Davis Chapel was buzzing with excitement on Friday, Oct. 20 as the Hindu Students Association (HSA) unveiled Hindu students’ first designated prayer space. 

“[The prayer space] will provide students a space where they can feel at home, where they can practice their religion and where others can come and learn what it’s all about,” said junior Aashna Kumar, vice president of the HSA. 

At the unveiling in the center of Davis Chapel, students were invited to participate in a puja dedicated to blessing the new mandir — a structure often found in homes intended to honor the Hindu deities and act as a place to pray. Puja in Hinduism is a prayer ritual that can take on many forms depending on the needs of the participants. 

Treasurer Swami Rajendran and Priest Sri Narsimha Sharma Joshi, both of the Sri Mata Temple in Clemmons, N.C., led the group in properly preparing the mandir for future prayers and practices.

“It’s just a really good place for students to come,” said sophomore Dhruvi Patel, secretary of HSA. “They probably have a picture of their god in their dorm room, but I feel like this is really different. You can continue practicing while at college.” 

Students in HSA such as senior Aman Khemlani have long awaited a permanent area on campus to practice their religion and have a designated safe place to turn to at Wake Forest. As of last semester, the HSA has established a temporary lounge, which is shared with the chaplains office, in Reynolda Hall. The mandir is a welcome addition to the growing number of safe spaces for Hindu students to gather and pray, Khemlani said.

“I wrote the very first proposal for what a safe prayer space would look like,” Khemlani said. “Looking back, sophomore year Aman Khemlani would have never thought this would become a reality. I thought I was going to hit a wall. But just the idea of a temporary lounge space that I have access to as a Hindu student is amazing.” 

Khemlani said that there’s historically been a lack of spaces and programming for Hindu students compared to other groups.

“For Hindu students, it’s about equity,” Khemlani said. “There’s so many of my friends that talk about going to Chabad on Fridays or going to Mass on Sundays, prayer services and lighting the quad. I’m so happy they can express their religion as a part of that community, but for Hinduism it’s never been like that.”

The process of obtaining this space included many proposals, both formal and informal conversations with the Chaplain’s Office and continuous advocacy for the growing organization. 

“It started with having a bunch of meetings and actually educating administrators and making them understand what exactly our needs are, what would be required for those needs and trying to find a space on campus,” Khemlani said.

The HSA was committed to pushing Wake Forest in its efforts to increase diversity and inclusion. 

“[The prayer space] mattered to me since the moment I stepped on campus,” Khemlani said. “It’s to see Wake Forest become a better place, to see Wake Forest grow. I see all the diversity and equity inclusion efforts, and I feel like I’ve helped push Wake Forest forward.”

Eventually, the university worked side-by-side with members of HSA to make the prayer space a reality.

“The Chaplain’s Office was able to pay for all of [the materials required for the prayer space],” said junior Meera Doran, president of HSA. “It didn’t have to come from our budget, which was awesome because it’s the university’s way of saying, ‘Hey, we got you.’” 

Kumar emphasized the importance of collaboration with administrators to secure a space on campus.

“It was pretty challenging just because there aren’t a lot of spaces open on campus,” Kumar said. “We really just had a lot of discussions with the Chaplain’s Office, but through those discussions, we expressed the importance of having a mandir, especially in Hinduism, and they were so great — they worked with us to put this in place. So we’re really proud and really happy.”

Students in the HSA aim to cultivate community between members to not only give a platform to Hinduism, but also to invite all interested students to be informed.

“The main purpose [of HSA] is to provide a safe space and a place where Hindu students can express their religion however they feel fit,” said Kumar. “It is a welcoming community for Hindu students and people who want to learn.”