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Nimisha Ladva stands with her daughter Himani Steingard, husband David Steingard and daughter Medha Steingard. The women are wearing brightly colored outfits, and everyone has big smiles.

(Left to right) Nimisha Ladva with daughter Himani Steingard, husband David Steingard and daughter Medha Steingard. Justin Kramon hide caption

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Justin Kramon

Religion

How to pass along religious traditions (without embarrassing your teenagers)

The Hindu holiday of Navaratri involves some complicated dance moves, passed down from parents to children. But as one mother discovered, the line between passing on cultural traditions and mortifying your teenager daughters can be perilously thin.

A mother passes on Navratri traditions to a teenage daughter

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A Hindu-Muslim dispute tests centuries of interfaith culture in India's Varanasi

An aerial view shows Gyanvapi mosque (left) and Kashi Vishwanath temple on the banks of the Ganges River in Varanasi, India. Rajesh Kumar Singh/AP hide caption

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Rajesh Kumar Singh/AP

Asia

A Hindu-Muslim dispute tests centuries of interfaith culture in India's Varanasi

Both faith communities have long shared this sacred city. But some Hindus have taken legal action over a mosque they claim holds idols of Hindu deities.

A Hindu-Muslim dispute tests centuries of interfaith culture in India's Varanasi

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Hindu priestesses fight the patriarchy, one Indian wedding at a time

Sharmistha Chaudhuri (center, wearing pink), 35, at her wedding in Kolkata, India, in January 2019. Chaudhuri found some Indian wedding traditions retrograde, so she hired four feminist priestesses to officiate at hers. They performed a multilingual, egalitarian ceremony stripped of patriarchal traditions. Sharmistha Chaudhuri hide caption

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Sharmistha Chaudhuri

World

Hindu priestesses fight the patriarchy, one Indian wedding at a time

The priestesses are part of a feminist push to make Hinduism more inclusive. Some have begun officiating at Indian weddings stripped of patriarchal traditions: No more "donating" brides to in-laws.

Hindu priestesses fight the patriarchy, one Indian wedding at a time

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How Hindus In Wyoming Are Celebrating Diwali, the 'Festival Of Lights,' Amid Pandemic

Diwali is known as the "festival of lights." But really, it's more than that. It is a new year for Hindus across the globe. It symbolizes the victory of light over darkness, good over evil and knowledge over ignorance. jayk7/Moment/Getty Images hide caption

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Religion

How Hindus In Wyoming Are Celebrating Diwali, the 'Festival Of Lights,' Amid Pandemic

Wyoming Public Radio

The holiday, which marks the new year, is observed over five days in various ways, from decorating with lights, praying at the temple and feasts with loved ones. Much of that is different this year.

How Hindus In Wyoming Are Celebrating Diwali, the 'Festival Of Lights,' Amid Pandemic

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At Site Of Razed Mosque, India's Modi Lays Foundation For Controversial Hindu Temple

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi (center) performs the groundbreaking ceremony of a temple dedicated to the Hindu god Lord Ram in Ayodhya, India, on Wednesday. Rajesh Kumar Singh/AP hide caption

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Asia

At Site Of Razed Mosque, India's Modi Lays Foundation For Controversial Hindu Temple

The 1992 destruction of the Babri mosque in Ayodhya by Hindu extremists sparked riots that killed thousands of Muslims, leaving a deep rift between the country's religious communities.

India's Supreme Court Orders Hindu Temple To Open Doors To Women, But Devotees Object

Devotees of Lord Ayyappa, the deity of the Sabarimala temple in India's Kerala state, protest a Supreme Court verdict in Ahmadabad, India, in October. The temple had barred women of menstruating age from entering the temple, but India's Supreme Court struck down the ban. Ajit Solanki/AP hide caption

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World

India's Supreme Court Orders Hindu Temple To Open Doors To Women, But Devotees Object

No women ages 10 to 50 have been able to reach the temple since the ruling in September. "I'll block younger women with my own body if I have to," says a woman who waited until age 53 to visit.

India's Supreme Court Orders Hindu Temple To Open Doors To Women, But Devotees Object

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Indians Are Partying And Praying For Elephant-Headed God Ganesh

Revelers in Mumbai hoist up a statue of the elephant-headed god Ganesh and parade it toward the Arabian Sea. Lauren Frayer/NPR hide caption

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Asia

Indians Are Partying And Praying For Elephant-Headed God Ganesh

For 10 days, they sing, dance, chant and pray at the feet of Ganesh statues, then submerge them in water. The festival was once used to circumvent British rule.

Indians Are Partying And Praying For Elephant-Headed God Ganesh

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