Priyadarshini Sen
Priyadarshini Sen is an author at Religion News Service.
All Stories by Priyadarshini Sen
Parsis in Mumbai fight existential decline in aspirants to priesthood
By Priyadarshini Sen — November 14, 2023
MUMBAI, India (RNS) — With steadily declining numbers, some of India’s Zoroastrians are looking to reduce the strain of becoming a priest in order to encourage more young men to devote themselves to the rituals that sustain the world’s first monotheistic religion.
How a Hindu architect became the ‘mosque man’ of Kerala
By Priyadarshini Sen — October 31, 2023
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, India (RNS) — With no formal training, Govindan Gopalakrishnan built at least 114 mosques, four churches and a Hindu temple.
In remote Himalayan desert, Buddhists, Muslims, Christians unite to protect land, heritage
By Priyadarshini Sen — March 2, 2023
NEW DELHI (RNS) — The movement has been effective because ‘faith leaders are trusted more than political parties,’ said one activist in the region.
Hindus only: How religious nationalism has spread through India’s villages
By Priyadarshini Sen — February 15, 2023
KADAPA, India (RNS) — A village of just 250 families put up a clear warning to non-Hindus wanting to enter.
Why they broke with Hindu nationalism: Four former zealots speak out
By Priyadarshini Sen — November 11, 2022
(RNS) — Participants in the destruction of a historic mosque 30 years ago, a signal event that led to a surge in Hindu nationalism in India, talk about their transformed lives.
Calling on saints and spiritual guides, activist advocates for Armenia’s vulnerable women
By Priyadarshini Sen — August 23, 2022
(RNS) — The director of the Women’s Resource Center looks to Armenia’s ancient spiritual traditions to stay strong against the rape and death threats she’s received over the years.
A priest overcomes India’s anti-Christian violence to lead interfaith dialogue
By Priyadarshini Sen — March 4, 2022
NEW DELHI (RNS) — The Kandhamal riots of 2008 stand out as a watershed moment in India’s history of mass violence against minorities. A Catholic priest who survived them wants to bring faith leaders together to get past that history.
Ancient Indian temples are designated ‘iconic,’ worrying preservationists
By Priyadarshini Sen — February 4, 2022
(RNS) — Promises of ‘better connectivity, more jobs and more tourists’ sound more like threats to some locals and conservationists.
In remote Himalayan India, Buddhist monks and Indigenous tribe fight government hydropower projects
By Priyadarshini Sen — October 14, 2021
(RNS) — The Buddhist monks have united with the nomadic Monpa to protest projects that could destroy the monasteries, hot springs and temples that dot the snow-capped Himalayan region.
In a Maoist-impacted region of India, an Indigenous activist continues to fight in memory of the children she couldn’t save
By Priyadarshini Sen — August 12, 2021
DELHI, India (RNS) — ‘In this land of fire and gunshots we have to keep fighting this ideological war against state repression and Maoist violence,’ said Indigenous activist Soni Sori.
Modi silent on Muslim philanthropist’s offer of medical supplies for India
By Priyadarshini Sen — May 24, 2021
NEW DELHI (RNS) — Modi once called on South Asian countries to 'chalk out a strong strategy to fight the coronavirus,' but his plans have foundered on mistrust and hostility between Pakistan and India.
Outcry over Jesuit priest Stan Swamy’s arrest tests Indian authorities’ anti-terror sweep
By Priyadarshini Sen — December 8, 2020
(RNS) — Swamy is among 16 writers and activists who have been arrested by the ruling BJP government for allegedly inciting caste-based violence.
Faith leaders pair with health officials to save India’s largest slum from COVID-19
By Priyadarshini Sen — December 1, 2020
(RNS) — The densely populated shantytown was the most vulnerable spot for the virus to spread, but Dharavi’s rate of infection is down to 11 cases a day.
A Catholic priest takes on interfaith fight against COVID-19 in a sacred Hindu city
By Priyadarshini Sen — September 21, 2020
(RNS) — Though anchored in Christianity, Mathew draws from a broad swath of spiritual traditions to reach his fellow citizens, including Mahatma Gandhi's ideas of cosmic consciousness.
India’s pioneering transgender activist defends gains in pandemic
By Priyadarshini Sen — July 7, 2020
(RNS) — After helping win a landmark court case for India’s transgender people, Ranjita Sinha has mobilized to counter the community’s drastic loss of jobs and health care during the coronavirus pandemic.
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