Book Conversations : Was Hinduism Invented?

INDICA is delighted to relaunch Book Discussion Sessions from Sep 2023 onwards. The sessions were initiated in 2019 by INDICA USA and had to be put on hold owing to the pandemic. The sessions will leverage books and writings by global intellectuals, and unpack scholarship about Indic Heritage and related topics. The program outline for a typical session is given below

• Schedule: Sessions will be conducted on a fixed/recurring schedule, weekends only. 
• Agenda: The agenda for each session will be to review a book or multiple books relating to a theme/topic, distil its message, and engage in productive discussions. The topics to be covered for each session will be announced in advance. Flyers will be posted online. 
• Location: The sessions will be hosted by Ram Lakshminarayanan in his home. Those living in the vicinity of Chicago may find it convenient to attend.  This will be an in-person event only. There will not be any recording or live broadcast. 

• Participation: The sessions are open to those interested in learning about Indic heritage and contribute to its promotion. 
• Registration: Registration is mandatory. Registration link is given

• Moderation: Each session will be moderated to maintain focus.

• Snacks: Lite snacks will be served. 
• Fee: There’s no fee for this event. Participation is free.  

This Second session will discuss Was Hinduism Invented? by Brian K Pennington on Sat, Nov 04, 2023 2:00-5:00pm US Central Time

About the Book :

Drawing on a large body of previously untapped literature, including documents from the Church Missionary Society and Bengali newspapers, Brian Pennington offers a fascinating portrait of the process by which “Hinduism” came into being. He argues against the common idea that the modern construction of religion in colonial India was simply a fabrication of Western Orientalists and missionaries. Rather, he says, it involved the active agency and engagement of Indian authors as well, who interacted, argued, and responded to British authors over key religious issues such as image-worship, sati, tolerance, and conversion.

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Details of the Third session given below:

Contact Information

Avatans Kumar, Head, Indic Academy US, avatans@indicacademy.org 

Nishant Limbachia, US National Convenor, Indic Academy, nlimbachia@indica.org.in

Ram Lakshminarayanan, US National Convenor, Indic Academy, raml@indica.org.in