June 2022 Newsletter: Celebrating HfHR's 3rd Birthday!

July 1, 2022

HfHR's Monthly Newsletter serves as your guide to our progressive Hindu advocacy over the past month! Read on to learn about our webinars, podcasts, articles, advocacy updates, anti-caste initiatives, and more.

Dear Friend,

Today—July 1, 2022—marks HfHR's third birthday!

These three years have been a whirlwind time of growing, learning, exploring with some wonderful partners, ally organizations and transnationally, with activists, journalists and human rights advocates in India. Our work in the US comprises a diverse range of rapid response to rising incidents of violence against Muslims and minority communities in India and attacks on human rights advocates. Simultaneously, we also are working to proactively seed and nurture a progressive Hindu base in the South Asian American diaspora. Please consider supporting us as we grow from strength to strength. Your donation will ensure that we continue to challenge the impunity of the Indian government.

Donate to our birthday fundraiser!

As June rolls over into July, we can't fail to realize the increasing trend of hate and intolerance in India with Nupur Sharma's hate speech, Udaipur lynching, acquittal of PM Modi in the Gujarat riots case by Supreme Court of India and arrest of prominent human rights activists/journalists Teesta Setalvad, Sreekumar, Mohammed Zubair. Closer in the US, we have seen trampling of women's rights with the overturning of Roe v Wade judgement. In a recent conversation with Prof. VK Tripathi, we were fortunate to hear a beautiful ghazal written by him, attached at the top of this email. In these times of rising fanaticism, let us speak the truth and empathize with each others' pain!

It is in this spirit that, over the past month, we have sprung into action, continuing our advocacy for pluralism, civil rights, and human rights for all in a number of fields—including some powerful in-person events. Read on to learn more!

Fighting against Hindutva

HfHR, along with its partners, organized special Congressional Briefings regarding recent attacks on minorities in India, as well as illegal arrests and demolition of Muslim homes in India:

The attacks on Muslims and Christians have escalated in recent days, with the courts playing an extremely partisan role in siding with the perpetrators of religious violence against India’s religious minorities.

In escalating persecution of Muslims in India, two Muslims were shot dead by the police in Ranchi, hundreds of them brutally attacked by the police in different locations, and multiple houses, including that of rights activist Afreen Fatima, demolished across the country. At this briefing, we were joined by Afreen herself.

Our Advocacy Director Nikhil Mandalaparthy appeared on British Muslim TV to discuss the human rights of Indian Muslims.

HfHR also started a fundraiser in support of peaceful protesters against RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat's speech at the 2018 World Hindu Congress who have been targeted by Hindutva forces with an egregious lawsuit, which will help cover the legal costs and fees associated with the lawsuit.

Donate to the fundraiser

HfHR joined the Global Indian Diaspora across 8 countries to condemn the arrests of Teesta Setalvad, Sreekumar, Mohammed Zubair on trumped-up charges.

Read the full press release

Our Advocacy and Outreach Coordinator Pranay Somayajula appeared on Chicago-based radio show This Is Hell to discuss his latest article in Jacobin, about the ties between the Buffalo shooter's white supremacist ideology and the Hindu right's Hindutva ideology.

2nd Annual Reclaiming India Conference

HfHR, Dalit Solidarity Forum, and our partner organizations organized the second annual Reclaiming India conference, with the topic: Confronting Caste in Education! This event took place across three days on June 11, 12, and 16.

Day 1: Panel discussions on "Carrying the burden of caste to school: Middle Schoolers speak out" and "High School dreams and the shadow of caste" featured middle and high schoolers speaking out about the realities of caste in India's education system!

DAY 2: "Caste stigma in college hallways and beyond" and "Breaking Caste Barriers: Stories of Resilience" highlighted the realities of caste in college and beyond!

DAY 3: Special screening of the award-winning film Maadathy: An Unfairy Tale directed by Leena Manimekalai that unfolds the story of an adolescent girl born in an inhumanely ostracized lower caste group (Puthirai Vannars) but refuses to be defined by it!

Reclaiming India Conference: Confronting Caste in Education

Report on the Indian Temple Building Industry

HfHR and International Commission for Dalit Rights launched a new report on India's temple-building industry that is riddled by caste discrimination, joined by a panel of amazing speakers including Tamil Workers Network co-chair Ram Selvarajah, journalist and author Yashica Dutt, and RIGHTS-Kerala executive director Ajay Kumar.

Read full report here

Youth Initiatives

We are excited to announce the second series of our Ganesha's Tusk podcast, hosted by a 12-year-old Indian American named Samara, which provides a fresh perspective on Hindu epics, history, and mythology!

Listen to the latest episode!

HfHR Joins Protests

HfHR Executive Director Sunita and our friend and ally the Rev. Dr. Chloe Breyer joined the Union Square protest in New York City to raise voices against the US Supreme Court's recent overturning of Roe v Wade .

Watch the latest from HfHR and our friends at PAIGAM

In recent times we have seen the ubiquitous angry Hanuman ji around us. This episode of Voices Of Peace explores the shameful misappropriation of Hanumanji by the forces of Hindutva hatred.

In this episode of Voices Of Peace, a Gandhian named Ramesh Chandra delivers a powerful message of harmony and justice.

In this episode of Ulti Pulti Baat, we point out that Nupur Sharma's hate speech is not a one-off episode for he BJP. The party and its ideological partners are steeped in Islamophobia as if one must put down Muslims to be a good Hindu.

It's been a busy month, to say the least! We want to keep the intensity of this enthusiasm and passion going forward. Your support energizes us to build a bold and radically inclusive Hindu public voice which opposes Hindutva and caste, and prioritizes the rights of marginalized communities.

Once again, thank you for your continuous support and well-wishes!

With our love, gratitude and solidarity,

HfHR Board and Staff
Bidisha, Deepak, Harita, Nikhil, Pranay, Punya, Raju, Ria, Shanti, Sravya, Sunil, Sunita, Swati, Swathi, Urmila, Vijay

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We would love to hear from you! Write to us. Volunteer. Start a chapter. Hold a birthday fundraiser and raise both awareness and money! And please consider a donation to HfHR to help us grow our work and impact.

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