Murali Balaji
Murali Balaji is an author at Religion News Service.
All Stories by Murali Balaji

My faith tells me my mother was liberated by death. On Mother’s Day, I still grieve.
By Murali Balaji — May 11, 2023
(RNS) — Navigating the Hindu belief that death leads to better things.

Symposium marks 130th anniversary of Swami Vivekananda’s arrival in the United States
By Murali Balaji — April 25, 2023
(RNS) — Swami Vivekananda’s tour of the United States would mark what would become the first exposure most non-Hindus in the West had with Hinduism.

How a Hindu parable about a sex worker inspired my bhakti
By Murali Balaji — April 20, 2023
(RNS) — A simple tale captures how Hindus have relied upon bhakti — unconditional devotion to the divine.

How Hanuman guided me as a son and father
By Murali Balaji — April 5, 2023
(RNS) — Once a fan of the Hindu deity’s superhero image, I came to understand him as a true model of devotion.

It’s Lord Ram’s birthday this week. Here’s why he’ll be remembered in six faiths.
By Murali Balaji — March 28, 2023
(RNS) — This week, millions will mark the birth of one of the most iconic figures in global lore.

Why Hinduism’s Holi is more than an explosion of color for the Indo-Caribbean diaspora
By Murali Balaji — March 8, 2023
(RNS) — The festival unites the descendants of people brought to the New World as indentured servants.

How John and Alice Coltrane’s music inspired a vision for American Hinduism
By Murali Balaji — February 22, 2023
(RNS) — They were two of the religion’s most impactful and unique gurus in its evolution into an American way of life.

How I stopped running from my name and embraced its connection to my Hindu faith
By Murali Balaji — January 3, 2023
(RNS) — For years, my desire to fit in overrode my sense of identity.

Why ‘proud Hindu’ Rishi Sunak’s rise to British prime minister is a big deal
By Murali Balaji — October 26, 2022
(RNS) — A Hindu now leads a country that for two centuries subjugated Hindus around the world.

75 years after India’s independence, a lost generation recovers its Hindu faith
By Murali Balaji — August 12, 2022
(RNS) — Indian Hindus who grew up after independence have never fully processed the trauma of colonialism.

Why Hindus should celebrate Black History Month
By Murali Balaji — February 17, 2022
(RNS) — Hindus have influenced the Black experience in America since W.E.B. Du Bois.

How American couples’ ‘inter-Hindu’ marriages are changing the faith
By Murali Balaji — January 10, 2022
(RNS) — The couples marrying and raising the next generation now are redefining what it means to be Hindu in America.

We could use a little more Hinduism in our approach to climate change
By Gopal D. Patel and Murali Balaji — December 22, 2021
(RNS) — Hinduism’s central tenet is seeing the divinity in all living beings.
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