Episodios

  • Let's talk about Hindu parenting, with Dr Kavita Pallod Sekhsaria
    Dec 18 2025

    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.


    This show was originally published on September 5, 2024

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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    47 m
  • Hindutva is not Hindu supremacy | Vikram Sampath
    Dec 4 2025

    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.


    This show originally was published on September 26, 2024.

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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    41 m
  • Everything you wanted to know about sadhus*
    Nov 20 2025
    In this episode Mat McDermott and Devala Rees discuss many frequently asked questions about sadhus. What are sadhus? How many female sadhus are there and what are they called? Why do many sadhus smoke marijuana as a spiritual practice? Why do some sadhus carry weapons? How do you become a sadhu? And more.

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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    41 m
  • Here’s why Zoroastrianism is a dharma tradition
    Nov 6 2025

    In this episode Devala Rees lays out the similarities and differences between the ancient religion of Persia, Zoroastrianism — which is still practiced by a couple hundred thousand people today — and the Hindu Dharma Traditions. Their basic beliefs and practices, as well as when the traditions split off from one another.


    Learn more: Federation of Zoroastrian Associations of North America

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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    25 m
  • For Hindus the natural world is more than sacred, its embodied Divinity itself | Prof. David Haberman
    Oct 23 2025

    In this episode, originally published in 2023, we speak with Prof. David Haberman from Indiana University about his extensive work documenting how Hindus bring trees, stones, and mountains into their religious worship.


    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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    34 m
  • What Hindu Americans need to know about immigration today
    Oct 9 2025

    In this episode HAF Legal Director Needhy Shah speaks with immigration attorney Akanksha Kalra. They have a wide ranging discussion on immigration issues particularly applicable to the Indian American and Hindu American community, what is changing under the Trump Administration, what laws that have existed for some time but are being more strictly enforced, issues regarding asylum claims, Indians arriving without documentation at the southern border, and more.


    NOTE: This episode was recorded just prior to the proclamation of September 19th on changes to the H-1B program, so other than a brief mention that is not addressed. Once we have greater clarity on those changes, what parts of President Trump’s proclamation actually go into effect, for example, we will revisit that if it seems needed.

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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    1 h y 15 m
  • How does the HAF team celebrate Navratri?
    Sep 25 2025

    For this episode we have something a bit different for you. It’s a special episode for Navratri, originally published in 2023. We've interviewed several members of our extended HAF team as well as members of the Hindu American community about how they celebrate Navratri today, what they remember about the holiday growing up, and how their understanding of it has changed over the years. What you’ll hear are excepts from longer interviews our staff writer Syama Allard did with each person.


    Here are the full versions of some of these interviews, as well as some interviews that didn't make it into the episode.


    https://www.hinduamerican.org/blog/on-celebrating-navaratri-and-dussehra-through-the-lens-of-bhutanese-refugee-bhuwan-pyakurel

    https://www.hinduamerican.org/blog/on-celebrating-navaratri-and-dussehra-through-the-lens-of-hindu-american-samir-kalra

    https://www.hinduamerican.org/blog/on-celebrating-navaratri-and-dussehra-through-the-lens-of-iskcon-communications-director-anuttama-das

    https://www.hinduamerican.org/blog/on-celebrating-navaratri-and-dussehra-through-the-lens-of-hindu-american-kavita-pallod

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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    33 m
  • Setting the record straight about the craziest things people say about HAF
    Sep 11 2025
    For the Hindu American Foundation’s organizational birthday, coming up later this month, Mat McDermott, Suhag Shukla, Samir Kalra, and Raj Rao sat down to discuss and debunk some of the craziest things activists and adversaries say HAF does, believes, and sets out to do. Is HAF funding genocide in India? Are we trying to hide the Nazi origins of Hindutva? Fighting to preserve the right of Hindus to discriminate based on caste? Pinkwashing our Hindu supremacy? Working for the Government of India? Hating Sikhs and Catholics? No, no, no, no, no, and no.

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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    1 h y 7 m