In this episode Mat McDermott speaks with Prof Chris Fici. What sets Chris apart is that he manages to stand balanced authentically in a couple of worlds that don’t always, shall we say, play well together: The academy and the world of devoted Hindus. He was born a Catholic and went on to be a monk in the Gaudiya Vaishnav lineage, before embarking to earn a PhD from Union Theological Seminary, in New York City.

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In this episode Suhag Shukla speaks with Aditi Banerjee. Aditi is a book author, essayist, and attorney, whose first novel, The Curse of Gandhari — which gives a perspective on the Mahabharata from the unique viewpoint of one of the matriarchs of the Hindu epic. Hope you enjoy it.

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In this episode HAF Director of Human Rights Deepali Kulkarni speaks with Bhuwan Pyakurel, a refugee from Bhutan who emigrated to the United States, settled in Ohio, and is now a city council member. He talks about what led to the Hindu community of Bhutan to be expelled from the Himalayan nation, the challenges of being a refugee in India, and his journey to and success he and his family have found in the US. Hope you enjoy it.

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In this episode Mat McDermott speaks with Mandar Apte. Mandar’s a former petroleum engineer turned filmmaker meditation teacher, and ambassador for peace. We discuss his documentary From India With Love, his work teaching police officers how to meditate, and how the pandemic his changed his teaching. More info: Cities4Peace. 

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Ravinol Chambers is the founder of the multi-award-winning Be Inspired Films. His work focuses on stories that cross boundaries, challenge our thinking and inspire change. After growing up in Ireland wanting to become a stockbroker, he instead became a monk in the Gaudiya Vaishnava tradition for most of his twenties and lived in Africa and India. He made his first film in Africa in 1995, while still a monk, and in 2009 made a full-time career of filmmaking. His first feature documentary ‘Road to Vrindavan’ was completed in January 2020. You can watch the film at its US Premiere on March 9th 2021. Tickets are available at at: https://slofilmfest.org/events/road-to-vrindavan/

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In this episode Samir Kalra speaks with author Rukhsana Hasib, who recounts her first hand experience during the 1971 genocide in Bangladesh, as well as providing perspective on how Bangladesh is faring today 50 years after gaining independence from Pakistan.

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In this episode Sheetal Shah speaks with artist Manjari Sharma about her groundbreaking work Darshan, her ongoing work How to Wear a Sari, plus much more. 

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In this special episode, recorded shortly after the inauguration of President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, HAF Managing Director Samir Kalra and HAF Director of Public Policy Taniel Koushakjian discuss how important issues for Hindu Americans are likely to fare in the next four years.

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