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A Letter To Concerned Hindu Indian American Parents
February 29, 2020
Dearest concerned Hindu Indian American parent,
I hear stories of anguish that your American-born children have suddenly turned against you — worse, against Hinduism itself — after spending a semester or two in college. They are making stunning accusations about you and about Hinduism that leave you speechless. Afraid. Where did this come from? The colleges are corrupted, you commiserate with other Hindu parents; the South Asian studies and Indology departments are filled with professors peddling anti-Hindu half-truths. And, of course, all around us, every kind of media — social media, news media, entertainment media — proclaims horrible and degrading things about Hinduism to your neighbors and coworkers. Politicians and entertainers repeat these messages — that India has become a dangerous, Islamophobic place because of Hindu nationalism. All of these concerns and critiques are valid; these are realities we have to face (and battle) as Hindu Americans.
But you thought that because you had raised your children in Hindu homes, immersed in bhakti and itihasa, with weekly Bala Vihar classes and annual trips to India, that the sincerity of your offering would inoculate them from taking any of those lies seriously.
