That's So Hindu

The podcast that interviews entrepreneurs and activists, politicians and professors, journalists, entertainers, spiritual teachers, and more on how Hinduism shapes their work and lives. All American. So Hindu. Brought to you by the Hindu American Foundation.<br /><hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

When will Kashmiri Pandits be able to really return home? | Vijay Sazawal

In this episode Samir Kalra and Rajiv Pandit speak with author Vijay Sazawal about his new book The Kashmir Chronicles, discussing the history of the region, the ethnic cleansing of the Hindu community more than 30 years ago, the corruption in government in the state, the abrogation of the Article 370 and Delhi taking a direct role in governing the region, the largely positive aftermath of that and the changes that have occurred in Kashmir, and when might Kashmiri Pandits be able to return en masse.  Buy: The Kashmir Chronicles Kashmir Forum Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

11-07
01:32:14

Hindu At Heart: Practicing restorative justice in New York City public schools | Hemanth Venkataraman

In this episode, part of Indu Viswanathan’s Hindu at Heart series, she speaks with Hemanth Venkataraman, a New York City-based educator and restorative justice practitioner about his life growing up Hindu in New Jersey in the 1980s and 90s, his time teaching in the NYC public school system and co-founding the Unity Preparatory Charter School in Brooklyn, and how he moved on to consult with schools on implementing restorative justice with School Culture Solutions. School Culture SolutionsSchool Culture Solutions on Instagram Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

10-17
01:35:44

Equating Hindutva with any kind of Hindu supremacy is just nonsense | Vikram Sampath

In this episode Suhag Shukla speaks with historian Vikram Sampath (author of the two volume definitive biography of Vinayak Damodar Savarkar) about the origins of Hindutva and misunderstandings about, its relevance for Hindus living outside of India, and more.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

09-26
40:18

A conversation about Hindu parenting with psychologist Kavita Pallod Sekhsaria and Suhag Shukla

In this episode HAF Board Member psychologist Dr Kavita Pallod Sekhsaria and HAF Executive Director Suhag Shukla have a wide ranging discussion about parenting as Hindus, the book Bad Therapy, how we can raise resilient children, the differences in parenting across the generations, and more.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

09-05
46:19

How Akṣarā is using the visual arts and design to pass on Indian culture | Jayanthi Moorthy

In this episode we're speaking with Jayanthi Moorthy, founder of the arts education organization AkṣarāWe talk about the importance of the arts in transmitting Indian culture, the role museums have in this and the limitations they have, issues of cultural appropriation in events such as Color Runs, and how drawing the traditional South Indian art form of kolam has both mental and physical benefits.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

08-15
43:51

Hindutva doesn’t start with Savarkar. It starts with the Bengali Renaissance. | Hindol Sengupta

In this episode Suhag Shukla speaks with author Hindol Sengupta about the origins of Hindutva as a philosophical concept, its relationship to Hindu nationalism, the inclusiveness of Hindu thought, the future of the BJP, and the US-India relationship.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

07-25
35:41

How the history of Hindutva and the RSS has been so misunderstood in the West | Walter Andersen

In this episode Suhag Shukla speaks with author and analyst Walter K Andersen about misunderstandings about the history of Hindutva, the goals of the RSS, the role of Hindutva in the Indian diaspora, and what the recent Indian elections mean for the direction of the BJP. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

07-04
38:10

All about the Third Nature: An expansive millennia-old Hindu framework for discussing gender and sexuality

In this episode HAF’s Raj Rao, Suhag Shukla, Vijay Satnarine, and Mat McDermott delve into how Hindu dharma traditions, for millennia, have recognized a Third Nature in gender and sexuality, how this framework both overlaps with contemporary LGBTQ categories and how it is distinct, as well as some guidance on how Third Nature individuals and their families can act compassionately rooted in dharma when addressing these issues. Read: HAF Policy Brief - LGBTQ Rights Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

06-20
49:48

Educating Hindus about our heritage and the science behind our temples, one video and workshop at a time | Prem KV

In this episode Mat McDermott speaks with filmmaker Prem Kumar about his documentary series on the sage Agastyamuni, his work educating Hindus about their heritage via his YouTube channel and in-person workshops.PremKV on YouTubeTatvamasi USA workshops Tatvamasi homestay Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

06-13
38:49

Raja Choudhury tells us all about Swami Vivekananda, America's First Guru

In this episode Mat McDermott speaks with Raja Choudury, director of the film America’s First Guru, streaming now on PBS, which tells the story of Swami Vivekananda’s first trip to the United States and the effect it has continued to have more than a century later. WATCH: America's First Guru on PBS Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

05-23
35:35

Hindu at Heart: Sneha Rao, from aviation engineer to Hinduism scholar

In this episode in the Hindu At Heart series, Indu Viswanathan speaks with Sneha Rao about her journey from the aviation industry to studying Hinduism, yoga, and Hinduphobia, and starting the Hindu Decoloniality group on Facebook. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

05-09
01:32:24

If you want to develop a deeper Hindu Lifestyle, Shawn Binda has something to say about that

In this episode we speak with Shawn Binda, creator of the Hindu Lifestyle YouTube channel. We discuss his inspiration for starting the channel, his take on contemporary Hindu issues from his Indo-Caribbean Canadian perspective, and much more. Watch: Hindu Lifestyle Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

04-25
35:00

What does the West get wrong about yoga? Far more than it gets right, say Shyam Ranganathan and Vijay Satnarine.

In this episode we have a moderated discussion about yoga, colonialism, attitudes about yoga that are coming out of the DEI space. Taking part in this discussion are HAF’s Vijay Satnarine and scholar Shyam Ranganathan, with Mat McDermott moderating.Read more about Shyam Ranganathan https://www.yogaphilosophy.com/bioShyam’s latest book: Yoga-Anticolonial Philosophy  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

04-18
46:03

What's the connection between NYC Mayor Eric Adams and Pakistan's PTI party? MEF Action's Benjamin Baird explains.

In this episode Samir Kalra speaks with Benjamin Baird from MEF Action on his new reporting detailing the financial ties between NYC Mayor Eric Adams and the Islamist political party PTI, founded by former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan, including the funding Mayor Adams has received from PTI affiliated groups registered as foreign agents in the United States.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

04-04
46:08

All about Anandi Joshee, the amazing 19th century Indian woman who become a doctor in the US

In this episode Suhag Shukla interviews author Nandini Patwardhan about her book Radical Spirits: India’s First Woman Doctor and her American Champions, a biography of Anandi-bai Joshee, who in 1883 as an 18-year old left Calcutta for the United States to study medicine, and who went on to become India’s first woman to earn a medical degree from an American college. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

03-21
33:56

Hindu At Heart: Aditi Banerjee

In this episode, the first of our Hindu At Heart series of interviews, Indu Viswanathan speaks with author Aditi Banerjee on a wide range of issues: Hindu sacred geography in Ayodhya and Varanasi, growing up Hindu in America, and a variety of other topics. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

03-14
01:31:14

Why is there zero representation of Indo-Caribbean Hindus in New York's textbooks?

For this episode Mat McDermott has a conversation with Sandy Rao, Dr Vishnu Bisram, and Dr Indrani Ramprasad about the Indo-Carribean Hindu community, the lack of representation of the Caribbean Hindu diaspora in New York City school textbooks, the current situation for Hindus in Guyana and Trinidad, and more. Resources mentioned in this episode:Viriah, Krishna GubliMaking Children Hinduphobic: A Critical Review of McGraw Hill’s World History Textbooks, Kundan Singh, Krishna MaheshwariSanatana Dharma and Plantation Hinduism: Exploration and Reflections of an Indian Guyanese Hindu, Ramesh GampatModern World History HMH Social Studies 2018 — used in John Adams High School Queens NYAmerican History HMH Social Studies 2018 — used in John Adams High School Queens NYFred Stella goes to Guyana, hears that Hindu gods are demons Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

02-23
58:10

Australian filmmaker Ravi Chand's latest film, Namaste Yoga, may leave you in tears

In this episode, Sheetal Shah speaks with Australian filmmaker Ravi Chand about his latest project, Namaste Yoga. Learn more about Ravi here: Warrior Tribe Films Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

02-08
29:42

All about the rising antisemitism on college campuses in the past three months | Carly Gammill, StandWithUs

In this episode Samir Kalra speaks with Carly Gammill, Director of the StandWithUs Center for Combating Antisemitism, about the marked increase in antisemitism expressed on US college campuses following the Hamas attack on Israeli of October 7th, and what can be done about this situation.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

02-01
01:01:22

HAF Shop Talk: All about Ram Janmabhoomi

In this HAF Shop Talk episode, Samir Kalra, Mat McDermott, and Dr Vijay Satnarine have a wide ranging informal discussion of the history and archeology of the Ram Janmabhoomi site, media's curious unwillingness to discuss the full history of the situation going back centuries, the capture of the discussion by Marxist historians, and more. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

01-19
45:58

Rohan Ramnathkar

Fantastic..validating. That was my life....thank you for covering this. Moved 8 times including, leaving the country twice and sent to the back of the GC line on 3 occasions till I finally gave up.

10-17 Reply

sum black

Really appreciate your effort as an Hindu American. you are a voice of India in America.

07-17 Reply

TruthSeeker

Amazing podcast, well done guys!

03-30 Reply

TruthSeeker

Keep up the great work bro!

05-14 Reply

TruthSeeker

Thank you so much!

04-06 Reply

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