That's So Hindu

In this one Mat McDermott speaks with Vira Tansey, an Ayurvedic healer and educator based in Florida about the practice of Marma therapy, how to use energetic pressure points in the body to heal, reduce tension, and live a more balanced life. Learn more about Vira at www.thesisterscience.com .  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode Deepali Kulkarni speaks with Soumyadip and Mohua from Stories of Bengali Hindus about the attacks the Hindu population in Bangladesh faced during Durga Puja 2021, getting banned on Twitter for sharing the truth about these attacks, and the legacy of the 1971 Bengali Hindu genocide, when some 3 million Bangladeshis, mostly Hindus, were killed. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy...

In this episode Mat McDermott speaks with Dr Indu Viswanathan and HAF executive director Suhag Shukla. They discuss the curious phenomenon of how stereotypes and misperceptions about Hindus and Hinduism that have their roots in colonial-era scholarship and thinking still get repeated today to negatively portray Hinduism, ironically too often by activists who are themselves anti-colonial in outlook...

In this episode Samir Kalra speaks with retired CBC journalist and author Terry Milewski about his book Blood for Blood: 50 Years of the Global Khalistan Project , going into the history of and present day activities of the movement for an independent Sikh nation of Khalistan, the horrific violence associated with it, and how that movement continues on to this day with the backing of Pakistan and,...

In this second part of Deepali Kulkarni’s talk with Vijay Sazawal, international coordinator for the Indo-American Kashmir Forum, and a senior member of the Kashmir Overseas Association, they discuss the most recent violence in Kashmir, the reality of the situation for Kashmiri Hindus today, as well as some more context on the Exodus.  Indo-American Kashmir Forum Kashmir Overseas Association  Host...

In this episode Deepali Kulkarni speaks with Vijay Sazawal, international coordinator for the Indo-American Kashmir Forum, and a senior member of the Kashmir Overseas Association. They have a wide-ranging discussion on the history of Kashmir’s accession to India in 1947, first-hand accounts of the ethnic cleansing of Hindus that happened in Kashmir 30 years ago, and what comes next for the region....

In this episode Sheetal Shah speaks with Jolly Yogi Bose, who recently had to put her yoga training to the test after getting lost and separated from her partners on a hike in the Sierra National Forest. Jolly explains how she stayed warm and focused through the frigid ordeal though yogic breathing and meditation exercises and was ultimately rescued. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more...

In this episode Deepali Kulkarni gets a report from one of HAF’s contacts in Bangladesh on the attacks directed and Hindus and Hindu temples in the past week, stemming from a social media post on Durga Puja. NOTE: This episode contains graphic recounting of physical and sexual violence experienced by Hindus in Bangladesh. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode Mat McDermott speaks with author Phil Goldberg about the importance and legacy of Paramahamsa Yogananda’s Autobiography of Yogi , on its 75th anniversary of publication. https://philipgoldberg.com   Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode Mat McDermott talks with HAF executive director Suhag Shukla and HAF managing director Samir Kalra about last month’s Dismantling Global Hindutva conference, Hinduphobia in academia, and why HAF has filed a  Title VI complaint with the Office of Civil Rights against University of Pennsylvania. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode Deepali Kulkarni speaks with Tashi Dhondup. Tashi is Secretary of the Office of Tibet in Washington DC — a senior member of the Tibetan Government in Exile, now called the Central Tibetan Authority. They discuss the challenges facing the Tibetan people living under Chinese occupation, the CTA’s Middle Way approach in dealing with the government of China, and what the international...

In this episode Suhag Shukla speaks with Dr. Indu Viswanathan. Viswanathan has worked in education for more than two decades as a teacher, curriculum developer, teacher educator, and non-profit research director. They talk about the conference on Hinduphobia she helped organize at Rutgers University, the problems with controversial upcoming Dismantling Global Hindutva conference, and how Hindu pra...

In this episode HAF Human Rights Director Deepali Kulkarni speaks with a Pakistani Hindu leader, who for his safety wishes to remain anonymous, about the latest attacks on Hindu temples and Hindus in Pakistan, and what’s going on with the young Hindu boy charged with blasphemy. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode HAF Human Rights Director Deepali Kulkarni continues her exploration of the history of why Indian South Africans have been targeted in recent violence, speaking with  South African Hindu community leader Yashika Singh. They go over how Indians were strategically placed as a buffer between other communities in South Africa during the Apartheid era, the challenges facing Indians toda...

In this episode HAF Human Rights Director Deepali Kulkarni speaks with South African Hindu community leader Lux Maharaj. They discuss the history of Indians in South Africa, and Africa more broadly, what led up to the looting and violence directed at South African Indians in the past few weeks, and what the Indian community there may be facing in the future.  More info: Gauteng Hindus  Hosted on A...

This weeks show is the audio version of a side event HAF held at the International Religious Freedom summit, held in Washington DC last week. The focus of the panel is the 1971 Bengali Hindu Genocide and the ongoing challenges of the Hindu population in Bangladesh. Featured speakers include HAF Human Rights Director Deepali Kulkarni, Dr. Richard Benkin, independent human rights activist and author...

In this episode Mat McDermott speaks with Grammy-nominated musician, multi-instrumentalist, and world music pioneer Jai Uttal. They discuss Jai’s path through sacred chanting, the evolution of the Western kirtan scene over the past several decade, and the line that separates cultural appropriation and cultural appreciation. www.jaiuttal.com Jai’s latest album “Let Me Burn” Hosted on Acast. See aca...

In this episode Mat McDermott speaks with Dandapani, a former Hindu monk turned international speaker. in the Saiva Siddhanta tradition, currently living at in Nosara, Costa Rica. Dandapani is now an international speaker helping people understand and leverage their mind and be the best version of themselves in order to live a life of purpose and joy. We discuss the retreat center and botanical ga...

In this episode, a rebroadcast of a recent HAF webinar, Samir Kalra speaks with Dr Michael Rubin, from the American Enterprise Institute, on contemporary politics in Pakistan and the region, the nation’s support for terrorism, and how this affects the United States. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode Suhag Shukla speaks Dr Prakash Shah a professor at Queen Mary, University of London. Dr Shah specializes in cultural diversity and law, religion and law, caste and law, immigration, refugee and nationality law, and comparative law. They discuss the Western conceptions of caste in India, the complexity of adding caste discrimination to law in both the UK and the US, and much more. ...

In this episode Suhag Shukla speaks with Ankit Bhuptani, the chairman and founder of the Queer Hindu Alliance in Mumbai, India. He is an advisor to corporations on inclusivity and diversity, the editor of a Gujarati literary magazine, and has participated in the Mumbai Pride Parade since 2010. They speak about being gay in India, the state of homophobia there, how the LGBT+ community is treated by...

In this episode Sheetal Shah speaks with Shreya Mahasenan, a junior at McGill University, in Montreal, Canada. Shreya founded the McGill Dharma Society, when she realized there was no Hindu representation for students. They talk about the hurdles she overcame to create the society, the future of MDS, and her strong Hindu faith, which she credits to her family.   McGill Dharma Society Facebook page...

In this episode Taniel Koushakjian speaks with Michigan state representative (and former HAF board member) Padma Kuppa. They discuss Rep. Kuppa’s journey from being an engineer to the first Indian American elected to the Michigan legislature, her passion for environmental advocacy, and her newly introduced legislation recognizing Diwali, Vaisakhi, Lunar New Year, and Eid in Michigan. Representativ...

In this episode Mat McDermott speaks with Parth Parihar. Parth is a member of the Board of Trustees of Hindu Students Council and a PhD candidate in economics at Princeton University. Earlier this spring he organized, along with Dr Indu Vishwanathan, a conference on Hinduphobia at Rutgers University, which brought together a wide range of speakers on the topic. We discuss the nature of Hinduphobia...

In this episode Sheetal Shah chats with Shivali Bhammer, the youngest recording artist to be signed by Sony BMG for bhajans and one of the Top 25 Under 25 South Asian music artists. Her two albums The Bhajan Project and Urban Temple have reached #1 on the iTunes World Music charts. Today, we talk about Shivali’s journey from working in finance to professionally signing bhajans, as well as her pass...