Pandit Anil Joshi (Broadening Narratives)

Description

Pandit Anil Joshi, 64, born in New Delhi, is a Hindu priest, teacher, and religious speaker who traces his lineage to a hereditary family of royal priests displaced from what is now Pakistan after Partition. The interview includes discussion of the title “Joshi” as an honorific rather than a caste, his family’s priestly and Sanskrit scholarly background, and the responsibility placed on him as the eldest son to continue ancestral religious traditions. He describes a childhood of joint-family struggle and post-Partition scarcity, his early work as a mathematics tutor in Delhi, and his long religious education in Sanskrit, astrology, Vastu, and Hindu scripture. He recounts coming to the United States through temple connections in New Jersey and later serving at the Hindu Temple of Lake County in Chicago. Other topics discussed include: Sanatan Dharma, vegetarianism, global warming, arranged marriage, intergenerational family values, astrology, Haridwar genealogical records, and his view of religion as duty, humility, and service to all.