Fighting the Growing Tide of Hindutva in the US: Sunita Viswanath on VIGILANT

"We are the kind of Hindu that stands up to say no to Hindutva, no to caste," says Viswanath.

Sunita Viswanath, executive director and co-founder of Hindus for Human Rights, joins Raghav Bahl on the second episode of VIGILANT.

(Photo: Kamran Akhter/The Quint)

"We are the kind of Hindu that stands up to say no to Hindutva, no to caste," says Sunita Viswanath, executive director and co-founder of Hindus for Human Rights, a non-profit based in the United States that works to counter Hindutva, especially among Indians abroad. "The Hindutva brigade was strong and growing across the diaspora. So we had the fight, of course, for our communities and families in India, but also right here where we live."

On 11 March, Viswanath and her team held a launch event in New York City for Hindus for Human Rights Action, a new political advocacy arm that aims to be "unleashing the political voice of progressive Hindus" in the United States. Viswanath joins us for the second episode of VIGILANT, a new podcast hosted by Raghav Bahl, editor-in-chief of The Quint, and discusses the rise of Hindutva beyond India, and the actions that she and others are taking to combat it.

On the podcast, Viswanath opens up about how the group 'Hindus for Zohran' was formed ahead of the mayoral election in New York City last year, and the impact it had. "Our Hindus for Zohran group was given credit for neutralizing Hindutva in the public narrative around Zohran's campaign," she says.

The podcast is a part of VIGIL, a new offering on The Quint that discusses and champions themes of pluralism and inclusivity in the Indian diaspora. VIGIL stands for Voice of India: Global, Inclusive, Liberal.

Watch the full conversation between Viswanath and Bahl, and follow VIGIL by The Quint on social media for the latest articles, interviews and podcasts from VIGIL.

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