Hindoo: A Novel

All siblings Vasant and Vinita want is their freedom, though for much different reasons.

 

At the dawn of the 20th century, Vasant, a budding revolutionary, is forced to flee his tiny Indian village when the British intercept his writings. Responding to an ad for lumber mill workers, he embarks on a journey to the United States of America, to work in a town called Bellingham, Washington. His younger, tomboy sister, Vinita, foists herself on his journey, seeing it as her chance to escape a life of domestic misery. Wanting a fresh start, she insists on disguising herself as a man, so she can get men’s work—at men’s wages.

 

However, they soon discover Bellingham is far from welcoming.

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Conditions are abysmal and many in town are not happy with this second wave of Indian workers--or “Hindoos” as they call them, who were brought in to take jobs at wages—and for long hours—that American workers would never accept. 

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Sensing the growing resentment toward the "Hindoos," an opportunistic newsman teams up with a desperate anti-Asian activist to organize a Labor Day rally aimed at boosting their careers and reminding lawmakers to put American workers first.

 

Despite the horrible conditions and hostile environment, the Indians thrive at their work. Vasant even finds love, and for Vinita it’s a time of personal awakening. But things quickly unravel.

 

Vinita realizes Bellingham isn’t safe for her and, with the help of a kind librarian, hatches an escape plan. Meanwhile, with the backing of a popular local thug, interest in the rally grows throughout the summer and tensions reach a boiling point by Labor Day.

 

As soon as the rally is over, a giant mob of white workers forms and marches through the streets of Bellingham, violently rounding up all the “Hindoos,” shoving them into the City Hall basement, and demanding they be sent back home.

 

The governor intervenes with a simple solution: he’ll send armed troops to escort the captives to the train station, where they can board trains to either Vancouver or San Francisco—just as long as they leave Washington state. Vasant and the other “Hindoos” are marched through the streets and put on the trains as the entire town comes out to cheer their departure.

 

Hindoo is a fictional account of the real-life events surrounding the riot that broke out in one of the first South Asian settlements in America. Although more than a century ago, it still resonates in this current age of anti-Asian and anti-immigrant fervor, white nationalist hysteria, fake news, surveillance, and outsourced jobs. Though just one incident in a long history of racial violence, the story of Hindoo will forever change the way you look at America—both its past and its present trajectory.