Madrid: Hindus in Spain are joining hands to form a united platform to work on issues of common interest and be a voice for the community. A Federación Hindú de España (FHE) is being formed to unite all Hindus, defend, preserve and promote Hinduism, challenge and correct academic misrepresentation of Hinduism, advise the governments on Hinduism and make Hindu representation, promote yoga and claim equal standing with other religions, etc.
FHE intends to approach and affiliate other Hindu temples, organizations and groups all over Spain who are not members yet. In future, it also plans to conduct educational programs; train Hindu priests; create directory of Hindu temples, institutions, associations groups etc.
According to reports, founding Hindu groups included Veda Dharma (Madrid), Sudha Satva (Valencia), Arsha Vidya (Madrid) and Advaita Vidya (Barcelona); while Centro Védico Dharma (Alicante) and Om Shiva Shakti (Barcelona) joined later. FHE is expecting three other Hindu groups to join.
Rajan Zed, President of Universal Society of Hinduism, in a statement commended efforts of Hindu groups and community in Spain to unite. He said that it was important to pass on Hindu spirituality, concepts and traditions to coming generations amidst so many distractions in the consumerist society and hoped that this Hindu federation would help in this direction in Spain. Zed stressed that instead of running after materialism; we should focus on inner search and realization of self and work towards achieving moksh (liberation), which was the goal of Hinduism. Zed also urged the federation to actively participate in interfaith dialogue with other religions to help promote harmony in the Spanish society.
As per a rough estimate, there are about 50,000 Hindus in Spain, including Hindus of India-descent and Spanish followers of Hinduism. They are spread all over the country but Canary Islands have a large concentration of them. Some Hindu groups are reportedly registered, while many are not registered yet. There are about 40 Hindu temples, places of worship in Spain, including temples in Valencia, Malaga, Melilla and Madrid; Hare Krishna temples in Madrid, Barcelona, Tenerife, Malaga, besides an institute and a farm; followers of Brahma-Kumaris, Mata Amritanandamayi Amma, Sathya Sai Baba, Siddha Yoga, Sahaja Yoga, etc. Various Hindu festivals, including Rath-Yatra, are celebrated.
Juan Carlos Ramchandani (Krishna Kripa Dasa) is the President of FHE. Other office-bearers include: Vice-President Swami Satyananda Sarasvati, Secretary Hari Das, Treasurer Pedro Soto, Public Relations Naren Herrero, Academic Relations Javier Ruiz Calderón Shankara, and India Representative (Varanasi) Álvaro Enterría.
