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.

Keśavapaniya

From Hindupedia, the Hindu Encyclopedia

By Swami Harshananda

Keśavapaniya literally means ‘hair-shaving ceremony’.

Great kings and emperors used to perform the Rājasuya sacrifice. As one of the vows, they were expected not to cut the hair on the head or shave the beard for one year after the Daśapeya rite. This rite was a part of the bigger sacrifice. The ceremonial shaving of the hair after one year was known as ‘keśavapaniya’.

The procedure was very similar to the one described in the Atirātra sacrifice. Recitation of certain verses taken from the Ṛgveda was a part of this ritual.


References[edit]

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