Hey there, you're listening to NPR's Book of the Day.

I'm Timbairmius.

Pop music is, you know, popular, and as a result, it can often reflect ourselves back to us.

And in the case of H-pop, journalist Kunal Peru-H-H-Pit argues that that's a dangerous thing.

H-pop reversed to Hindutvah Pop, a genre of music that promotes Hindu nationalist ideas

and one that's been gaining a lot of traction in India in recent years.

In a new book called H-pop, The Secret of World of Hindutva pop stars,

Peruhit argues that the music itself is often a vehicle for hate speech, specifically against

religious minorities and those who criticize the BJP, the party of India's prime minister, Narendra Modi.

He spoke about it with international correspondent Dia Hadid, who covers India for NPR.

That's right after the break.

In the U.S., national security news can feel far away from daily life.

Distant wars, murky conflicts, diplomacy behind closed doors.

On our new show, Sources and Methods. NPR reporters on the ground bring you stories of real

people helping you understand why distant events matter here at home. Listen to sources and methods on the NPR app or wherever you get your podcasts.

Here's NPR's Dia Hadid and journalist Kanao Peruhid.

They start off by talking about the origins of the genre.

When did it begin?

Like, is there a particular moment you can say this is where H-pop really takes off in India.

I think frankly it's difficult to pinpoint an exact timeline for this

because so much of this world, despite four years of trying to track it,

so much of this world is unknown.

...