The once-in-four-years World Hindu Congress to be held this year in Chicago has become a sold-out event, organisers said on Wednesday.
More than 2000 delegates from across the globe and 250 thought leaders are expected to attend the second edition of the World Hindu Congress in Chicago from September 7-9. The inaugural conference was held in New Delhi in 2014.
Being organized by the World Hindu Foundation headed by IIT, Kharagpur graduate Swami Vigyananand, organisers said the three-day event will commemorate 125 years of Swami Vivekananda's historic Chicago address of September 11, 1893.
Organisers have dubbed it as the biggest Hindu gathering of leaders to date. Among key participants include heads of countries with a sizable Hindu population, top tier corporate heads from both India and the US, and "dynamic" Hindu leaders and media personalities, a media release said.
Some of the top speakers are RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat, Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama, Art of Living head Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, and Chinmaya Mission head Swami Swaroopananda.
The conference is aimed at highlighting the importance of boosting the profile of Hindus on the world stage, said event convener Abhaya Asthana in a statement as he emphasised that Hindus need to come together collectively establish their presence, and only then can they wield their clout to make a positive difference.
The goal is to make the world understand the Hindu way and view of life not just at the spiritual and social level but also at the economic and educational level, said WHC chair S P Kothari.
WHC vice chair Raju Reddy said that Hindus are viewed as great doctors, engineers and entrepreneurs, as positive role models but they need to become change makers. This requires them to be organised.
The theme of WHC 2018 is 'Sumantrite Suvikrante' or 'think collectively, achieve valiantly'.
WHC registration coordinator said Amitabh Mittal said there has been tremendous response to the conference. Registration is now closed, he said.
During the three-day conference, the participants will gather to connect, discuss, energise and push awareness about critical issues facing Hindus worldwide and figure out ways on how the community can be globally significant and impactful.