Growing up, Weinberg junior Pari Thakkar said Hinduism was a significant part of her life. However, after she came to Northwestern, she had no one to go to with questions about navigating her relationship with religion as a college student.
“I think oftentimes, as a secular university, we tend to forget about the importance of religion for those who practice it and choose to rely on it and depend on it,“ Thakkar said.
A chaplain was necessary for the Hindu community at NU, Thakkar said.
The University instituted a Hindu chaplain position after over 150 years since its founding. NU now has an estimated 800 Hindus in its community, inaugural chaplain Amar Shah (Weinberg ‘16) said, based on estimations from the Department of Religious and Spiritual Life.