This book is the result of a four-year long investigation spread across seven Indian states and uncovers the frightening face of New India—united by hate, divided by art.

4:00 PM - 6:00 PM (Pacific Time)
Bunche Hall, Rm 10383 & online

ABOUT THE PRESENTATION

Away from the gaze of mainstream urban media, across India's dusty, sleepy towns, a brand of popular culture is quietly seizing the imagination of millions, on the internet and off it. From catchy songs with acerbic lyrics to poetry recited in kavi sammelans (Hindi poetry recitals) to social media influencers shaping opinions with their brand of ‘breaking news’ to books rescripting historical events, ‘Hindutva Pop’ or H-Pop is steadily creating societal acceptability for Hindutva’s core beliefs. By cleverly inserting Hindutva into popular culture, H-Pop normalizes Islamophobia, demonizes minorities and vilifies its critics each day, without ever making headlines, thereby marking a new stage of communalism. The book, the result of a four-year long investigation spread across seven Indian states, uncovers the frightening face of New India—united by hate, divided by art.

ABOUT THE SPEAKER

Kunal Purohit is an award-winning independent journalist, documentary film-maker and podcast creator. Over the past two decades, Kunal has written on issues of development, politics, inequality while focussing more recently on hate crimes and the rise of Hindu nationalism. He is the recipient of the Ramnath Goenka Award for Excellence in Civic Journalism (2012), the Statesman Award for Rural Reporting (2014) and the UNFPA-Laadli Media Award for Gender Sensitive Reporting (2014 and 2019). 
Kunal has an MSc in Development Studies from the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) University of London as a Felix Scholar and a Bachelor’s in Mass Media from Mumbai University. His notable works include ‘Vanished: Inside India’s Bermuda Triangle’ (2022), an Audible Original nonfiction podcast, and ‘The Children of Nowhere’ (2023), a documentary film. He has written for Al Jazeera, ProPublica, The Times of India, Foreign Policy, Hindustan Times, South China Morning Post, Deutsche Welle and The Wire, among others. 

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Download file: Purohit-s5-bdf.pdf

Sponsor(s): Center for India and South Asia, The Sambhi Chair in Indian Music