Dr. Anantanand Rambachan

Dr. Anantanand Rambachan is a Hindu theologian, author, and global interfaith leader whose scholarship centers on justice, dignity, and the liberation of all people. He was born in Trinidad and Tobago and grew up in a richly diverse society where differences in culture, ethnicity, and religion were part of everyday life. This early exposure to pluralism, combined with an awareness of the injustices his Indian ancestors endured under British colonialism, shaped his lifelong commitment to challenging systems of oppression and uplifting marginalized communities.

Raised in a deeply devotional Hindu environment, Rambachan learned his tradition through lived practice, community ritual, and the guidance of his priest-grandfathers. His intellectual and academic journey led him to India, where he studied in a Hindu monastery under Swami Dayananda Saraswati for three years. This experience sparked his call to theological study and teaching. Over time, exploring, learning from, and living among people of different faiths strengthened his belief that interreligious dialogue is both transformative and essential. Seeing Hinduism through the eyes of others, especially those who experienced aspects of religious life as exclusionary, pushed him to re-examine and deepen his understanding of his own tradition.

Rambachan is internationally recognized for advancing Hindu liberation theology, a field he helped pioneer with his book A Hindu Theology of Liberation. His work brings Hindu philosophy into urgent conversations about justice, including the liberation of LGBTQ people, women, and communities marginalized by caste. In a chapter titled “Liberation from Homophobia,” Rambachan incorporates Hindu scripture and philosophy to affirm sexual and gender diversity, challenging deleterious interpretations and countering colonial frameworks that fuel discrimination in South Asia. By reclaiming historical Hindu concepts such as tritiya prakriti (“third nature”), he highlights that gender and sexual diversity have long been recognized within Hindu thought, predating Western categories and colonial influence.

Beyond academia, Rambachan has played influential roles in major interfaith organizations, including the World Council of Churches, the Vatican’s interreligious initiatives, Harvard University’s Pluralism Project, and the American Academy of Religion. His career reflects a commitment to building relationships across religious boundaries, grounded in humility, critical self-reflection, and shared responsibility for justice.

For Rambachan, true fidelity to a religious tradition requires love and critique. He encourages faith leaders to be “committed and critical,” entrenched in their tradition while courageous enough to confront its oppressive interpretations. He believes justice-seeking communities must work collaboratively, fueled by hope even when the work is challenging. His vision for the future is one where religious traditions draw from their most profound teachings to affirm human dignity, resist prejudice, and stand with LGBTQ people and all who seek liberation.

Rambachan is currently the Professor of Religion at Saint Olaf College, Minnesota. From 2013-17 he was Visiting Professor at the Academy for the Study of World Religions at the University of Hamburg in Germany.

(This biographical statement was written by Tiarra Hill from information provided by Dr, Rambachan and was reviewed by Rambachan.)

Biography Date: October 2025

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