One Year Later - Community Responses to Hindu Colonial Trauma series

Get access to my presentation series here.

A blue-skinned figure with long black hair dances in an ocean of dark turquoise water. They are wearing red and orange fabric that flies out around their body. The frothy white and turquoise waves rise up on right. Saffron and yellow sunset behind. — A Hindu community member was inspired by my series to make a series of art pieces using AI software on openai.com. More of the art pieces are shared below.
Image description: A blue-skinned figure with long black hair dances in an ocean of dark turquoise water. They are wearing red and orange fabric that flies out around their body. The frothy white and turquoise waves rise up on the front right. A saffron and yellow colored sunset is directly behind them and glows around their body.

After one year of being public, below are some responses I received from community members who watched my 1,000 Years of Hindu Colonial Trauma presentation series.

When I launched the presentation series, I talked about how, without understanding Hindu history, you cannot understand world history and you will not understand the roots of our problems today. All liberation movements around the world are in some critical way connected to Hindu colonial trauma.

Think about the people who say they understand Black issues in the US even though they have never studied the transatlantic slave trade, the civil war, segregation, redlining, the drug war, the school-to-prison pipeline, and on and on. Think about the people who say they understand Native issues in the US but have never bothered studying the genocides, the Indian wars, the reservation system, the smallpox riddled blankets, the boarding schools, missing and murdered Indigenous women, and on and on.

Think about how ignorant and racist and harmful such people can be. Think about how they often they say to Black and Indigenous peoples: “That was a long time ago.” and “Get over it.”

Then think about your appropriation of yoga, ayurveda, Indian food / clothing / music / art / science. Think about your casual acceptance of the western media’s narrative about India and Hindus. Think about your attitude towards Indian tech workers in the US. Think about how Hindus are often dismissed as a “model minority”.

Think about how, when Hindus try to talk about their history, many people tell them: “That was a long time ago,” and “Get over it.”

If you know nothing about Hindu colonial trauma, you are very likely causing a great deal of harm through your ignorance. This is why you need to educate yourself about this critical issue.

Get access to my presentation series here.

This is what other community members thought of the series:

“The research and presentation of evidence and facts in this is astonishing. This is decolonisation in its truest sense. It’s heartbreaking, traumatic, inspiring and enlightening all at the same time. This is a big step in our healing.”

— R in Australia

“Usually people discuss our history within some foreign framework (political ideology, Abrahamic lens, etc) to appeal to a Western audience, but Zarna authentically shared our indigenous perspective and THAT is remarkable.

Occasionally, I avoid learning about our history because it’s difficult to come to terms with the fact that our [...] civilization has been destroyed and stolen from us. However, from this presentation, I’ve become more firm in the idea that the first step to healing is to acknowledge our past.

I can’t imagine the emotional labor that went into the research and creation of this 9+ hour presentation. I commend Zarna for sharing her knowledge with such strength and confidence.”

— A Hindu youth in USA

Hindu art generated by community member using AI on openai.com.
Image description: A blue-skinned woman sits in the turquoise ocean waves wearing a red sari with orange and pink undertones. The sky shows a dim orange color of sunset and the orange cast of light from that sunset comes from the left side of the picture, off screen.

“Zarna’s lecture series helped me realize why I had always been uncomfortable and ashamed to be a Jew in America, and why that ultimately led to my rejection of my Jewish religion and culture.

More importantly, it helped me understand that Western imperialism is today an existential threat to indigenous peoples and dharmic cultures everywhere.

Finally, I (a leftist) now see that because American liberals and leftists unconsciously embrace notions of Western (global North) cultural superiority our ability to undermine white supremacy, patriarchy, and capitalism is impeded.”

— D in California

“The Hindu Colonial Trauma taught me so much history that would be hard for me to learn anywhere else. The history in this presentation is unfortunately not covered very much or very well in the U.S. school system. Zarna’s community is lucky to be able to learn from her about this history, which is still relevant and still important to the anti-colonial struggle today.

The first segment, which paints a picture of Hindu history before colonization, was my favorite part. As a teacher, I especially appreciated learning what Hindu schools were like before colonization.

Moving through the series is not always easy. Genocide and colonization are violent forces, and learning the details of 1000 years of this violence against Hindus is alarming and uncomfortable. I am grateful I had the opportunity to learn this hard and challenging history. I have discovered that learning about this history has deepened the way I read current day news about Hinduism. I am more able to notice when news outlets across the political spectrum use Hinduphobia, including well-renowned progressive publications.

I hope Zarna’s presentation on Hindu Colonial Trauma reaches many people on the left, so we can build better movements, starting with confronting the history of oppression that we have been ignorant, complacent, and complicit to.”

— S in Seattle WA

A dark-skinned woman sits in the dark ocean waves with an intense saffron sunset behind her and dark clouds above. Her figure is cast in shadow and her skin looks tinged with red from the sunset. The cloth of her garments fly out like multiple arms. — Hindu art generated by community member using AI on openai.com.
Image description: A dark-skinned woman sits in the dark ocean waves with an intense saffron sunset behind her and dark clouds above. Her figure is cast in shadow and her skin looks tinged with red from the sunset. The cloth of her dark garments fly out around her like the multiple arms of a Hindu Goddess.

“Watching 1000 years of Hindu Colonial Trauma is like taking a crash course in all the things that the Western education system, government, and media don’t want you to know, because it’s the kind of information that will shake you from the inside out. I came out of presentation after presentation with a greater knowledge of a history that would have otherwise been lost to me.

I can’t thank Zarna enough for putting so much of herself into the work, education, community, and support that she offers people. 1000 years of Hindu Colonial Trauma is not an easy subject to learn about. Some would say it’s “not for faint of heart” or some such thing, but I think it is. I think it’s important for everyone to learn truths. Especially the ones that have impacted and continue to impact the world we live in today.

Thank you Zarna for the honor of learning so much from you.”

— P in Portland OR

“Dear Zarna, you have opened my eyes and taught me that there is more to history than the colonial explanations I have received in textbooks and the news. Your historical presentation that weaves from 1000 years ago to where we we are now and the references provided has motivated me to read, research and probe deeper.

And thank you for your explanations about “fragility” and “denial.” They are especially valuable to help me in more critical thinking. I will be revisiting the episode on caste too. Thank you for sharing the origins of the word.”

— An elder in Seattle WA

A blue-skinned woman stands in the dark ocean waves with an intense saffron sunset dominating the picture behind them and dark sky above. Her long black hair flies out behind her. She is wearing a red and saffron sari that floats on the frothy waves. — Hindu art generated by community member using AI on openai.com.
Image description: A blue-skinned woman stands in the dark ocean waves with an intense saffron sunset dominating the picture behind them and dark sky above. Her long black hair flies out behind her. She is wearing a red and saffron sari that floats on the surface of the water with the frothy rising waves.

“This presentation series brought into sharp awareness the details of our history, where before I only knew the gist.”

— S in Pennsylvania

“This is one of the most impactful and important things I’ve ever watched. This series is meticulously researched, integrates various topics, and is truly unprecedented. There is nothing else out there like it. I’m eager for other Hindus and allies to watch this series.

I plan to show this to my kids when they’re teens and can contextualize and emotionally handle what’s presented, because this kind of education is not available elsewhere. Even before they’re teens, I will use what I learned to prepare them with the knowledge that they come from an indigenous culture that has suffered greatly under a millennia of colonization. I will use this series to teach them to recognize and correct the lies and distortions about our people.

Zarna put in a massive amount of time and labor to make this, and has taken on personal risks to present the truth. I’m grateful for her brilliance, dedication, courage, and commitment to truth and Dharma.”

— A in North Carolina

A light-skinned woman sits in the dark ocean waves with dark clouds dominating the sky and some hint of saffron sunset in the top left. She is wearing a red sari that flies out behind her in the wind and is holding a trident in her right hand. [...] — Hindu art generated by community member using AI on openai.com.
Image description: A light-skinned woman sits in the dark ocean waves with dark clouds dominating the sky and some hint of saffron sunset in the top left. She is wearing a red sari that flies out behind her in the wind and is holding a trident in her right hand. She also has curved horns coming out the sides of her head like an Indian cow.

“Zarna Joshi’s 1,000 Years of Hindu Trauma series is foundationally important work for the Hindu community, and for anyone committed to the honest, uncomfortable work of questioning what we think we know about the world. While her work is not formally academic, Zarna has taken up the critical inquiry and self-inquiry about Hindu history that has long been neglected and actively buried by dominant academic historians.

Traversing the painful historical and contemporary landscape of Hindu trauma, she has masterfully designed an exploratory framework that integrates the Dharmic concept of spherical time with the Western concept of linear time and history. This makes the series simultaneously decolonial, Dharmic, and accessible to the largely Westernized world. This unprecedented mapping of Hindu historical trauma reveals the layers of violence and gaslighting that the Hindu community has suffered for countless generations in the name of liberation, modernization, and progress. It is key to reconstructing Hindu identity and agency, and can profoundly expand our collective understanding about how the planet suffers from the continuous contemporary attack on indigeneity.”

— Hindu woman in New York NY

“Watching 1,000 Years of Hindu Colonial Trauma was challenging and enlightening. Zarna shared painful histories I hadn’t known and opened my eyes to ongoing Hinduphobia and anti-Hinduism. Now I regularly see it in the media and, thanks to Zarna, I can see through the dominant narratives with the narratives of the oppressed. So much research and heart went into this series... It’s a tremendous resource.”

— N in Seattle WA

Hindu art generated by community member using AI on openai.com.
Image description: A light-skinned woman sits in the dark ocean water under a dark night sky. She is wearing a yellow sari with an orange blouse. Her dark hair is put up in an intricate style with Indian gold head jewelry. The waves froth around her.

“I just wanted to thank you for your Colonial Trauma video series. It was so powerful and really life-changing for me in helping me see things from a completely different perspective, correcting things I had learned along the way, filling in gaps of things that I had wondered about, and giving me steps to becoming a better ally [...] to Hindus and India.

To list out all my blind spots and blunders relating to India and Hindus would make this email too long, so I will just say that I had little to no idea of about 80-90% of what you have presented in this series. What you have put together is truly masterful and I will watch it again when I have more time to take notes and do some more reading.

Thank you for your passion, your wisdom, and all the effort you put into sharing this!”

— C in USA

“The caste system video was mind blowing [...] I work in community development and know a lot about the impact of colonialism and slavery on black folks in America but didn’t know the same for my country.”

— K in USA

A light-skinned woman stands in the dark ocean water with a twilight sky and pale pink clouds above. She is wearing a red and orange sari and her long dark hair hangs loose down to her waist. She are wearing a golden crown and a golden necklace [...] — Hindu art generated by community member using AI on openai.com.
Image description: A light-skinned woman stands in the dark ocean water with a twilight sky and pale pink clouds above. She is wearing a red and orange sari and her long dark hair hangs loose down to her waist. She are wearing a golden crown and a golden necklace that hangs over her breasts.

“I was deeply moved and affected by your Decolonization video series and carry the knowledge and continue to integrate it as I walk my path. I have brought what I’ve learned into my meditation and yoga practice and continue to realize what an intense spiritual growth and devotional process it is to stand up as an advocate for the Hindu tradition, and reclaim a lost, traumatized, colonized identity.

I was also deeply grateful for your modeling of simultaneous righteous indignation and compassion as you went through the series. I feel very blessed to have happened upon it and it shed much light on contextualizing how fraught and mangled our heritage, identity, and history is by a very long history of colonization. Thank you, thank you, thank you, again and again!”

— Hindu man in USA

Get access to my Hindu Colonial Trauma presentation here.