(CHAKRA) In the last month, there has been an uptick in social media activity among Pakistani women activists, but beyond a few social media circles the crisis of abductions and forced conversions (to Islam) of underage hindu and other non-muslim religious minority women has gone widely unreported. Reports from human rights orgs and local media […]
How Bigots and Abrahamic Supremacists conflate Hindu Identity with Hindu Nationalism
It’s Sunday morning at 2am, and what do I do after a night of chilling with friends? I open Twitter. A big mistake. The big buzz words ‘WOKE’, ‘SOUTH ASIAN’ pop up, followed by a 3rd word, even more interesting – SARASWATI. For those that don’t know, ‘Saraswati’ is the auspicious GODDESS of wisdom, arts […]
Music is an Expression of Faith and Culture for Young Caribbean Hindus
Throughout much of Indian Hindu culture, music has become an integral part in many aspects of traditional and religious practices. Over the recent decades, Indian music has been gaining worldwide popularity, with artists of various backgrounds incorporating Indian styles of sound to compliment their work. We live in a time of strong global connectivity and […]
University of Toronto to Host Controversial Speaker Accused of Bigotry Against Hindus and Sikhs
One of the most controversial of speakers and so-called experts on the history of South Asia and the Mughal empire in particular, Audrey Truschke, will be paying a visit to the University of Toronto’s prestigious Munk School of Global Affairs. Audrey Truschke is often criticized by Indians as being bigoted and biased towards the non-Abrahamic […]
American Study: Hindu-Originated Yoga Holds Promise in Improving PTSD and Depression
According to a new study released by American-based UNC at Chapel Hill (University of North Carolina), Ancient Indian yoga holds potential promise for helping improve anxiety, depression, PTSD and/or the psychological consequences of trauma”. Release adds that the study “suggested that clinicians and service providers consider recommending yoga as an intervention” in addition to other […]
Who Will Champion Human Rights Campaigns for Hindu-Americans If Not Our Own Celebrities
Media queen and rights activist Oprah Winfrey once said that if Black-Americans don’t speak up for Black-Americans, then who will? Lots of truth to the statement, but unfortunately the 2.2 Million Hindu-Americans do not have more than a small handful of national celebrities to speak up for their rights or issues. A few days ago, I came across […]
Hinduism Under Assault: Appropriation and a New Model for Religious Conversion
By Yogi Baba Prem (@YogiBabaPrem) The growing phenomena of Christian yoga is not only cultural appropriation, it reveals more serious considerations for Hinduism and Sanatana Dharma. While it is certainly true that Christians can practice yoga, I am not aware of any Christian theology regarding yoga. Yoga, as a word or practice, has no etymology […]
A Small Glimpse Into the Simple & Spiritual Lives of Himalayan Villagers
“Would you like to come to some villages around Chamba?” a friend asked. I happily said yes. He wanted to visit the kin of former servants of his family and bring them gifts before Diwali. After buying boxes of sweets and drawing money from an ATM, three of us set off from Mussoorie. The air […]
Open Letter to Anushka Sharma (and the Hypocritical Dimwits from Bollywood)
I use the word ‘Dimwit’ in this letter header not as a reactionary pejorative, but with deliberate effect, and as a factual description of the intellectual decadence of your film industry, plainly observed not only by myself, but tens of millions of Indians at home and around the globe. After all, Anushka, you and your […]
Do Major Media Outlets like WaPo, Vice, TorStar, CBC, NYT, CNN and BBC Have a Hinduphobia Problem
The simple answer is yes, yes and yes. Hinduism is the 3rd largest faith by number of adherents, which make up almost 15% of the World’s population. Although majority of Hindus are based in 2 nations, India and Nepal, there are tens of millions across the remaining 196 of 198 global nations. To put it […]