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.

Mauni-amāvāsyā

From Hindupedia, the Hindu Encyclopedia

By Swami Harshananda

The amāvāsyā during the month of Māgha is called ‘maunī Amāvāsyā’. On this day people are advised to keep mauna or observe silence or behave like munis or sages, observing spiritual disciplines like satya or speaking the truth, brahmacarya or celibacy and so on.

However, this day is held to be extremely auspicious to have a dip in the Saṅgama or Triveṇīsaṅgama, the confluence of the rivers Gaṅgā, Yamunā and the subterranean Sarasvatī of Vedic fame, situated in Prayāga in Allahabad city of Uttar Pradesh. Every year lakhs of people gather on the banks of the rivers Gaṅgā and Yamunā at Allahabad during the month of Māgha[1] and the religious fair goes by the name ‘Māghamelā’. The biggest religious fair of the whole world, called ‘Kumbhamelā’ is held once in 12 years.


References[edit]

  1. Māgha comes in January.
  • The Concise Encyclopedia of Hinduism, Swami Harshananda, Ram Krishna Math, Bangalore