Illustrator and poet Priyanka Paul became a target for a casteist and misogynist hate campaign by right-wing trolls after she posted an Instagram story parodying a recent viral video of an Indian-origin British spirituality influencer who goes by the username ‘wanderingkamya’. It is important to examine the context in which Priyanka was faced by this barrage of violent insults, and what it says about the Indian diaspora, caste, and right-wing narratives.
5. Where it all started: Celebration of Ram Mandir
Kamya made a celebratory post on August 5, the day of the ‘bhoomi pujan’ for the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya. According to the SC verdict, this temple will be built in spite of the unlawful demolition of the Babri Masjid by Hindu mobs accompanied by widespread violence. In her post, She referred to the ‘reconstruction’ of the Ram Mandir as a victory for ‘Indigenous heritage’, likening ‘Indian culture’ to Hinduism, and Hindu philosophy as the original ‘identity of the land’. Well versed with RSS narratives, she wrote,
“And the history of our land is just as beautiful as it is tragic. Millions of Hindus killed by invaders. Thousands of temples demolished. Mostly through Islamic conquest but also British conquest.”
While the post was liked by more than 23,000 people on Instagram, Kamya claimed that she received a lot of ‘hateful’ comments and messages. In response to this, she posted a video of herself crying out of distress caused by ‘Hinduphobia’, and it was this video that went viral.
