The Kautiliya Endowment Fund was named after Kautilya (also known as Chanakya, c. 350-275 BCE). He was an Indian statesman and philosopher, chief advisor and Prime Minister of the Indian emperor Chandragupta, the first ruler of the Mauryan Empire. He is credited as being the author of Arthashastra.

Dharma Ambassadors Endowed

“For five years I’ve conducted the Dharma Ambassador program for the Hindu American Foundation and trained thousands. On behalf of HAF, I’m very grateful to Ram for creating this fund within the Hindu Heritage Endowment, which will help to allow this program to be offered free to Hindus worldwide,” said Easan Katir, HAFs National Programs Director.

The Dharma Ambassador program trains Hindus of all ages to be more articulate and present Hindu Dharma accurately, to dispel misconceptions, and thereby make the world a more harmonious pluralistic place where all can feel comfortable practicing religion. Katir explained “We share ways of talking about Hinduism that have worked well over twenty years when talking to the public in North America, as well as speaking principles which can be applied to all areas of life, from a family gathering to an audience of thousands.”

The program has received kudos from graduates, who meet regularly in a Graduate Roundtable to share experiences speaking before school boards, city councils and interfaith groups. Here is what graduates are saying:

“It was a very useful workshop. Easan Ji is a great speaker and there is a lot you can learn from his presentation. It was also very helpful in listening to the different people in the group. Each had a very unique and rich perspective that was very informative for me.”

“It was a great opportunity to identify methods of presenting Hinduism to the American community in general as well as to our own kids born and brought up here. I got new ideas and thoughts from attending this event.”

“Your course is really empowering and offers a simple and elegant way of presenting Hinduism without any debate on the content itself. It surely feels empowered to be a Dharma Ambassador. I look forward to the speaking opportunities and to stay engaged and present the material close to your model.”

To register for the Dharma Ambassador program, open www.hinduamerican.org and search “Dharma Ambassador” or click here.

The Kautiliya Endowment Fund is fund #25.