Chanting Aum in the US Senate

Senate wants to embrace all faiths; invites Rajan Zed for a Hindu prayer

25 June, 2007:

July 12, 2007 will see history made at the American Senate. Rajan Zed, a Hindu chaplain, will read out a Hindu prayer at the opening of United States Senate in Washington DC on July 12. History, because this will be the first time a Hindu prayer will be delivered in the US Senate since its inception way back in 1789.

So what will the Americans and the world over listen to from Zed on that important day? According to Zed himself, he is still to finalize the exact prayer he will deliver, but is thinking something from Rig Veda, the oldest scripture of the world. This would be besides reciting verses from the Upanishads and Bhagavad-Gita. Zed would start and end the prayer with ‘Aum’ which according to belief is the mystical syllable containing the universe. History will be recorded when the full text of the prayer will be included in the Congressional Record too.

According to Zed, “the day is going to be an illustrious day for all Americans and memorable day for us when opening prayers from ancient Hindu scriptures will be read in the great hall of democracy."

If you though Rajan Zed was just another Indian yogi hogging the limelight at Washington DC, read on.

Zed, besides being Director of Public Affairs and Interfaith Relations of Hindu Temple of Northern Nevada, is also Public Relations Officer of India Association of Northern Nevada, affiliated with World Congress of Faiths-London. He features in the ‘Who's Who in America 2006’, and volunteers as a chaplain in various hospitals of northwestern Nevada and nearby California, and is active in interfaith dialogue in the region. He lives in Reno with wife Shipa Zed, a community volunteer; son Navgeet Zed, a youth activist; and daughter Palkin Zed, an author.

The US Senate’s decision to go ahead with the Hindu prayer plan comes as a step aimed at embracing all faiths. The Senate has said that through the years, the US Senate has honored the historic separation of Church and State, but not the separation of God and State…During the past two hundred and seven years, all sessions of the Senate have been opened with prayer, strongly affirming the Senate's faith in God as Sovereign Lord of our Nation..." Usually the Senate Chaplain delivers the opening prayer, but sometimes guest chaplains are invited from all over the country to read the prayer. Rajan Zed is this session’s chosen one.