Interfaith Ministries Honors Devinder & Sushma Mahajan

HOUSTON: Interfaith Ministries for Greater Houston once again filled the Hilton Americas ballroom with close to 600 supporters for its 2024 Tapestry Gala with the theme of “A Better Tomorrow Starts Today”. The event raised close to $700,000 to support IM’s commitment to another half-century of facilitating dialogue and collaboration within Houston’s diverse community by welcoming newcomers, feeding homebound seniors and their pets, building bridges of understanding through interfaith dialogue, and facilitating volunteerism and civic engagement.

The Spirit of Respect award was presented to Sushma and Devinder Majahan for their work in co-founding the Eternal Gandhi Museum Houston (EMGH). The museum is dedicated to preserving and promoting Mahatma Gandhi’s legacy by cultivating the universal values of Truth, Nonviolence, Peace, Love, and Service. Sushma is a past Board member of Interfaith Ministries, and the couple remains active in the organization’s work, in addition to many other community commitments. They are previous Tapestry Award recipients.

Sushma and Devinder Mahajan have been residents of Houston since 1976 and have dedicated their lives to community service. Devinder ji is the founding president of Arya Samaj Greater Houston and has led multiple charitable initiatives including co-founding the Eternal Gandhi Museum Houston. Together he and Sushma have worked to give back to the country that welcomed them and are guided by values of nonviolence, truth, love, and
peace. Their involvement in these initiatives has been particularly impactful, showcasing their commitment
to fostering a spirit of unity and respect.

“We are deeply humbled and grateful for this recognition,” said Devinder Mahajan. “It reflects the collective efforts of many individuals who believe in the power of respect and understanding. We are fortunate to be part of a community that values these principles so highly.”

Accepting the award, Dev Ji acknowledged the Divinity’s grace and guidance in their lives as the EGMH was a plunge in unknown territories. He quoted one EGMH visitor: “Visit NASA to explore outer space, and EGMH to explore inner space!”

“We are humbled but this recognition bestowed upon us. Thank you so very much,” explained Sushma ji. “Nadia Tajali and Paula Sutton invited me for lunch and Maria Magee also joined. After a little chit chat they surprised me with the proposal to honor us with the Spirit of Respect award. I was taken aback and also felt very honored.”

“Devinder and I are born and raised in India, we lovingly call Bharat, which embraces people of all backgrounds, cultures and faiths and respects their point of view as long as it is for the betterment of humanity and the upliftment of the downtrodden,” Sushma ji continued. “That is why Interfaith Ministries for Houston and its core values attracted us. The United States, our adopted country, gave us the opportunity to fulfill our desire to do something for the benefit of humanity. Spreading the universal message of love, truth, service, peace, nonviolence, respect and resolution of conflicts in a nonviolent way, as taught in our scriptures and followed by Mahatma Gandhi, is our
way of educating and serving our fellow beings.”

“None of us three cofounders had even the slightest idea to even build an Eternal Gandhi Museum in Houston,” explained EMGH Trustee Atul Kothari explained. “You can call it a series of coincidences, or as I believe, divinity playing its role for a noble cause.”

“As per Hindu scriptures, we humans are not the doers, but we are the instrument of God born to fulfill the purpose for which we are born,” Atul ji suggested. “So we feel blessed that God gave us the opportunity to build this world-class museum in the great city of Houston.

As per Trip Advisor, EGMH is already one of the major places to visit in Houston. As one visitor stated, “Visit NASA to explore outer space and EGM H to explore inner space. So it is a humble request to please not only find the time to visit the museum yourself but also encourage others to do the same.”