Shashi Tharoor, a serving Member of Parliament (Indian National Congress) of the Lok Sabha from Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala and the former under-secretary general of the United Nations, forms the subject of Divya Reddy’s article in the book 'Ten Heads of Ravana'. In popular media and for most aspirational urban Indians, Tharoor is seen as a slick and eloquent interpreter of Hinduism for the twenty-first century. Reddy shows that Tharoor’s work on Hinduism consists of an assortment of theories drawn from colonial Indologists and historians. These historians have been rejected because they used the colonized lens to conjure a history of India. They denied the indigenous origin of the country’s mainstream culture, instead giving credit to foreign ‘invaders’ while devaluing India’s cultural heritage by portraying it as less ancient than its true accounts. Considering Tharoor’s work on Hinduism and religious conversions, Reddy shows how he has distorted and misinterpreted the notion of ‘liberalism’ and ‘pluralism’ inherent in Hinduism to convince an average ‘Macaulaiyzed’ English speaking Hindu youth, who has no deep moorings in Hindu thinking. Tharoor’s eloquence, public persona and good use of English have catapulted him as a world spokesman on Indian cuture, but Reddy exposes his inauthenticity. Timestamps 00:00:00 Highlights 00:00:27 Introduction 00:02:34 The Influence of Sashi Tharoor 00:03:43 Hinduism is everything and nothing 00:05:40 Religious conversion 00:06:26 Aryan invasion theory 00:07:23 Misinterpreting the Vedas 00:08:46 Against Hindutva 00:10:05 Unanswered questions 00:11:05 Deconstructing Tharoor 00:13:24 How elastic is Hinduism? 00:14:53 S.T. facilitates cultural appropriation? Snakes in the Ganga - http://www.snakesintheganga.com Varna Jati Caste - http://www.varnajaticaste.com The Battle For IIT's - http://www.battleforiits.com Power of future Machines - http://www.poweroffuturemachines.com 10 heads of Ravana - http://www.tenheadsofravana.com To support Infinity Foundation’s projects including the continuation of such episodes and the research we do: इनफिनिटी फ़ौंडेशन की परियोजनाओं को अनुदान देने के लिए व इस प्रकार के एपिसोड और हमारे द्वारा किये जाने वाले शोध को जारी रखने के लिए: http://infinityfoundation.com/donate-2/

Deepthi Rao, a silicon valley professional from the LGBTQ+ community in conversation with Divya Reddy of Infinity Foundation discusses her journey as part of the LGBTQ+ movement in the US. She explains how the community exhibits Hinduphobia and has no tolerance for diverse views. She explains the coalition of the ultra-left and the Islamists in the LGBTQ+ movement. They also discuss Critical Race Theory, Wokeism and the Queer movement. Deepthi is an Indian immigrant in the Silicon Valley. She is a product leader and also the global Pride Advocacy lead for @Meta. She has deep interest in understanding our Vedic heritage and history, and how Dharmic concepts could be applied to current times to build a more equitable and peaceful society. Deepthi is starting ‘Indradhanush’: a community for Dharmic minded LGBTQ folks and allies. Please join here: https://m.facebook.com/groups/1396800871138076/?ref=share&mibextid=lURqYx Deepthi is working on a book based on her experiences as a Hindu LGBTQ leader. She can be reached at https://www.linkedin.com/in/deepthirao05 TIMESTAMPS 00:00:00 Introduction 00:00:39 A Journey of Self-Discovery 00:08:03 Indian LGBTQ in the US against India 00:10:33 LGBTQ against Hindu roots? 00:13:13 The Church of Wokeism 00:16:54 Why did LGBTQs end up in the Left? 00:20:56 Hinduism and homosexuality 00:23:40 Biased LGBTQ community against Hindus 00:26:57 Equality vs Equity 00:29:34 The importance of meritocracy 00:33:03 Queer theory 00:36:34 Sex change surgery in kids 00:38:52 Conclusion Snakes in the Ganga - http://www.snakesintheganga.com Varna Jati Caste - http://www.varnajaticaste.com The Battle For IIT's - http://www.battleforiits.com Power of future Machines - http://www.poweroffuturemachines.com 10 heads of Ravana - http://www.tenheadsofravana.com To support Infinity Foundation’s projects including the continuation of such episodes and the research we do: इनफिनिटी फ़ौंडेशन की परियोजनाओं को अनुदान देने के लिए व इस प्रकार के एपिसोड और हमारे द्वारा किये जाने वाले शोध को जारी रखने के लिए: http://infinityfoundation.com/donate-2/