helped me understand Hinduism. It has helped me deal with the western world.
Who are your inspirations for this movement?
-Swami Vivekananda - Vivekananda educated the western world on Hinduism by making his speeches. He really inspired with his beliefs that all religions are one and they are all equal. His idea and understanding that Hindu's have one God and that all the spiritual practices take you to the supreme lord.
- Mahatma Gandhi - He practiced non-violence, because of that he united India and for our movement to be successful we must have love and peace.
- My father - Since the founding of the Schenectady Hindu Temple he has worked selflessly in education Hindu's in the western world and Americans about the oneness of God. He takes a great deal of pride in reading and analyzing the Bhagavad-Gita, the Upanishads, and other Hindu scriptures. He has diligently been teaching the young and old our Hindu service. He is a true inspiration to me because he works along with all types of people and makes them responsible based on there abilities.
What are you aspirations for the movement?
- To educate the young people about Hindu religion based on speaking about Hindu scriptures in Temples, Colleges, Communities, and all around the world.
- Acting out drama plays which have deep Hindu meaning about love and truth.
- In sharing the true meaning of equality with Hindu's and Westerners.
What does Moksha mean to you?
Moksha is about performing your duty on earth whether you are a doctor, painter, or a teacher. Everyone's duty that we all share is about performing good actions to others whether in thought, word, or deed so that a person can be free from the good and the bad that exist in the world.
