Richa Karmarkar
Richa Karmarkar is an author at Religion News Service.
All Stories by Richa Karmarkar
In chic Soho, a Hindu temple offers itself as a spiritual oasis
By Richa Karmarkar — September 19, 2023
(RNS) — This weekend, members of the Broome Street Hindu temple in Soho will go to the banks of the Hudson River to perform the visarjan ritual of Ganesh Chaturthi. For some New Yorkers, it will be the first time participating in distinctly Hindu practices.
Hindu and Jewish Americans foster kinship through shared traditions, connections to homeland
By Richa Karmarkar — September 11, 2023
(RNS) — Hindu and Jewish organizations hope interreligious dialogue will aid in the broader goal of allyship between India, Israel and the United States.
On Janmashtami, Krishna devotees feed the Lord and the poor with their best vegetarian offerings
By Richa Karmarkar — September 7, 2023
(RNS) — This Janmashtami, ISKCON temples around the world will double up their Chhappan Bhog practice with a community food offering.
Young Hindu professionals get a crash course in keeping the faith
By Richa Karmarkar — August 30, 2023
(RNS) — In the heart of Flushing, Queens, a group of young Hindus came together on a recent weekend to discuss the modern implications of ancient sacred texts.
California’s caste bill passes key hurdle with 50-3 Assembly vote
By Richa Karmarkar — August 29, 2023
(RNS) — Senate Bill 403 exposed a rift among members of the South Asian American community over the prevalence of caste-based discrimination in the United States.
The ‘India problem’ under the surface at the Parliament of the World’s Religions
By Richa Karmarkar — August 18, 2023
(RNS) — Hindu organizations say they were uniquely singled out for their views on the contentious Indian political atmosphere, leaving some Hindus wondering why they must be tied to the politics of India at an event centered on cultivating harmony between the world's religious communities.
This India Day, Indian Americans want to be independent from politics
By Richa Karmarkar — August 15, 2023
(RNS) — For many, celebrating the anniversary of their ancestral homeland’s independence can bring tensions over the current political atmosphere there.
How India’s religious violence is becoming a problem for American politicians
By Richa Karmarkar — August 9, 2023
(RNS) — US politicians are under increasing pressure to account for their courtship of Indian Prime Minister Modi, the leader of a strategically important ally and the world's largest democracy.
Vivek Ramaswamy and the Christian language of Hinduism
By Richa Karmarkar — July 28, 2023
(RNS) — Like many Republican candidates for president, Vivek Ramaswamy has been outspoken about religion on the campaign trail. But his Hindu faith has caused controversy among some evangelicals who view non-Christian religions with skepticism.
Rare Einstein letter rebutting biblical creation story for sale
By Richa Karmarkar — July 19, 2023
(RNS) — The letter, written on April 11, 1950, to a group of Jewish students in America, is valued at $125,000.
The Hindus fighting against ‘caste consciousness’
By Richa Karmarkar — July 17, 2023
(RNS) — An ongoing fight in the California Legislature and the courts focuses not on caste discrimination itself but whether efforts to end it only make it worse.
Hindu advocates sue California, arguing bans on caste discrimination misrepresent beliefs
By Richa Karmarkar — September 28, 2022
(RNS) — At the crux of the HAF lawsuit is the question of whether caste is inherently tied to Hindu dharma.
Gen Z Hindu Americans reckon with faith and politics
By Richa Karmarkar — September 21, 2022
(RNS) — For Hindu American students looking to practice their faith absolved of politics, there is a distinct lack of places to turn.
How a small town in Wisconsin became home to four Dharmic houses of worship
By Richa Karmarkar — September 9, 2022
(RNS) — The Midwest has offered the South Asian immigrant families what it has offered any immigrant group: Space to call their own.
Recent incidents from New York to California buttress concerns about Hinduphobia
By Richa Karmarkar — August 26, 2022
(RNS) — The attacks come just weeks after a Gandhi statue was vandalized and desecrated outside a Queens temple twice in less than a month.
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