Small Errors | Big Impact Correcting Media Portrayals of Hinduism mission. The Foundation’s work About HAF encompasses a range of issues, The Hindu American Foundation from the portrayal of Hinduism in (HAF) is an advocacy organization for K-12 textbooks to civil and human the Hindu American community. Its rights to addressing contemporary mission is to promote dignity, mutual problems, such as environmental respect, and pluralism in order to protection and inter-religious conflict ensure the wellbeing of Hindus and applying Hindu philosophy. for all people and the planet to thrive. The Hindu American Foundation HAF focuses on the areas of is not affiliated with any religious education, policy, and community or political organizations or to improve the understanding of entities. HAF seeks to serve Hindu Hinduism, advocate on issues Americans across all sampradaya impacting Hindus, and build bridges (Hindu religious traditions) regardless The popularity of yoga in the with institutions and individuals of race, color, national origin, West has skyrocketed in the whose work aligns with HAF’s citizenship, caste, gender, sexual Misrepresentation: orientation, age, and/or disability. Avoiding the Term past two decades, today forming a $16-billion industry, with 36 ‘Hindu’ million participants in the United ` “There are examples of this States alone. But as yoga has become mainstream in American in all devotional traditions— culture, all too often, its Hindu mystical Christianity, Judaism roots have been ignored or by the dichotomy between Hindu and Sufism, and especially in Frequent delinked. From yoga magazines understandings of their traditions the bhakti tradition of India…” Errors in Media and how they are described in to articles on yoga in mainstream mainstream media. Too often ` “…classic yogic texts such as media, avoiding or eliminating Coverage of media coverage of Hinduism relies Patanjali’s Yoga Sutra and the the term ‘Hindu’, even when Hinduism on stereotypical fallacies and the Bhagavad Gita…” referring to definitively Hindu analyses of non-Hindu “experts,” beliefs, practices, and scripture, Hindu Americans comprise one of who sometimes are not committed ` “Many people name ahimsa, is common practice. the fastest growing populations to understanding the tradition as the yogic precept of non- Replacing ‘Hindu’ or ‘Hinduism’ in the United States. The Hindu it is lived and understood by its harming as an influence on are terms such as Eastern, ancient American population currently adherents. their dietary choice.” Indian, Indic, yogic, or Vedic. numbers around 2.5 million. This While not entirely inaccurate, does not include the estimated The following examples are just ` “Contemporary yogic and articles in these same media 32 million people who derive a small sample of the common Buddhist teachers offer a outlets frequently refer to or inspiration from Hindu spirituality omissions, oversights, and errors quiverful of strategies for attribute directly other beliefs, and engage in Hindu practices in media coverage and public interrupting the tendency practices, and sacred texts to the such as yoga and meditation. discussions of Hinduism. Each to identity with thoughts appropriate, major world religion, typical error, derived from actual and emotions.” With growing numbers comes an references in print and broadcast including Buddhism, Christianity increased need for understanding media, is followed by broader Excerpts from three different and Judaism. For example, a of Hindus and their traditions. But context and detailed explanation articles Yoga Journal, June 2008 specific style of meditation may this need has heretofore been left in a collaborative effort to correct be referred to as ‘Buddhist,’ but unmet or, worse yet, undermined these inaccuracies. b | Small Errors/Big Impact: Correcting Media Portrayals of Hinduism Small Errors/Big Impact: Correcting Media Portrayals of Hinduism | 1 decidedly Hindu scripture, such as the monotheistic religion he The Vedas, Hinduism’s seminal associated with one of the four the Upanishads or the Bhagavad founded was more democratic scripture, make reference to varna based on the societal function Gita, or Hindu practices such as than Hinduism, rejecting caste different classes of people or their particular occupation fulfilled. bhakti (the path of loving devotion and embracing worshipers of varnas. In subsequent Hindu texts In ancient times, entire jāti were of God) and kirtan (singing of both genders and all races.” varna are described as a way of also known to shift between varna. devotional poems), are not understanding the diversity of Many studies have detailed this attributed to Hinduism. Taking On Rules to Ease Sikhs’ classes and human temperaments historic fluidity of caste boundaries. Path to the Army, New York Times, Hindu teachings and traditions found in any society, and how Over time, however, jāti-varna July 8, 2013 continue to be widely misunderstood each should contribute to the associations became rigidified. because of inaccurate or greater good. An individual’s varna Caste discrimination, even if stereotyped, caricatured “caste, Both caste-based discrimination is determined not by heredity, but carried out under the false color of cows, and karma” portrayals. and gender inequity are social through their aptitude and actions. religious sanction, is against Hindu realities throughout South Asia and Misunderstanding often leads to The four varna are: teachings of respect for everyone, bias, bullying, and discrimination. across communities of all religious regardless of caste, gender, or backgrounds. The story’s implication ❂ Brahmin (priests and teachers): Yoga as well as other Hindu spiritual Those who seek knowledge other material identities. practices, that benefit people of all that the Hindu religion is uniquely backgrounds, should be attributed and intrinsically discriminatory is ❂ Kshatriya (kings and warriors): as Hindu in the interest of accuracy, misplaced and erroneous. Those who seek power dispelling stereotypes, and improving The word ‘caste’ is derived from ❂ Vaishya (merchants and Misrepresentation: religious literacy. the Portuguese casta, for lineage, landowners): Those who seek to Portraying Debates breed, or race. There is no exact own land or engage in commerce equivalent term for ‘caste’ in Indian About Diets as Unique ❂ Shudra (artisans and laborers): languages or society, but what Those who serve or grow to Hinduism Misrepresentation: does exist is the dual concept of ` “Gandhi famously denied varna and jāti. The term ‘caste,’ Jāti refers to the occupation-based, Conflating Caste- himself food. And by starving in modern India, is primarily endogamous social units with himself to protest British Based Discrimination understood to mean jāti rather than which people actually identified, With Hindu Teachings varna, and is a feature across all and would be comparable to rule, he ultimately made religious communities. There are medieval European trade guilds. India stronger. But India’s ` “The first Sikh guru was born a four varna and thousands of jāti. Those who worked different leaders today are using food Hindu in the 15th century, but occupations became their as a weapon, and they are own communities. Over time, sacrificing not themselves, thousands of jāti formed in India, but others. Their decisions each with their own religious threaten to make India’s and social practices, including children — already among the numerous conventions governing most undernourished in the their interactions and perceived world — weaker still. hierarchies. The rules within each jāti were not tied to scriptures, In India you are what you as they were by passed down eat, and devotion to strict traditions and norms, and slowly vegetarianism is a trait became associated with birthright. common to many upper-caste Different Jāti became loosely 2 | Small Errors/Big Impact: Correcting Media Portrayals of Hinduism Small Errors/Big Impact: Correcting Media Portrayals of Hinduism | 3 Hindus. Some wield their diet the desires of strict vegetarians that they eat. Parents everywhere, like a badge of their status. as something unique to India and regardless of religion, naturally Misrepresentation: Others demand that people to Hindus, as well as something place such dietary restrictions on Hindus are Polytheistic around them — like children uniquely associated with caste. their own children without comment. ` “Hindus, for example, generally and household staff members In fact, the distribution of As for strict vegetarian Hindus reject the idea of a vindictive — eat as they do to maintain vegetarians in India cannot strictly refusing to eat in restaurants that god bringing destruction to the the purity of their kitchens. be discussed in terms of caste. also serve non-vegetarian food, world, said Ariel Glucklich, an They will not visit restaurants Regional and generational aspects similar self-imposed restrictions associate professor of theology that also serve nonvegetarian play at least as much of a factor in can be found amongst adherents at Georgetown University and a food for fear of being polluted.” determining whether any individual of other faiths, such as Muslims and Jews who only eat at Halal or specialist in Hinduism. Krishna Hindu is vegetarian as does their jāti New York Times, June 28, 2015 and other major gods who (occupation-based, endogamous Kosher establishments, or even strict vegetarians or vegans around participate in human history are In this article the