Hinduism is/was the culture of the Indian subcontinent. Western society defined religion as a matter of faith. In India faith was not exactly part of your culture. That was in addition to your culture.
Hinduism is a religion in modern times, defining it as culture of India is one of the stated aims of Hindu Nationalist movement. Culture is a pluralistic adventure, and winds across religious divide. Defining it as Indian culture means subjugating other religions, which is a Hindutva endeavour. In Punjab, after Aryan migration Punjabis didn’t have any stated religion until Islam and Sikh religion came along, co-opting the no religion stance before as Hinduism is a grave stance to take.
iamshs|6 years ago