Do Not Make Hindus Ashamed of Their Identity

For the last thousand years, it has been forced upon Hindus in India that access to upward mobility of any kind comes with a non-negotiable implicit or explicit condition: erase your Hindu identity first.

Recent shocking incidents from corporate India – in 2026! – have exposed that this religious discrimination still continues in free, secular, Hindu-majority India.

This brings to mind the adage:“Sarkar kisi ki bhi ho, system hamaara hi hai”.

Recent Revelations from Corporate India

Screenshots of a 23-page internal document titled ‘Lenskart Staff Uniform and Grooming Guide’ recently surfaced online, stating that at Lenskart, “religious tikka/tilak and bindi/sticker” were not allowed.

The same guide explicitly permitted hijab.

It triggered heavy public backlash and rightly so.

Lenskart founder Peyush Bansal was forced to intervene and revise the policy – which now allows bindi, tilak, sindoor and kalawa alongside hijab.

Similarly, Air India’s Cabin Crew Handbook has gone viral showing prohibition on sindoor, tilak and kalawa, triggering similar backlash online.

Incidents from Schools and Colleges

Across India, incidents keep emerging where:

• children are asked to wipe off tilak before entering school
• students made to discard janeu thread before entering examination hall
• employees made to remove kalawa at workplace
• women asked to remove toe ring
• men banned from entering recreational spaces for wearing dhoti or veshti
  
  and so on.

In Jharkhand, a schoolgirl was beaten up by the principal of St Xavier’s School for wearing a bindi, and later died by suicide after the humiliation. 

In sharp contrast, institutions are increasingly normalising identity markers of other communities, such as the hijab, in dress-code guidance – even though such markers carry a documented history of segregation and pressure on others (read this, this, and this). 

In 2023, while hearing a case concerning a school in Damoh, Madhya Pradesh, where staff had allegedly forced Hindu girl students to wear hijab along with Muslim students, the Madhya Pradesh High Court ordered that hijab must not be imposed on others.

The Court also stated that Hindu students cannot be prevented from wearing kalawa, tilak, or other essential markers of their own faith, as had been the norm in the school until then.

Not Acceptable

It is high time that the ban – official or unofficial – on traditional Hindu cultural markers such as bindi, tilak, sindoor, kalawa etc, and on traditional attire such as dhoti or veshti in Indian workplaces, schools, colleges, recreational spaces and other institutions is REMOVED.

No Indian citizen should be made to feel ashamed of their Hindu identity in order to have fair access to employment, education and recreational spaces.

Traditional Hindu attire and cultural markers cannot be treated as violations.

They are an integral part of the unbroken cultural roots of India’s majority – the same roots that gave us the civilisational strength to win our independence and frame our own rules in the first place.

These discriminatory practices were institutionalised by bigoted invaders, looters and colonials.

There is no reason why their discriminatory malpractices and racist prejudices should have continued to be imposed on free Indians after 1947.

Let’s Change The Rules

Let us ensure the removal of all implicit and explicit bans on Hindu cultural markers such as bindi, tilak, sindoor and kalawa, as well as on traditional attire such as dhoti and veshti, in Indian workplaces, recreational spaces, schools, colleges and other institutions. 

Any restriction, if at all necessary, must be based strictly on specific, demonstrable safety or operational requirements and mentioned in writing.

Let us ensure that no teacher, manager, HR executive or authority figure should have unchecked power to shame, remove or unofficially discourage such markers.

Let us demand that every institution must create a formal mechanism through which students, employees and citizens can report such discrimination. 

What You Can Do

Complain if you see discrimination.

If you or your child is,

• asked to remove a bindi
• told to wipe off a tilak
• pressured to cut a kalawa
• Restricted or mocked for any other visible Hindu marker including dresses like dhoti or veshti
• denied entry, participation, marks or opportunity because of these, without any specific safety or operational requirement which that institution can provide in writing,

Then raise your voice.

1. Complain in Writing

We are providing some helpful templates for a written complaint.

A. For writing to authorities like the Human Resources Manager/Team Head/Principal or your Educational Institute.

Subject: Request for Written Clarification on Policy Regarding Traditional Hindu Identity Markers / Attire

I am writing to seek written clarification regarding the institution’s position on the wearing of [bindi / sindoor / tilak / kalawa / dhoti / veshti / other applicable item].

It has come to my attention that there is a restriction on this expression of traditional Hindu identity.

I request the following:

1. A written clarification of the institution’s official policy on this matter.
2. The specific grounds, if any, on which such traditional Hindu identity symbols or attire are being restricted.

Any arbitrary or selective restriction raises serious concerns regarding fairness, equal treatment, institutional neutrality and commitment to India’s cultural ethos.

Sincerely,
[Name]

[Contact details]

B. For writing to National Human Rights Commission (you can complain to NHRC here).

Subject: Complaint Regarding Discriminatory Restriction on Traditional Hindu Identity Symbols / Attire

I am writing to lodge a complaint regarding the discriminatory restriction / discouragement / prohibition imposed on the wearing of [bindi / sindoor / tilak / kalawa / dhoti / veshti / other applicable item] at [name of institution], located at [city/state].

It has come to my notice that there exists either an explicit or implicit restriction on such visible expressions of traditional Hindu identity within the institution. 

The relevant facts are as follows:

1. Name of institution: [Insert name]
2. Address/location: [Insert details]
3. Nature of restriction: [Insert what was said / written / enforced]
4. Date(s) of incident or enforcement: [Insert date(s)]
5. Person(s) involved, if known: [Insert names/designations]
6. Evidence available: [emails / messages / circular / photographs / witness statements / audio / video / other]

I submit that any unjustified restriction on traditional Hindu identity symbols or attire raises serious human rights concerns. Such conduct may violate the individual’s dignity, equal treatment, freedom of conscience, and right to participate in institutional life without being pressured to suppress a legitimate expression of identity.

I respectfully request the Hon’ble Commission to take cognisance of this complaint and seek a response from the concerned institution regarding its official policy.

Sincerely,
[Name]
[Contact details]

C. For writing to Rashtra Jyoti (office@rashtrajyoti.com)

Subject: Request for Reporting Discrimination Against Visible Hindu Identity

I am writing to request public documentation of an incident involving discrimination / restriction against visible expressions of Hindu identity at [name of institution / place] in [location].

The incident concerns [briefly mention: bindi / sindoor / tilak / kalawa / dhoti / veshti / other], and I believe it deserves wider public attention and proper documentation.

A brief summary of the incident is as follows:
[Insert 3-5 lines describing what happened, when it happened, and who was involved.]

Available supporting material:
[photos / video / screenshots / written policy / witness account / complaint copy / other]

I am willing to share further details and supporting material if required.

Sincerely,
[Name]
[Contact Details]

2. Spread The Message On Social Media

You may use these ready-to-post social media messages and hashtag sets to build awareness and push institutions to stop shaming Hindus for visibly practicing their identity.

1. Do not make Hindus ashamed of their identity. Bindi, tilak, sindoor, kalawa, dhoti and veshti are NOT violations. End the prohibitions NOW.
   
2. For far too long, Hindus in India have suffered an unspoken condition for upward mobility: erase your Hindu identity first. Recent incidents in corporate India show this mindset is still alive in 2026! End the prohibitions NOW.
   
3. We reject the underlying mindset behind such rules:
   Be employable, but less Hindu.
   Be educated, but less Hindu.
   Be visible, but not as Hindu.
   Be global, but without your Hinduness.
   Do not make Hindus ashamed of their identity. End the prohibitions NOW.

4. No manager, team head or principal should have unchecked power to shame, remove or unofficially discourage Hindu cultural markers. Every institution must have a formal mechanism to report such discrimination. End the prohibitions NOW.
   
5. No citizen should have to erase Hindu identity for fair access to employment, education or recreational spaces in India. Indian institutions must not continue colonial, invader-era contempt for Hindu identity. End the prohibitions NOW.

You may use these hashtags to amplify the message:

#DoNotMakeHindusAshamed
#DoNotShameHindus
#StopHinduShaming
#RespectHinduIdentity

You may use this poster:

3. Use these pointers to frame a proposed dress code model.

What Bharat’s dress code should be – a guide by Rashtra Jyoti founder Sanjeev Newar.

This is not a question of dress code alone. It is a question of dignity and self-respect. In a free India, no Hindu should be made to choose between opportunity and identity. The time has come to end these discriminatory norms, demand written accountability from institutions, and ensure that visible Hindu identity is treated not as a violation.