Indian Religions

Indian Religions

episodes

Interviews with scholars of Indian religions about their new books.

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Shyam Ranganathan, "Moral Philosophy and De-Colonialism: The Irrationality of Oppression" (Bloomsbury Academic, 2026)

May 21, 2026

Moral Philosophy and De-Colonialism

Shyam Ranganathan
Hosted by Raj Balkaran

Why have moral philosophers largely ignored colonialism? In Moral Philosophy and De-Colonialism: The Irrationality of Oppression (Bloomsbury Academic,…

Kenneth G. Zysk, "South Asian Animal Divination: A Critical Anthology" (Brill, 2025)

May 14, 2026

South Asian Animal Divination

Kenneth G. Zysk
Hosted by Raj Balkaran

South Asian Animal Divination: A Critical Anthology (Brill, 2025) examines the history and practice of animal omen divination in South Asia, comparing…

Nithin Sridhar, "Chatuh Shloki Manusmriti: An English Commentary" (Vitasta, 2025)

May 7, 2026

Chatuh Shloki Manusmriti

Nithin Sridhar
Hosted by Raj Balkaran

Manusmriti occupies a prominent place in Indian textual tradition as one of the authentic sources of dharma. However, contemporary engagement with the…

Vidhya & Parani, "O Dharmaputri!: Indian Heart, Yogic Wings" (Garuda Prakashan, 2025)

April 30, 2026

O Dharmaputri!

Vidhya & Parani
Hosted by Raj Balkaran

A parent's heartfelt letter to their daughter, Uma—and you—on abundant and conscious living—with the light of timeless Indian wisdom. Standing at the …

The MANTRAMS Project: Mantras in Religion, Media, and Society in Global Southern Asia

April 23, 2026

The MANTRAMS Project

Carola Lorea
Hosted by Raj Balkaran

Carola Lorea discusses the MANTRAMS project, a major ERC Synergy Grant initiative jointly hosted by Oxford, Vienna, and Tübingen dedicated to producin…

Shameem Black, "Flexible India: Yoga's Cultural and Political Tensions" (Columbia UP, 2023)

April 23, 2026

Flexible India

Shameem Black
Hosted by Miranda Melcher

Yoga has offered the Indian state unprecedented opportunities for global, media-savvy political performance. Under Modi, it has promoted yoga tourism …

Gudrun Bühnemann, "Scholar, Serpent, Yogin, and Devotee: The Many Faces of Patañjali in Indian Traditions" (Brill, 2025)

April 16, 2026

Scholar, Serpent, Yogin, and Devotee

Gudrun Bühnemann
Hosted by Raj Balkaran

Scholar, Serpent, Yogin, and Devotee: The Many Faces of Patañjali in Indian Traditions (Brill, 2025) illuminates the many faces of Patañjali in Indian…

Karen O'Brien-Kop and Suzanne Newcombe eds., "Religion, Spirituality and Public Health" (British Academy, 2025)

April 9, 2026

Religion, Spirituality and Public Health

Karen O'Brien-Kop and Suzanne Newcombe eds.
Hosted by Raj Balkaran

Religion, Spirituality and Public Health: Competing and Complementary Epistemes (British Academy, 2025) focuses on exploring the role of different 'wa…

Asif Iqbal, "Bangladesh in Anglophone and Vernacular Literature: Cultural Imaginings of a Postcolonial Nation" (Routledge, 2025)

April 2, 2026

Bangladesh in Anglophone and Vernacular Literature

Asif Iqbal
Hosted by Raj Balkaran

Bangladesh in Anglophone and Vernacular Literature: Cultural Imaginings of a Postcolonial Nation (Routledge, 2025) illuminates individual and collecti…

Indology in Canada Conference: A Conversation with Dagmar Wujastyk

April 1, 2026

Indology in Canada Conference

Hosted by Raj Balkaran

Introducing a new conference to showcase the breadth and vitality of Canadian research on premodern India. We discuss the vision behind the conference…

Tulasi Srinivas, "The Goddess in the Mirror: An Anthropology of Beauty" (Duke UP, 2025)

March 26, 2026

The Goddess in the Mirror

Tulasi Srinivas
Hosted by Raj Balkaran

In The Goddess in the Mirror: An Anthropology of Beauty (Duke UP, 2025), Tulasi Srinivas offers a pathbreaking ethnography of contemporary Indian beau…

Ewa Debicka-Borek and Ofer Peres, "Routes, Patterns, Ideologies: Navigating Sacred Sites in India" (HASP, 2025)

March 19, 2026

Routes, Patterns, Ideologies

Ewa Debicka-Borek and Ofer Peres
Hosted by Raj Balkaran

Hindu sacred geographies are shaped by interwoven webs of myth, ritual, and pilgrimage. Routes, Patterns, Ideologies: Navigating Sacred Sites in India…

Margherita Trento et al., "For the Love of Tamil: Essays in Honor of E. Annamalai" (UnionPress, 2025)

March 12, 2026

For the Love of Tamil

Margherita Trento, Constantine V. Nakassis, Navaneethakrishnan Govindarajan, Sascha Ebeling
Hosted by Raj Balkaran

For the Love of Tamil celebrates the life and work of E. Annamalai (born 1938), the most prominent Tamil linguist of his generation. Spanning six deca…

The 4th Yoga Darśana Yoga Sādhana Conference

March 9, 2026

The 4th Yoga Darśana Yoga Sādhana Conference

Hosted by Raj Balkaran

The 4th International Yoga Darśana Yoga Sādhana Conference convenes 27–29 May 2026 at EHESS Paris, organized by CESAH. Theme: Authenticity, Authority …

Hillary Rodrigues, "The Supreme Refuge: Durgā's Transformation Into the Hindu Great Goddess" (SUNY Press, 2025)

March 5, 2026

The Supreme Refuge

Hillary Rodrigues
Hosted by Raj Balkaran

The Supreme Refuge: Durgā's Transformation Into the Hindu Great Goddess (SUNY Press, 2025) provides the first comprehensive examination of the Hindu G…

Amy Landry, "The Ocean of Yoga: A Complete Guide to Living the Teachings, Tradition, and Practice" (Shambhala, 2026)

March 2, 2026

The Ocean of Yoga

Amy Landry
Hosted by Raj Balkaran

The Ocean of Yoga: A Complete Guide to Living the Teachings, Tradition, and Practice (Shambhala, 2026) is definitive guidebook to the core principles …

Syona Puliady, et al., "Visualizing Devotion: Jain Embroidered Shrine Hangings" (U Washington Press, 2025)

March 1, 2026

Visualizing Devotion

Syona Puliady, Steven M. Vose and Lynna R. Dhanani
Hosted by Kshitij Jain

Textiles, embroidered with religious imagery, express lay piety in public and private shrinesThis beautifully illustrated volume highlights Jain devot…

Renny Thomas and Sasanka Perera, "Decolonial Keywords: South Asian Thoughts and Attitudes" (Columbia UP, 2025)

February 26, 2026

Decolonial Keywords

Renny Thomas and Sasanka Perera
Hosted by Raj Balkaran

Decolonial Keywords: South Asian Thoughts and Attitudes (Columbia UP, 2025) presents a set of keywords and concepts embedded in the languages of South…

Neilesh Bose, "Chips from a Calcutta Workshop: Comparative Religion in Nineteenth Century India" (Cambridge UP, 2025)

February 19, 2026

Chips from a Calcutta Workshop

Neilesh Bose
Hosted by Raj Balkaran

Chips from a Calcutta Workshop: Comparative Religion in Nineteenth Century India (Cambridge University Press, 2025) explores the development and natur…

Feminism and Critical Hindu Studies with Shreena Gandhi, Harshita Kamath, Sailaja Krishnamurt, and Shana Sippy

February 16, 2026

Feminism and Critical Hindu Studies

Shreena Gandhi, Harshita Kamath, Sailaja Krishnamurt, and Shana Sippy

This episode features a conversation with the founding members of the Feminist Critical Hindu Studies Collective, also known as the Auntylectuals. We …