Recently I reflected on the term Hinduism, and how the history of the use of the word has evolved and morphed over centuries and two periods of colonization. The reflection required grappling with how incorrect the word is, and also how I choose to adopt it all the same given the limitations of the world we live in, and the necessity of taking in the protection said term offers.  For some time, we’ve been watching a third wave of misunderstanding and misrepresenting what Hinduism is, markedly different from the last two colonial waves because of its determination to take an anti-colo ..read more

In an ironic way, being born and raised in the United States allowed me to engage in the most “Hindu” of practices in a way my father, born and raised in our spiritual homeland India, never did: I questioned everything. And I’ll give my father a lot of credit, he recognized this behavior as an opportunity to deepen my faith in a profound way and always encouraged me to do the work to find the answers. I’m grateful that he laid the foundation for me to find myself in the room where Acharya Vijay Satnarine was able to help me reflect on the question, why do we call ourselves Hindu? Why do w ..read more

Happy Puthandu (Tamil New Year) and Happy Vishu (Kerala New Year) to all those who celebrate and mark the beginning of a brand New Year today.  Unlike the Western calendar, which celebrates the New Year on January 1st, the Hindu calendar known as the Panchang marks its New Year mostly in the Chaitra month when the Sun descends into the zodiac sign of Aries. Known as Vikram Samwat, the Hindu Solar New Year mainly falls between March and April or spring, depending on which region of India one hails from. Each New Year has a name; this year, 2081, is called Krodhi.  I love the ide ..read more

Once a while, life hands you an experience that speaks to the depths of your identity and purpose. I had one such experience when I participated on behalf of HAF, in the Unity March organized by StandWithUS at San Francisco on March 3rd. We have been at the forefront of providing solidarity to our Jewish communities since the gruesome Hamas attack on Oct 7th, 2023. HAF Norcal team has been at protest marches, panel discussions, memorials and much more. Here are two articles that detail all of it: Of Friendship and Solidarity with the Jews- HAF on the ground in Northern California http ..read more

Life can be strange and throw you a curve-ball. It can often snatch away from you everything you take for granted! And nothing has been a more significant reminder of this harsh reality than the October 7th, 2023, Hamas attack on innocent civilians in Israel. It has been undoubtedly harrowing to watch all the media coverage of the stories of the hostages and their families. But a different experience altogether when hearing in person from a relative about one such hostage. The American Jewish Committee ( AJC ) invited our NorCal team of Samir Kalra, Ramya Ramakrishnan, and Sangeetha Shan ..read more

From March 14-17 India’s Ministry of Culture and the Raja Yoga organization Heartfulness hosted upwards of 50,000 people at an event described as a “Global World Peace Mahotsav (Celebration): From Inner Peace to World Peace.”  Among the list of invited presenters included Fred Stella, member of HAF’s National Leadership Council. Fred addressed one of the plenary sessions, just before Indian Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankar offered his remarks. The theme of Fred’s talk was “A State of the State of Hindus in America.” He also presented at 2 breakout sessions that explored spirituality an ..read more

In 2020, on August 5th, Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone for the Ayodhya Ram mandir construction. It led to an onslaught of Hindu hatred and bigotry on Facebook, turning friends to cancel each other and become lifelong enemies. I, too, felt the heat of it all when I shared my family celebrations of the auspicious event on Facebook (FB). One of my friends Asma ( name changed for privacy) , commented that all those who celebrate the commemoration of the Ayodhya mandir openly support violence, to which another replied, that all those who celebrate shall pay for their sins. I couldn’t ..read more

“It is incredible, it is impossible to believe, that in inventing this vile superstition, the religious teachers of India intended that people should render direct worship to objects the very names of which, among civilized nations, are an insult to decency.” — Abbe Dubois (18th-century French missionary) Hinduism is a pluralistic religion of many paths, through which Divinity is perceived and revered in a variety of names and forms depending on the tradition. Obscured, however, by the fog of conceit, European missionaries, upon witnessing the country’s bewildering pantheon of gods, godde ..read more

Ayodhyā mathurā māyā kāśī kāñcī hy avantikā | purī dvāravatī caiva saptaitā mokṣadāyikā ||“These are the seven sacred cities that bestow liberation upon seekers: Ayodhya, Mathura, Haridwar, Varanasi, Kanchipuram, Ujjain, Puri, and Dwarka.” — Garuḍapurāṇa — (16.114) Every world religion has certain places that are irreplaceably sacred in the eyes of its followers. Muslims, for example, have Mecca, considered the fountainhead of Islam. It’s here, the prophet Muhammad was born, where he’s believed to have received the Quran, and where the Kaaba, revered as “the house of god,” resides in all ..read more

The past week have seen celebrations across the global Hindu diaspora for the consecration, if not full completion, of the new Ram Mandir in Ayodhya. Given the site’s flashpoint status over the past three decades and reconstruction of a temple on the site considered to be the place of Lord Ram’s birth being a decades-old political goal of the now-ruling BJP, there has understandably been robust media coverage.  In the West, however, the coverage from several mainstream outlets has often been what can only be described as an abject failure on at least one critical point.  The rea ..read more