PERSPECTIVES

Angst and Empathy: How Privileged Background Prevents Idealistic Indian American Youth From Making a Difference

I am back. I moved into this Northern Virginia suburban house with my family in…

Prem Pujari: A Conversation With Hindu Priest Officiating Same-Sex Weddings in the Indian American Community

Raja Gopal Bhattar, (they/them/theirs), Ph.D. uses gender-inclusive pronouns and identifies as genderqueer. They hail from a long…

The Sikh Coalition: Twenty Years of Building Community Power Through Organizational Action

A torrent of hate violence against Sikh Americans and other minorities swept the county in…

Train to Nostalgia: The Many Long and Short Railroad Journeys with Dad Across India

As the world is getting vaccinated against COVID, we are taking more trips. Some of…

Is Distorting Gandhi’s Favorite Bhajan a Part of Subterfuge That Glorifies the Mahatma’s Assassin Nathu Ram Godse?

On Gandhi Jayanti this year, celebrated as Non-Violence Day on October 2nd, Minnesota Governor Tim…

Hinduism Taught Me That God is an Ocean and Finding Justice is the Essence of Religion

I was obsessed with gods when I was a kid. I was raised detachedly as…

Hindutva Will Replace Hinduism’s Colorful and Vibrant Diversity With a Lifeless, Dull and Grey Uniformity

“United be your purpose, harmonious be your feelings, collected be your mind, in the same…

Kamla Bhasin 1946-2021: Poet, Feminist Icon and a Revolutionary in Her Own Right

Kamla Bhasin had covered a lot of ground in her 75 years on the planet…

The Other Side of H1-B Visa Debate: Indian Techies are the Primary Targets of Anti-immigration Lobbyists

On Sept. 19, Senate parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough announced that “Democrats can’t use their $3.5 trillion…

In Defense of Dharma: Forces of Hindutva Cannot be Defeated by Excluding Religion From Political Discourse

Under its current Hindu nationalist government, India has seen a marked decline in the quality of democracy. This,…

‘We Always Exist On the Verge of Threat’: Do Dalit Lives Matter in America?

India’s caste system is among the world’s oldest forms of social stratification. The system which…

Day of the Pink Hibiscus: Observing Pitru Paksha When the Deceased Loved Ones are Close to the Living Realm

It is Pitru Paksha, the fortnight of the waning September moon when Hindus remember their…