In recent years, a quiet transformation seems to be taking place in the global Hindu community—one where the boundaries of religious practice are expanding to embrace cultural identity over strict rituals. From the diaspora to urban India, many Hindus are finding new ways to engage with their faith, where festival celebrations like Navratri and Diwali are often more about community and cultural pride than traditional worship. This shift raises an intriguing question: Is being a “cultural Hindu” becoming the new normal?
With its open, pluralistic approach, Hinduism (or Sanatana Dharma) offers a unique space for this evolution. Unlike many other religions, it doesn’t require adherence to a central doctrine or regular temple attendance to claim one’s Hindu identity. As a result, even atheists in the community continue to identify with the religion’s values and heritage. A recent *Pew Report* points to a rise in the number of people globally identifying as “non-religious” or “spiritual but not religious,” a category many Hindus seem to be adopting without abandoning their cultural roots.
In this Diwali Special, *Lotus* gathers reflections from a cross-section of prominent individuals to explore how their relationship with Hinduism is changing, and what it means to be a Hindu in today’s world—a faith where dharma, values, and personal integrity often speak louder than rites and rituals.
Festivals and ceremonies are a gateway to deeper exploration
~ Sangeetha Shankar
To me, being a Hindu means being ever curious about my relationship to myself and the world – living and nonliving – around me, pondering the meaning of it all, my existence beyond the material world, and finally, whether a divine entity sustains all of this and, if yes, my relationship to it. The Vedas answer these essential questions — who, where, what, when, why, and how.
In short, Hinduism is the exploration of the Infinite while being in the finite, with complete freedom, sans judgment. It offers tools and pathways through varied sampradayas, ceremonies, texts, gurus, and festivals—each with its unique technique, effectiveness, and significance that caters to different personalities, lifestyles, and intellectual capacities, thus being incredibly inclusive.
Our exploration of Hinduism reflects our inner quest and our ability to find and receive the answers. Whether fasting, garba, ceremonies, yoga, or scripture study, each is a gateway to deeper exploration, instilling qualities for our personal growth. For instance, during this year’s garba, I rediscovered the lesson of samarpan, or submission to Devi, while adapting to the constantly changing steps and dancers. This experience reinforced the values of flexibility and acceptance, inspiring me to trust Devi’s divine design for the people in my life. Can I dance through life regardless of the circumstances and people around me? So, the “how” of our quest to be a Hindu is immaterial! We will receive our lessons, nonetheless. That’s its beauty!
Lastly, what’s changed about being a Hindu is the fierceness of this quest. We suffer more by sacrificing ourselves to the “limited” world. Our forefathers knew better and hence pursued being Hindu with a singular focus –– my maternal grandmother, through her cooking and chanting, practiced Hinduism. She received life as a prasad, constantly growing and liberating herself from its grievances, thus being a true Hindu!
Sangeetha Shankar is the California Regional Director for the Hindu American Foundation. Based in Sacramento, she is a trained Indian classical dancer and an avid writer, contributing to the HAF blog, Medium and LinkedIn on Hindu advocacy and practicing Hinduism.
I’m free to be a religious and/or a cultural Hindu
~ Mamta Mishra
I’m a Hindu. I worship trees and plants, cows and animals, rivers and rocks, gods and goddesses. Believing in Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva, in Ganeshji, Durga Mata, Hanumanji is democracy and freedom at its best. As a Hindu, I’m free to be an atheist. Free to be a religious and/or a cultural Hindu. As a Hindu, I don’t have a boss or book I need to be afraid of. It doesn’t get any better! I feel lucky to have been born a Hindu. Happy Diwali. Jai Ganeshji. Jai Lakshmiji.
Mamta Mishra managed a Canadian charity and set up literacy projects in India. A vegetarian, she lives in Toronto and is ready to fly to Kashi in a heartbeat.
Cultural Hindus miss the higher reaches of their religion
~ Rajesh Sengamedu
In my book of short stories, Desi Dharma aur Dilemma, I write about ‘4M: Music, Mandir, Masala and Mufti’: (music, temple, food, and clothes) as just the first layer of culture – an external representation of the magic called India. Little do cultural Hindus realize it is just the visible layer – food, clothing, and symbols like bindi. The significance of the second layer, starting with temples, is lost on cultural Hindus, who struggle to make the connection between bhajans, puja, and their true purpose. How can we expect them to go deep to understand the third ritual layer of homas, samskaras, and various karma? Can we expect them to delve deeper to understand the theology / philosophical layer of Vedanta and ‘All is One’?
In his book, India’s Ancient Culture, Swami Krishnananda argues that ‘culture’ is a verb, not a noun. It is a process of purification of one’s mind. He says that human culture is the theme connected with efflorescence, development, onward progress, the extent to which perfection has been attained by a group of people or an individual, the greatest extent of the purification of their inner nature.
Cultural Hindus are lazy to apply rigorous thought to ask the question – why, and are more concerned about how, what, when, where. However, I see a revival in Hindu thought to learn more about our history of temples and the subtle communication about our outlook toward life. However, it is far from the force it should be. For these inquisitive people, Navaratri is not just about the fun of Garba, but it is to understand the significance of the nine forms of the Divine; Diwali is not just a pithy slogan of ‘victory over evil’, but it is the conquest of intellect by subduing the sense organs and bringing back the mind.
Rajesh Sengamedu is an Advaita Vedanta follower, writer, teacher, and sustainability professional with a consulting company. He has authored six books on living a happy and contented life. He teaches middle school students about Sanatana Dharma culture through Arsha Vidya Bala Gurukulam.
Our rites, rituals, and philosophy attract even non-Hindus
~ Dhawal Tank
The actual reality is that thousands are embracing Hindu ideals without any Indian cultural background at all.
I volunteered to help build Akshardham in Robbinsville, New Jersey. I had initially thought that this landmark would become a place of worship for Hindus.
I was wrong.
Instead, I see tens of thousands of people flocking to the mandir every week. Nearly half of them are not even ethnically Indian, let alone Hindu. They are fascinated and deeply touched by the rites, rituals, and philosophy of our Sanatana Dharma.
This October marks the first anniversary of the opening of the Akshardham Mahamandir. Hundreds of thousands of people have visited in just one year. They might have been inspired to visit Akshardham for art, architecture, or even the samosas, but they leave as pilgrims feeling deep spiritual satisfaction.
It is common to see people with tears in their eyes participating in the aarti ritual for the first time. I am seeing friends who had long become culturally Hindu become curious about the intentions and meanings behind our festivals and practices.
At corporations across America, we see Hindu speakers, coaches, and influencers capturing large audiences and sharing ideas that form the bedrock of our dharma.
From my experience, cultural Hindus are one spiritual experience away from having a spark ignited in them to seek deeper.
People find this through meditation, yoga, and reading the Bhagavad Gita or the Puranas.
All it takes is one moment.
Dhawal Tank is a youth volunteer for BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha. He currently resides in Dallas, TX and works as a marketing consultant.
Illustration by Vedant Chopra for Lotus
For second part of this 3-part series go here.
Festivals have a social impact, and an opportunity to nourish the soul
