Who Are These Mysterious Hindus?

DESCRIPTION
Booklet titled Who Are These Mysterious Hindus? by Godha Ram, published in 1922 in California. In the opening pages, Ram writes that there are "little over 3000 Hindus in the United States," among whom "300 to 500 belong to the refined, educated classes" while the rest are "farmers or farm-laborers […] scattered up and down the Pacific Coast." The text mainly attempts to explain various aspects of Indian society, history, and culture to the American reader, and goes into some depth about questions of race and caste. Of note, Ram describes the "high caste Hindus" as "light white or dark white" from the North, and the "lower castes" of Dravidian ancestry. The Dravidian Hindu, he explains, is not yet eligible for American citizenship. The text ends with a question and answer section about various aspects of India.

ADDITIONAL METADATA
Date: 1922
Language: English
Creator: Godha Ram
Location: Fair Oaks, CA

PROVENANCE
Collection: Mahesh and Ishwar Chandra Family Materials
Donor: Rani Bagai
Item History: 2012-12-11 (created); 2013-05-03 (modified)

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