The Hindu Identity Crisis & The Mindy Project

There is an issue with how young Hindus see themselves, perhaps particularly in America.

I’ve encountered it again and again where someone identifies as Hindu because that’s what they were raised but they have no sense of connection to it and no idea what any of it means. There’s an “Oh, I guess I’m Hindu” but no attachment to it.

I think this comes across very clearly in the show The Mindy Project.

It’s wonderful to have a show where the main character is an Indian American Hindu. It’s also a great show. Funny, well written, and Mindy’s character is adorable. But it bothers me that her Hindu-ness is a small afterthought.

I realize that her character isn’t very religious and that’s just how she is. Fair enough.

But when she is seriously dating a Christian minister she goes to church and wears a huge cross necklace. The show takes us to church but we never once see even the outside of a Hindu temple. When her minister boyfriend asks her about converting to Christianity she seriously considers it yet we never see her weighing it against her Hindu identity. In the end she doesn’t convert and her only explanation is “I’m Hindu. We have elephants and stuff.” That’s it. Not even one sentence about what being Hindu means or why she chose to stick with her birth religion.

The main love interest for her is a Catholic and his religious beliefs get plenty of air time. One day he asks her, “What religion are you again?” and she says, “I’m obviously probably Hindu.”

Those are the only mentions of Hinduism in three seasons of the show even though she picks a white wedding dress (and her process of deciding that is never shown, she is never shown even considering a more traditional dress or color), she enthusiastically participates in Christmas parties but never mentions a single Hindu holiday, there are no images of anything Hindu in her apartment, the Hindu Gods are never mentioned by name, and when she says she’s going to be cremated her love interest says, “St. Peter doesn’t want a pile of ashes at the pearly gates. I’m going to have to vouch for you there.” Her only reaction to that is that she’s touched that he’ll vouch for her.

Why do the male characters get their religion shown and there’s not a single hint of hers anywhere in her life? I’m not expecting her religion to have a central focus. It’s not her character. But it really does surprise me that there’s no indication of her religion anywhere at all in her life. It doesn’t factor into her life in the slightest in any way.

To me this is like having a wrapped gift and putting it on a shelf and never opening it! (But yes, I realize I am biased!)

If you’re Hindu, find out what that means. Figure out what it means to you. There’s nothing wrong with expressing it in your life the same as anyone of any other religion does.

I wish I saw more Hindus valuing what they have. It’s a beautiful tradition with a lot of applicability to modern life. If it’s your identity, you deserve to know what it means.

This reminds me of a video I saw a while ago of young Muslims doing an outreach program at an American mall. They had a booth set up to put hijab on non-Muslim women and show them what they’d look like. You could see the enthusiasm and sense of identity radiating off the Muslim kids running the booth. Only one American of Indian heritage approached and when asked what religion she was she mumbled, “I guess I’m Hindu?”

I couldn’t help but wonder why there was such a sense of pride and enthusiasm from the Muslim young people and not a hint of it in the Hindu young person.

I have since learned that this is a common occurrence. A friend in academia told me that it is her Hindu students who feel the least amount of connection to their birth religion and culture. She suspects that it has to do with how Hinduism is taught in many American schools. Many young Hindus in America grow up with the message that their religion is “backwards” and “unsophisticated” and “oppressive.” Yet if anyone says those things about Islam those same young Hindus fight fiercely against stereotyping and show wonderful support for their Muslim friends and classmates.

I don’t mean to shame anyone for not being religious. Lots of people aren’t religious and that’s fine. But if Hindu is part of your identity, you owe it to yourself to find out the truth about it. Don’t believe what you hear in racist textbooks. Explore it for yourself and make a conscious decision about what kind of role it plays in your life.

This is not Mindy’s fault or The Mindy Project’s fault in any way. It is just reflecting a truth in Hindu American culture today. There is a lack of pride and there’s a lack of knowledge. I think it’s tragic for many of these kids that they’ve been lied to about what Hinduism means.

This video shows one young woman coming to understand Hinduism better. It’s a little stiff, but it’s the kind of story I’d love to hear more of.