Montgomery County Public Libraries (MCPL) in Maryland has cancelled a planned Hindi-language book event following protests from a coalition of civil rights and faith-based organisations over the involvement of a group linked to the Vishwa Hindu Parishad of America (VHPA).
The event, titled “Many Languages, One Library: Celebrating Hindi,” was scheduled to take place at the Germantown Library to mark the launch of a new collection of around 160 Hindi-language books. However, the library announced the cancellation, stating it would “reimagine” the celebration to ensure a more inclusive, community-centred approach.
The decision followed a backlash first reported by Bethesda Today, which detailed objections from a coalition of organisations that raised concerns about the participation of a local Hindi school affiliated with the VHPA.
Coalition raises concerns
The coalition included national and local advocacy groups such as Hindus for Human Rights, the Indian American Muslim Council, the Sikh Coalition, Dalit Solidarity Forum USA, No Hindutva Maryland, and Peace Action Montgomery.
In a joint letter, the groups argued that their objection was not to Hindi language or Hindu culture, but to “political ideology entering public institutions under the guise of cultural programming,” warning that such ideology has been documented as exclusionary and harmful.
They further alleged that the VHPA is part of a broader transnational network aligned with Hindutva — a political ideology that seeks to define India as a Hindu nation — and said its inclusion in a public library event was inconsistent with values of diversity and inclusion.
Advocates also stressed that Hindi is spoken by people across religious communities, including Muslims, Sikhs and Christians, and should not be tied to any single ideological or religious identity.
Event funding and participation
According to the original plan, the Hindi book collection had been supported in part by Germantown’s Balvihar Hindi School, which is associated with the VHPA. Representatives from the school were expected to speak at the launch event alongside local elected officials and community organisations.
County officials described the book donations as a grassroots effort involving local residents and community groups.
VHPA denies allegations
The VHPA rejected the criticism, with its vice president Shyam Tiwari describing the controversy as a “misinformation campaign”.
He said the initiative to fund Hindi-language books stemmed from a simple desire by community members to contribute to their local library and insisted the organisation does not promote hostility towards other religions.
Ongoing debate
Advocates welcomed the cancellation but called for stronger safeguards in future. Some coalition members have urged the county to adopt clearer processes for vetting partnerships and to expand library collections to reflect the linguistic diversity of the Indian diaspora, including languages such as Tamil, Gujarati, Bangla, Telugu and Punjabi.
The episode has sparked a broader debate in the United States about diaspora politics, public institutions, and how cultural programming intersects with ideological concerns.
This story is based on reporting by Bethesda Today and other outlets.
