Priyadarshini Sen

Priyadarshini Sen is an author at Religion News Service.

All Stories by Priyadarshini Sen

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.

Making his kitchen his pulpit, Indian priest highlights the pandemic’s hungry

By Priyadarshini Sen — May 21, 2020

(RNS) — D’Souza’s ‘Food for the Soul’ show has gained over 6,000 subscribers across India since Prime Minister Narendra Modi ordered a nationwide lockdown.

Woman Sufi saint inspires Badr Baabou, an LGBTQ activist in Tunisia

By Priyadarshini Sen — January 8, 2020

(RNS) — Badr Baabou, a Muslim LGBT activist and head of the Tunisian Association for Justice and Equality, draws inspiration from the 13th century Sufi saint Aisha Al-Manoubya.

Hindu nationalists open self-styled religious courts as a rebuke to Sharia law

By Priyadarshini Sen — October 4, 2019

ALIGARH, India (RNS) — Last year, the right-wing Hindu Mahasabha Party demanded the closure of all Muslim Sharia courts in India. When their petition was denied, the party set up its own unsanctioned courts across Uttar Pradesh, based on Hindu principles of justice.

A school where Muslims and Hindus pray together stirs strife in divided India

By Priyadarshini Sen — September 11, 2019

ALIGARH, India (RNS) — Founded to help poor children of both of India's predominant faiths, the Chacha Nehru's inclusivity has irked Muslim and Hindu leaders alike.

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