Colonial Discourse and the Suffering of Indian American Children Book Cover.webp

In this book, we analyze the psycho-social consequences faced by Indian American children after exposure to the school textbook discourse on Hinduism and ancient India. We demonstrate that there is an intimate connection—an almost exact correspondence—between James Mill’s colonial-racist discourse (Mill was the head of the British East India Company) and the current school textbook discourse. This racist discourse, camouflaged under the cover of political correctness, produces the same psychological impacts on Indian American children that racism typically causes: shame, inferiority, embarrassment, identity confusion, assimilation, and a phenomenon akin to racelessness, where children dissociate from the traditions and culture of their ancestors.


This book is the result of four years of rigorous research and academic peer-review, reflecting our ongoing commitment at Hindupedia to challenge the representation of Hindu Dharma within academia.

Apri

From Hindupedia, the Hindu Encyclopedia

By Swami Harshananda

Apri literally means ‘gaining favor’.

Derived from the root ‘prī’ (to propitiate, to gain favor), the word ‘Āpri refers to a group of innovatory hymns belonging to the class of ‘yājyās’ (formulae of consecration). There are ten Āprī-suktas in the Rgveda.[1]

The yajamāna (sacrificer) has to choose from these verses according to his gotra (lineage). They are recited in the Paśubandha sacrifices. Chanting of these hymns will please the concerned deities and they confer boons on the person offering sacrifice.

The deities appear to be personified objects belonging to the sacrifice, like the fuel, the sacrificial grass, the enclosure and so on, all regarded as different forms of Agni, the fire-god.


References[edit]

  1. Rgveda 1.13; 1.142; 1.188; 2.3 and so on
  • The Concise Encyclopedia of Hinduism, Swami Harshananda, Ram Krishna Math, Bangalore