Many Indian Americans will be celebrating the festival of Diwali this week. A scholar explains what this festival of lights means – especially in chaotic times.
Hindu cremation being performed on the banks of the River Ganges in Varanasi, India.
Photo by Tim Graham/Getty Images
Hindu philosophy believes the soul to be immortal. Death is considered to be the end of only physical incarnation, as the soul continues its journey of multiple births until its final liberation.
Prince Charles, accompanied by Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, and French president Emmanuel Macron greet one another with a ‘namaste’ in London on June 18.
Photo by Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images
Goddesses have traditionally protected against sickness and cured the ill, according to Hindu belief. More recently they have been coopted to combat AIDS and traffic deaths.
Krishna the charioteer guiding Arjuna in the battlefield of Kurukshetra.
Godong/Universal Images Group via Getty Images
As the COVID-19 pandemic exposes the risks of an interconnected world, Indian thinkers offer timely insights on how to understand our global community and act more wisely.
Nimai Hajong and his wife, August 2018. Hajong was born in Bangladesh and moved to India when he was an infant. The 58-year-old, now considered a “foreigner” in his own state, poses with paperwork supporting his right to citizenship.
A. Shamar/AFP
Anuradha Sen Mookerjee, Graduate Institute – Institut de hautes études internationales et du développement (IHEID)
On August 31, the final list of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) for the state of Assam, along the India-Bangladesh border will decide upon the future of millions of people in the state.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is garlanded after winning the elections.
AP Photo/Manish Swarup
Modi and the political party he represents are adherents of Hindutva, an ideology. It is fundamentally different from the faith, Hinduism.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses party supporters, standing next to his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) President Amit Shah at their headquarters in New Delhi, India, May 23, 2019.
(AP/Manish Swarup)
India's re-elected Prime Minister Narendra Modi delivered a victory speech that presented himself as a selfless and humble ascetic. This vision goes far to promote a Hindu nationalist 'new' India.
It might appear to many that atheism is a modern idea. However, in parts of Asia, particularly in India, atheism has been part of beliefs for thousands of years.
Celebrations for Kumbh Mela, 2019.
EPA-EFE/RAJAT GUPTA
Kumbh Mela is the world's largest congregation of people – so large, it's visible from space. However, river pollution is a major issue here and new solutions are needed.
Cases of so-called ‘forced conversions’ of Hindu women to Islam have been at the forefront of Pakistan and Indian news. But what about the women’s own choices?
J.S
With Pope Francis recently elevating a Pakistani archbishop as cardinal, a scholar traces the history of persecution of the 2.5 million Christians of Pakistan.
Mahesh Yogi (seated in front) who gained a following in the United States with musicians and artists.
Ben Merk/ANEFO, Nationaal Archief, NL
In the 1960s many Americans may have only known Hinduism through meditation, but the story of this country's relationship with Hinduism is much longer and more complex.
Sakya monastery of Tibetan Buddhism in Seattle, Washington.
Wonderlane
Only a few parts of Buddhism's much larger practice were transplanted into American soil in the late 19th century. Here's how Buddhism changed when it migrated.
Zarina Sodha, from Lakhpath Kachchh, Gujarat (western India), a folk singer.
Anjali Monteiro/KP Jayakrishnan
A crackdown on the beef and leather trades has put hundreds of thousands of Indian Muslims and Dalits out of work, vexing already-tense religious relations and hurting India's economy.