Authors
HINDUISM TODAY magazine was founded in 1979 to inform and educate Hindus and non-Hindus alike about Hinduism. The material in this book was created over a period of four years in collaboration with Dr. Shiva Bajpai. It has been reviewed by a panel of academic experts and Hindu community consultants. In addition to HINDUISM TODAY, Himalayan Academy publishes numerous books, including What Is Hinduism?, Loving Ganesha, How to Become a Hindu, Weaver’s Wisdom, and the series Dancing with Siva, Living with Siva and Merging with Siva. It also publishes educational materials and storybooks for children. §
Dr. Shiva G. Bajpai served as Professor of History and Director of Asian Studies at California State University, Northridge, Los Angeles, from 1970 to 2003. As Professor Emeritus, he continued to teach from 2003 to 2009. He has BA and MA from Banares Hindu University and a Ph.D. from the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, UK. He has published numerous articles on Indian history and culture, and he co-authored the major reference work A Historical Atlas of South Asia. He served as a content review panel expert during the 2005 California adoption process for sixth-grade social studies textbooks.§
Academic Reviewers
Dr. Klaus Klostermaier
Professor of Religious Studies
University of Manitoba
Winnipeg, Manitoba§
Dr. Jeffrey D. Long
Chair, Department of Religious Studies
Elizabethtown College
Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania§
Dr. Anantanand Rambachan
Professor of Religion
St. Olaf College
Northfield, Minnesota§
Dr. T.S. Rukmani (chapters 1 through 4)
Professor and Chair in Hindu Studies
Concordia University
Montreal, Quebec§
Dr. Michael K. Ward
Visiting Lecturer in History
California State University
Northridge, California§
Community Consultants
Dr. Ved P. Chaudhary
President, Educators’ Society for the
Heritage of India (ESHI)
Morganville, New Jersey§
Suhag A. Shukla, Esq.
Co-Founder/Managing Director
Hindu American Foundation
Washington, DC§
Educational Reviewer
Justin Stein, M.A., Ph.D. student
Former New York middle school teacher
University of Toronto, Ontario§