A Message to Hindu Youth in the Diaspora
By Sai Paravastu
In an age where headlines are increasingly shaped by selective narratives and digital echo chambers, it becomes critical for young minds, especially Hindu youth growing up overseas to navigate media with discernment, pride, and emotional intelligence.
Recently, a mainstream media article in Australia attempted to frame a horrific and deliberate terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir as an isolated incident, using words like gunmen instead of terrorists, and describing the region as Indian-controlled while entirely ignoring the deeper history and the sinister nature of the act. It avoided mentioning that Hindus were killed after being asked about their religion and completely failed to name and shame the perpetrators who are part of a long-standing network of cross-border extremism.
Unfortunately, such misrepresentation is not new.
For centuries, Hindus have faced systemic erasure across parts of South Asia, through invasions, forced conversions, destruction of temples, and deliberate distortion of our civilisation’s contribution to the world. Today, these attempts manifest in more subtle but equally dangerous forms, through misinformation, revisionist history, and media narratives that vilify India while shielding the very forces that propagate hatred and violence.
Let’s be clear: India is not at war with any nation. India is fighting terrorism. There is a profound difference.
As Hindu youth living in countries like Australia, New Zealand it is natural to feel confused or even disheartened when peers, or media figures present a one-sided view of these events. You may even feel pressure when someone wrongly equates nationalism with extremism or when India is portrayed as the aggressor.
But know this standing up against terrorism is not extremism. Speaking up for justice is not aggression. Feeling the pain of your community is not intolerance.
What happened in Kashmir is not an isolated act of violence. It follows a pattern seen across the subcontinent, from the continuing persecution of Hindus in Bangladesh, where temples are vandalised and minority voices are silenced, to Pakistan, where the Hindu population has declined dramatically from over 20% in 1947 to less than 2% today due to systemic discrimination, abductions, and conversions. These are not just statistics. These are stories of families, of children like you, who were never allowed to live freely or speak their truth.
As you grow and form your identity in multicultural societies, learn the history that is not taught in your schoolbooks. Ask your parents and grandparents. Speak respectfully, but firmly, when others misunderstand or misrepresent the situation.
And most importantly, never let bullying, bias, or ignorance make you question the value of your heritage. Be the bridge between cultures. Be informed. Be compassionate. But never be silent.
We are not here to preach division, but to uphold truth. The Hindu way of life teaches us Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam, the world is one family. But in a family, one must also have the courage to call out injustice when one sibling is being harmed.
‘Satyameva jayate’ so stand tall, Your voice matters. Your story matters. And the truth will always find its light through you.
