Navya Shastra
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Navya Shastra is an international Hindu reform organization founded in the United States in 2002. Its head office is in Troy, Michigan. According to its website, the organization stands against "...caste hierarchy and caste injustices, not only because they are not sanctioned in the Vedas, but also because they are morally wrong, unacceptable, and anachronistic in the world in which we live. ..." On several occasions the organization has spoken out against discrimination directed at India's former untouchables, known as Dalits. [1]
Of late, Navya Shastra has extended its focus beyond caste discrimination and acts as a humanitarian organization. For example, it has been active in relief work among Indian communities affected by the 2004 Tsunami, which decimated many coastal regions in Asia. When it criticized Pope Benedict XVI upon his election to office for allegedly misinterpreting Hinduism[2], it began to act as spokesman for the entire Hindu community. Recently, it took a stand in favor of Dalits lobbying for inclusion in California's textbooks on Hinduism, a controversy widely referred to as the Californian Hindu textbook controversy.[3]
