1 billion followers 33 million gods and goddesses You One of the world’s oldest forms of faith, Hinduism has an unbroken trajectory of beliefs and rituals that have passed on for many millennia through the footsteps of pilgrims and the pedagogies of theologists; through myth, science and politics. But what does all that mean to the modern Hindu today? Why do Hindus call themselves so? Is it merely because their parents were Hindus? In what way does the faith speak to those who profess to follow it? What does Hinduism mean to the everyday-practicing or sometimes-accessing ordinary Hindu? Away from the raucous debate around religions, this is the journey of a common Hindu— an attempt to understand why, for so many Hindus, their faith is one of the most powerful arguments for plurality, for unity in diversity, and even more than the omnipresent power of God, the sublime courage and conviction of man. Being Hindu is the exploration of Hinduism in a way you have never seen before—almost through your own eyes.

About the Author

Hindol Sengupta is the Editorat- Large at Fortune India. He is the author of Recasting India and The Liberals, which received praise from globally renowned economists and public policy experts. He has worked as a political interviewer on Bloomberg TV and as an anchor and reporter with the Indian editions of CNBC and CNN. Online ideas platform IdeaMensch included him on its list of 33 global social entrepreneurs who make the world a better place.