UNITED STATES, April 3, 2026 (RNS): An education scholar and mother of two college students, Indu Viswanathan is no stranger to the challenges of misrepresentation in the U.S. public school system. She was first exposed to stereotypes and tropes surrounding the Hindu faith — which she and other practitioners say have persisted — as a grade school student in the 1980s. Now, Viswanathan’s newly released book, “Hindu at Heart: Education, Faith, and What It Means to Belong in America,” published by Briarcliff Press in March, challenges an inaccurate historical narrative of Hinduism conceived by Westerners. Refuting claims the religion is a pagan, irrational or un-American tradition, she draws on decades of research and firsthand engagement with families, schools and public institutions. At a time of increasing animosity toward Indian immigrants, the book aims to open a larger, timely discussion, said Viswanathan, who lives in New York City.

“The Hindu American and Hinduism experience is the site of study, but it’s speaking to larger themes right now in America — vis-à-vis education, purpose of education, immigration and religion,” she said in an interview with RNS on March 27. In describing “the Hinduism master narrative,” Viswanathan says, “This is the foundational portion of the book. The term “master narrative” is something that’s used in the U.S., in the West — not that it’s the correct narrative, but it’s the narrative that has dominant power. The master narrative about Hinduism takes up this idea of three parts of this endogenous cycle of Hinduphobia. One, that it (is) oppressive, regressive and irredeemable. The second part is that it then becomes a moral imperative to either change Hinduism from the outside or to actually get rid of it altogether. And then the third part is that anyone who tries to obstruct that is seeking to uphold the inherent repression, oppression and irredeemability of Hinduism.”

Read more of the interview with Indu Viswanathan at source.
https://religionnews.com/2026/04/03/in-hindu-at-heart-educator-discusses-hinduism-and-belonging-in-american-public-schools

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