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.
Explore the fascinating world of Hindu calendars, which are diverse, regional, and primarily lunisolar with the use of leap months. Learn how festivals are timed using lunar days called tithis, understand the variations in calculations across traditions, and discover resources like Drik Panchang for finding accurate dates. The episode also touches upon how Hindus in the West navigate these traditions and the adaptability of festivals to local seasons.
In this episode, part of Indu Viswanathan’s Hindu at Heart series, she talks with psychologist and HAF Board Member Dr. Kavita Pallod Sekhsaria. They discuss Kavita’s life growing up Hindu in Texas in the 1980s and 90s, her path into psychotherapy, some of the issues related to this specific to the Hindu American community, as well as some of the challenges she’s seen as the oppressor versus oppressed worldview now dominates the field and professional associations of psychology. Hosted on Acast....
Michael Rubin joins Samir Kalra to analyze the recent terror attack in Kashmir, drawing parallels to Hamas's Oct 7 attack on Israel regarding tactics and state sponsorship. They discuss Pakistan's ISI involvement, potential US responses including targeting former ISI officials, state sponsor of terror designation, and blocking IMF funds. The conversation also touches on China's influence, Pakistan's promotion of separatism like the Khalistan movement, and the need for international accountability and a clear US stance supporting India.
In this episode Suhag Shukla speaks with Vijay Satnarine about how different parts of the Hindu Dharma Traditions approach vegetarian diets, how vegetarianism has gotten politicized in both India and the United States, debunk misconceptions and stereotypes about Hindu approaches to diet, and more Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
In this episode Samir Kalra has a wide-ranging conversation with India analyst Michael Rubin, a multi-time guest on the show. They discuss how the US is harboring Khalistani terrorists, the circles of influence of support for the movement in the US, the questionable asylum claims supporters of Khalistan have used to enter the US, how RICO laws could be used with these groups, US-India intelligence sharing, transnational repression issues, how the US needs to treat Pakistan far differently than I...
In this episode HAF Managing Director Raj Rao speaks with Texas State Representative Gene Wu. They discuss the rise in anti-Asian and anti-Indian sentiment in recent months and years, the history of anti-Asian law and policy in the United States, the commonalities the Chinese and Indian communities share in the US, and how to organize against bigotry. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
A special crossover episode from our sibling show All About Hinduism : One of the underlying themes in the first series of episodes of All About Hinduism is that this spiritual tradition is often misunderstood by those people outside of it. Some of this misunderstanding is basic exposure to Hinduism and Hindus. But sometimes, we Hindus ourselves are unwittingly to blame. If we want non-Hindus to better understand Hinduism and we want to ourselves better understand Hinduism, the way in which we t...
BR Ambedkar is rightly remembered for his role in creating the Indian Constitution and for his outspoken anti-caste views. Less known is how many of his views on hot button political issues in India today align far more with those of so-called Hindu nationalists than his contemporary supporters would have you believe. In this episode we speak with Dr Pankaj Jain about the unknown Ambedkar. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
In this episode Samir Kalra speaks with Sam Westrop from the Middle East Forum about their latest research detailing the millions of dollars that USAID has given to groups affiliated with Islamism, terrorism, and extremism; how Christian evangelical groups such as World Vision have been involved, in the name of providing aid in some of the poorest nations on the planet; how this filters into groups in Kashmir; plus, how Bangladesh figures into this all. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for...
In this episode Samir Kalra speaks with Akhil Ramesh of the Pacific Forum. They discuss a number of ways the US-India relationship may change under the new Trump administration, on immigration, trade, national security, how China figures into this, the essential unpredictability of the Trump administration, and more. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
In this episode we speak with economist Sriram Balasubramanian about his latest book Dharmanomics: An Indigenous and Sustainable Economic Model . We discuss what makes dharmic capitalism different from other regional varieties of capitalism, how this economic outlook extends back millennia to the kingdoms and empires of southern India and southeast asia, the role of temples in economic activity, the economic effects of the kumbh mela, and more. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more inf...
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 ma...
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 Solutions S...
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.
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....
In this episode we're speaking with Jayanthi Moorthy, founder of the arts education organization Akṣarā We 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....
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.
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.
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...
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 YouTube Tatvamasi USA workshops Tatvamasi homestay Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
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....
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....
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....
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/bio Shyam’s latest book: Yoga-Anticolonial Philosophy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
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....
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....
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.
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 Gubli Making Children Hinduphobic: A Critical Review of McGraw Hill’s World History Textbooks , Kundan Singh, Krishna Maheshwari...
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.
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....
