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.

Barhiṣads

From Hindupedia, the Hindu Encyclopedia

By Swami Harshananda

Barhiṣads literally means ‘those seated on the barhis or sacrificial grass’.

Barhiṣads are a class of pitṛs or manes born of the sage Atri. They are described as the manes of demons like the daityas and dānavas as also demigods like yakṣas, the gandharvas and other similar beings. Sometimes they are described as one of the two classes of beings created by Brahmā, the Creator, the other class being the agniṣvāttas. They are members of the council of Yama, the Lord of death and perform māntric rites for the dead.

References[edit]

  • The Concise Encyclopedia of Hinduism, Swami Harshananda, Ram Krishna Math, Bangalore