Pandit Rajeev Persaud

Pandit Rajeev Persaud was appointed the Hindu Chaplain at Emory University beginning September 6, 2024. As part of Emory’s multifaith chaplaincy team, he serves to support the spiritual, religious, and cultural needs of the Hindu and broader South Asian religious community on campus. His responsibilities include organizing religious gatherings, offering educational programming, providing pastoral care, and liaising with related campus, local, and other external organizations.

Before coming to Emory, Rajeev served as a purohita (Hindu priest) in the Greater Toronto Area, performing ritual worship and providing spiritual care to Toronto’s diverse Hindu population. This has entailed conducting pujas, ceremonies, vigils, and offering religious discourses. He has also served as the Hindu chaplain at the Toronto South Detention Center, where he has developed and offered pastoral care programming for Hindu-identifying and interested incarcerated individuals.

Rajeev holds a Master of Theological Studies degree from Harvard Divinity School with a focus on Hinduism, and a Bachelor of Arts degree from McMaster University in Political Science. His academic interests include the Hindu Bhakti tradition and animal welfare law. In his free time, he enjoys listening to and making music, spending time with cousins and friends, and reading.

Education

• MTS | Harvard Divinity School
• BA | McMaster University