The City of Colorado Springs has suddenly cancelled its first Hindu invocation (opening-prayer), which was scheduled for July eight, without giving any reasons.
Hindu statesman Rajan Zed, who had been scheduled to read the July eight invocation since February 18, 2025; received an email from Deputy City Council Administrator Michael Montgomery on June 30, 2025 stating “Council leadership has chosen a different individual to deliver the invocation on July 8, 2025. You are no longer needed on this date.”
This was said to be the first Hindu invocation of Colorado Springs City Council, which was incorporated in 1886.
Zed, who is President of Universal Society of Hinduism, has not received any response yet of his emailed request to Montgomery and other city officials to list the reasons for his invocation cancellation.
Rajan Zed, who has delivered invocations in Colorado State Senate and Colorado House of Representatives in Denver, besides United States Senate and US House of Representatives in Washington DC; has expressed shock at the unexpected cancellation of invocation at Colorado Springs City Council.
Petitioning/pleading the God through prayer for common good helps us to grow in holiness, whichever religious perspective the prayers come from. Since all life comes from God, prayers help to link us to God, with the expectation that God hears us and blesses us; Zed points out highlighting the importance of invocation in legislative bodies.
Zed had planned to recite from Rig-Veda, the oldest scripture of the world still in common use; besides lines from Upanishads and Bhagavad-Gita (Song of the Lord), both ancient Hindu scriptures.
Reciting from Brahadaranyakopanishad, Rajan Zed had planned to say “Asato ma sad gamaya, Tamaso ma jyotir gamaya, Mrtyor mamrtam gamaya”; which he would then have interpreted as “Lead us from the unreal to the real, Lead us from darkness to light, and Lead us from death to immortality.” Reciting from Bhagavad-Gita, he proposed to urge city council members and others present to keep the welfare of others always in mind.
Hinduism, oldest and third largest religion of the world, has about 1.2 billion adherents and moksh (liberation) is its ultimate goal. There are about 3.2 million Hindus in the USA.
The City of Colorado Springs claims to “be a safe, economically prosperous, culturally rich, welcoming, and vibrant world-class American City on a hill that shines brightly”.