Take a look at the image below this post. It is not from a religious website. It is from a market research website. In a completely neutral discussion about sampling methodologies for market research, a visual identity of one religion is embedded. They have just about one or two main identity markers. And one of them makes it into every communications platform across government or commercial or NGO sectors for the sake of multiculturalism.
Where are the Hindu visual symbols? We have hundreds to choose from. Yet not a single one makes it anywhere. Why? We can sit and mope that we are systematically excluded. Or we can sit up and develop a plan to infuse our visual identities into common communication platforms.
Having a Hindu visual identity commonly appearing everywhere will boost the confidence of Hindu youth and next generations. It is one of those small things with big impact. It will require systematic and collective work. It may have to start small. Amongst those who run their own websites. Like this forum. The forum can make a start by offering up Hindu visual identities in its background imagery; maybe carry a gallery of images custom-developed, that can be downloaded and embedded by other people in their own platforms, powerpoints, what have you. And from there on, a systematic plan will be needed to scale it up further.
Here...another image that completely makes Hindus invisible BUT highlights Sikhs as separate and, of course carries M visuals in multiple formats [Image credit: Twitter handle @anziluzi007].
As I said, we need to create and widely distribute Hindu visual images and lobby for their inclusion in promotional material by organisations.