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Articles on Hindu

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This famous scene from the Bhagavad Gita, featuring the god Krishna with his cousin, Prince Arjuna, on a chariot heading into war. Pictures From History/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

What the ancient Indian text Bhagavad Gita can teach about not putting too much of our identity and emotions into work

A scholar of South Asian religions explains how one lesson from the text, ‘nishkama karma’ – or acting without desire – may be useful for navigating the contemporary workplace.
An image of a reclining Lord Vishnu with the alvar poets arrayed below him. The Nadar Press Ltd., Sivakasi, ca. 1920s. From the personal print collection of Archana Venkatesan and Layne Little

Love songs in Hindu devotion – the Tamil poets who took on the female voice to express their intense longing for the divine

In Hindu devotional poetry, love directed toward Vishnu can take many forms, including service, maternal adoration and the intense intimacy of lovers.
A crowd outside a cinema in Mumbai. A recent low-budget film about a discredited anti-Muslim conspiracy has sparked national debates and unrest. (AP Photo/Rajanish Kakade)

‘The Kerala Story’: How an Indian film ignited violence against Muslims and challenges to interfaith marriage

A controversial low-budget Indian feature film about a discredited anti-Muslim conspiracy theory has been causing a political storm, going all the way to India’s Supreme Court.
President Joe Biden meets with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2021 at the Oval Office. Sarahbeth Maney-Pool/Getty Images

Mr. Modi comes to Washington – The Indian prime minister’s visit could strengthen ties with the US, but also raises some delicate issues

The Biden administration is courting Indian leader Narendra Modi in part to deter China’s rise. But India’s decline in democracy could complicate relations.
The romantic image of the writer doesn’t do justice to the tedious reality of churning out words, one after another. fcscafeine/iStock via Getty Images

The 5,000-year history of writer’s block

Since the earliest days of the written word, students and scholars have pleaded for help from higher powers, a sure sign that writing and frustration always have – and always will – go hand in hand.
Paramilitary soldiers walk past Rapid Action Force (RAF) soldiers standing guard during security lockdown in Jammu, India, Aug. 9, 2019. The restrictions on public movement throughout Kashmir have forced people to stay indoors. All communications and the internet have been cut off. (AP Photo/Channi Anand)

Modi ushers in a new intolerant India and revokes multicultural democracy

India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he’s ushering in a ‘new India.’ But this new era is of ethnic majoritarianism and erases differences, dissent and the rights of minorities.
Hindu texts from thousands of years ago demonstrate acceptance of a ‘third gender.’ Today, transgender Indians, or hijras, remain visible members of society. AP Photo/Bikas Das

India’s sodomy ban, now ruled illegal, was a British colonial legacy

Before colonialism, India embraced homosexuality and gender fluidity. The Supreme Court’s repeal of a 157-year-old gay sex ban partially reclaims that history, but LGBTQ Indians still face hurdles.
Assumptions, authoritarianism and errors are just a few of the ways in which the world could be confronted by a nuclear disaster, physicist and disarmament expert MV Ramana suggests in his book reviews. Shutterstock

Worth reading in the Trump era: Nuclear nightmares, authoritarianism and climate change

A nuclear physicist and disarmament expert recommends reading on nuclear disasters, weapons, authoritarianism and climate change.
A 1765 painting of Helios, the personification of the sun in Greek mythology. Wikimedia Commons

How ancient cultures explained eclipses

The sun was worshiped as a deity in many cultures – and witnessing it get extinguished could be a particularly terrifying event.
Julie Pimentel

Can yoga be Christian?

A scholar explains how yoga is being Christianized in different parts of the world. But some Hindus and Christians argue that yoga is fundamentally Hindu.

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