Hindus have the highest retention rate as compared to any other major religious group in USA, per an analysis posted by Pew Research Center (PRC), "a nonpartisan fact tank" headquartered in Washington DC, on June 24.

“…four-in-five Americans raised as Hindus continue to identify as Hindus as adults (80%); no other major religious group has a higher retention rate…”, it says. Some other retention rates are: Muslims 77%, Jews 75%, Catholics 59%, Buddhists 39%, Jehovah's Witnesses 34%.

Distinguished Hindu statesman Rajan Zed, in a statement in Nevada today, congratulating the Hindu community on retention rate and various other achievements, urged them to continue with the traditional values of hard work, higher morals, stress on education, sanctity of marriage, etc., amidst so many distractions.

Rajan Zed, who is President of Universal Society of Hinduism, advised Hindus to focus on inner search, stay pure, explore the vast wisdom of scriptures, make spirituality more attractive to youth and children, stay away from the greed, and always keep God in the life.

In addition, Hindus are urging New York City (NYC) Department of Education to include Diwali, the most popular Hindu holy day, as a school holiday in their 2015-2016 school calendars and beyond.

NYC Department of Education School Calendar 2015-2016 includes the holiday closures on Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Eid al-Adha and Good Friday; and now NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio has reportedly added Lunar New Year holiday.

Rajan Zed further says that Hinduism is rich in festivals and religious festivals are very dear and sacred to Hindus. Diwali, the festival of lights, aims at dispelling the darkness and lighting up the lives and symbolizes the victory of good over evil. Besides Hindus, Sikhs and Jains and some Buddhists also celebrate Diwali, which falls on November 11 in 2015. Hinduism, oldest and third largest religion of the world, has about one billion adherents and moksh (liberation) is its ultimate goal. There are about three million Hindus in USA.

NYC Department of Education, with Carmen Farina as the Chancellor, “is the largest school district in the US, serving 1.1 million students in over 1,800 schools”.

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