Confronting Caste Privilege & The Need To End Hinduism (As We Know It)
I was 11 years old when I completed what my family describes as the “thread ceremony.” It took place in our ancestral village in West Bengal. Alongside my cousin who[…]
Tagged: Hinduism
Walk Humbly, My Diasporic Desis
I am not entirely sure what it means to be a devout Hindu. What I do know is that I almost certainly am one. I’ve spent some of my past[…]
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Making Peace With My Hinduism, And Myself
Unlike most of my peers, my favorite time of day as a child was bedtime. Well, at least it was when my maternal grandmother — who visited my family every[…]
Why The Hindu American Foundation Does Not Speak For Me
As an educator who believes in the ability of education to inspire people to build a better world and to develop people into fuller human beings, I take issue with[…]
#DontEraseIndia’s Edits Are About Accuracy And Parity, Not Politics
In her April 15 piece “#DontEraseIndia And the Conflation of Religion and Politics,” Hema Karunakaram makes several excellent points. There really are Hindus outside India, and non-Hindus within it. Hinduism[…]
#DontEraseIndia And The Conflation Of Religion And Politics
I grew up around a large, vibrant desi community — with lots of poojas, potlucks, and pretty saris — and I’m so grateful to all the family and aunties and[…]
Arts · Literature · Religion
Read An Excerpt From Shikhandi, or Other Stories They Don’t Tell You, by Devdutt Pattanaik
Shikhandi, or Other Stories They Don’t Tell You, by Devdutt Pattanaik, explains that queerness isn’t only modern, Western, or sexual. Rather, by looking at the vast written and oral traditions of Hinduism,[…]
Caste Privilege Is About Caste-based Discrimination, Not Caste Itself
As a liberal, practicing Hindu, I read Thenmozhi Soundararajan and Sinthujan Varatharajah’s “Caste Privilege 101: A Primer for the Privileged” with interest. Let me start by acknowledging what the authors[…]
The White Science of Meditation
This month, Scientific American launches a cover story on the “Neuroscience of Meditation” describing how this ancient Hindu and Buddhist practice is now being accepted in the secular world. This article[…]