Episodes
In this episode we're speaking with Lavanya Vemsani, professor of history at Shawnee State University in Ohio, specializing in Indian history and religion. Her latest paper in the International Review of Modern Sociology is titled “Global Hinduphobia: Construed, Constructed, and Unleashed from the West” and that’s what we’re going to talk: Hinduphobia, the fallacy of Aryan Invasion Theory, and how to revamp the study of Hinduism so that a more accurate picture of Hinduisms past and present...
Published 04/13/23
In this episode we're speaking with Professor Jeffery D Long, who teaches religion and Asian studies at Elizabethtown College in Pennsylvania. This his second time on the show. And today we’re discussing a recent paper he’s written on the connections between deep ecology and advaita vedanta.  Read more: Advaita Vedanta and Its Implications for Deep Ecology Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Published 03/23/23
Do you want to know more about Hinduism? Like actually understand what karma is? Or what dharma means? Do you want to know what the sacred texts of Hinduism are? Or, maybe, you just want to know why Hindu women wear a dot on their forehead? Or, perhaps, if all Hindus vegetarian?  If so, then All About Hinduism is just what you’ve been waiting for. We’ll give you an overview of Hinduism as a lived and contemporary spiritual path. We’ll explore the history of how Hinduism has come to be what it...
Published 02/02/23
In this episode Suhag Shukla speaks with Andrew Jasko. Andrew was born into a minister’s family and became a preacher and missionary to India, after studying theology at Wheaton College and Princeton Seminary. After an agonizing crisis of faith, he rejected religion and spirituality. Later, after finding healing through practices like meditation, psychedelics, and breathwork, that introduced him to profound mystical experiences for the first time, he embraced Hinduism. He currently counsels...
Published 12/29/22
In this episode, Samir Kalra speaks with Dr Michael Rubin, from the American Enterprise Institute, about his recent trip to Kashmir and what he learned from speaking with Kashmiris about life after Article 370, as well what is needed to improve US diplomacy in the region.
Published 12/01/22
In this episode Samir Kalra speaks with Soundarya Balasubramani and Sameer Khedakar, co-authors of “Unshackled”, a practical guide for immigrants in the US to become entrepreneurs, solopreneurs, or just have more creative autonomy over their careers.
Published 10/13/22
In this episode Samir Kalra speaks with Puneet Sahani, coordinator of Sikhs for Enlightenment Association, a volunteer effort of Sikh researchers across the world, who are pushing back against Khalistani propaganda
Published 09/22/22
In this episode Samir Kalra speaks with Ohio state senator Niraj Antani about his career in politics, from being the youngest person elected as a state representative in Ohio, the only Hindu elected, to now being a state senator.
Published 08/18/22
In this episode Samir Kalra speaks with Akhil Ramesh, research fellow at Pacific Forum International. They discuss the current state of the US-India relationship, where it could be headed, the challenges that relationship faces, as well as some of the challenges the Indian diaspora faces due to skewed perspectives on current Indian politics.
Published 08/11/22
In this episode Mat McDermott speaks with Michigan State Representative Padma Kuppa, who serves the 41st House District. Padma is an engineer by training, who also served on HAF’s Board of Director for a number of years, before turning to politics. We talk about how she decided to focus on elected office, the connections between her Hindu faith and public service, the attacks she’s faced based on her Hindu identity, and some of the more contentious public policy issues we’ve faced in the...
Published 07/14/22
In this episode we’re bringing back HAF’s very own California Advocacy Director Easan Katir, who, doesn’t just do Hindu advocacy work, but rather since 1983 has provided wealth management for families, individuals, and retirement plans. Last time we spoke about Dharmic Investing in general. Today we’re talking about the current state of the financial markets, how to weather them, which sectors are doing well, and how to think about wealth management through the lens of dharma.
Published 06/30/22
In this episode Suhag Shukla speaks with Keith Sarasin. Keith is a chef, three-time author, restauranteur, and public speaker who grew up in a small city in New Hampshire. Keith learned to cook Indian cuisine studying with a home cook, and went onto study with archeologists and food historians from across India. Keith currently runs Aatma, a pop-up tasting experience showcasing food from the Indian subcontinent.
Published 06/09/22
In this episode Mat McDermott speaks with Dr Varun Gandhi, who describes himself as a life orchestrator, soulpreneur, an angel investor, philanthropist, and last but not least a water doctor.
Published 05/05/22
On Monday, May 2, 2022, National Public Radio’s Morning Edition ran a story titled, "Some South Asian Americans Believe Caste-based Prejudices exist in the US." HAF Executive Director Suhag Shukla was interviewed for the story and spoke to the reporter for over half an hour. The topic is extremely complex and the unintended consequences are serious for millions of Americans of South Asian origin. We’d like to offer listeners the interview in its entirety since only a few seconds were selected...
Published 05/02/22
In this episode, Deepali Kulkarni speaks to Dr Rajiv Pandit and Sidhi Raina about their reaction to seeing The Kashmir Files, the challenges in speaking up about the ethnic cleansing that the indigenous Hindus of Kashmir faced 30 years ago — including social media and real world professional harassment and doxing — and what they want the world to know about the Kashmiri Pandit Exodus.
Published 04/14/22
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.
Published 03/31/22
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.
Published 03/24/22
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.
Published 02/10/22
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, by extension, China.
Published 02/03/22
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.
Published 01/27/22
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.
Published 01/19/22
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.
Published 12/02/21
In this episode Suhag Shukla speaks with Anjali Rimi, a South Asian, Hindu, Canadian-American woman of trans experience, based in the Bay Area. Anjali is the president and co-founder of Parivar Bay Area, America’s only trans-led, trans-centering queer organization. Parivar Bay Area focuses on centering trans-equity and economic justice within the Indian and South Asian diaspora.
Published 10/28/21
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.
Published 10/19/21
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.
Published 10/14/21