Two Pepe the Frog images with a Raita yogurt side dish in the background.

Raita (Indian Slang)

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Updated Feb 22, 2023 at 01:17AM EST by Rebecca Rhodes.

Added Feb 20, 2023 at 01:49PM EST by sakshi.

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About

Raita is an Indian slang term that is used to refer to a Hindu person that does not subscribe to extreme Hindu nationalist ideologies. "Raita" is an Indian yogurt-based side dish, and is referenced in the Indian idiom "raita phailana" or "raita phail gaya," which means "to make a mess of things." In Indian political slang, "raitas" or secular liberal Hindus are distinguished from "trad" Hindus, the latter of which consider sacred Hindu texts to be at odds with secular liberal and democratic values.

Origin

The term "raita" came under media scrutiny after the year 2016.[1][2] However, the word "raita" was used in relation to Indian politics as far back as 2014. Various internet users used the phrase "raita failana / raita phailana" to describe the politics of the Aam Aadmi Party, a localized Delhi party that ran on an anti-corruption policy. One such tweet was posted by Twitter[3] user @Niteshkhola on October 30th, 2014 (seen below).


Nitesh yadav @Niteshkhola Qualifications needed to join AAP:- 1) Anti Hindu 2) must inciting roits 3) Must not shy away from licking mulla's feet 4) PhD in Raita" 12:28 PM . Oct 30, 2014

The word "raita" or "rayta" also emerged as a phonetic evolution of the phrase "rayta winger," as shown in a July 2019 tweet by Twitter[4] user @kaushkrahul, where they say, "A typical sanghi is anyday better than a Rayta winger who just only rants from his couch." The tweet gathered nearly 100 likes in over three years (seen below).

Other early references to "raitas" were made by Twitter[5] user @ShefVaidya on September 10th, 2019 (seen below, left). On September 11th, 2019, Twitter[6] user @v169u posted a tweet claiming any Hindu that isn't "trad" is "not Hindu enough" (seen below, right).


@divya_16_- Sep 10, 2019 RW trads are by far the worst thing to happen to Indian Twitter. 137 25 Shefali Vaidya. @ShefVaidya 97 Replying to @divya_16_ Who is a RW trad and who is a RW rayta? 9:08 PM. Sep 10, 2019 4 Retweets 3 Quote Tweets 17 Likes ال (→ : ... ... @v169u. Sep 11, 2019 Let there be no confusion at all. 'RW Trad' means 'Hindu'. Anything else means 'not Hindu enough!. Shefali Vaidya. Replying to @divya_16_ Who is a RW trad and who is a RW rayta? 3 @v169u 17 3 @ShefVaidya. Sep 10, 2019 10 ₁ ←] ... All the rest of it is secondary detail. Despite the best of his claims, the 'trad' is hardly traditional, but in trying to be so, he at least starts to fulfill the basic criterion of Hinduness. In trying to be a lax Hindu, the rayta achieves nothing, loses everything. 12:07 AM - Sep 11, 2019

Spread

On September 29th, 2020, Twitter[7] user @Slytherintraits posted a tweet about trad/raita Hindu infighting, gathering over 400 likes in over a year (seen below, left). On November 14th, 2020, Twitter[8] user @narpungav1 posted a tweet using the word "Raita" and gathered over 400 likes in over a year (seen below, right). These tweets indicate the further popularisation of the term,


Sakshi @Slytherintraits Dear Right wingers, The left always wanted to create ruckus within the right wing, and I see they pretty much succeeded in doing that as all of you are wilding over being a trad or a rayta. Division in Hindus already exists don't start with that in RW too. Thank you:-) 8:58 PM. Sep 29, 2020 86 Retweets ... 5 Quote Tweets 491 Likes Narpungav @narpungav1 Gullible Hindus - who are not allowed even to administer their own Temples - experience orgasmic trips on hearing meaningless 'Vishvaguru' rhetoric by the raita orgs. 6:33 PM Nov 14, 2020 85 Retweets 5 Quote Tweets 452 Likes :

Various commentators noted the ideological divides that seem to exist between Hindu "trads" and Hindu "raitas," with Twitter[9] user @rahulroushan posting a tweet on September 2nd, 2021 about Indian actor Naseeruddin Shah being a Muslim "raita," gathering over 2,000 likes in over a year (seen below).


Rahul Roushan @rahulroushan Naseeruddin Shah is basically Raita Wing of Islamic world, where only Trads survive. As a Raita, I'm conflicted if should support Naseer based on some Universal Raita Brotherhood. desi mojito @desimojito • Sep 2, 2021 Secularism in a nutshell. #NaseeruddinShah Arfa Khanum Sherwani @khanumarfa It's not for us to certify who's an ideal/perfect Muslim. Only Allah knows who's the most virtuous of us all. Even I don't agree wd everything #NaseeruddinShah said but to say he used his identity to appease majority is an equivalent of 'SRK trying to hog limelight during Olympic' 1:18 pm 02 Sep 21 from New Delhi, India Twitter for iPhone I've been a fan of Naseeruddin Shah's acting but he should stick to films and steer clear of topics he has no knowledge about.. A non-practicing Muslim wants Islam to reform. I wish he had first practiced Islam before coming up with this appalling Sudoestion 3:10 PM. Sep 2, 2021 400 Retweets 14 Quote Tweets Why are so many Indian Muslims sitting up and being asked to condemn Taliban? Did they chose, elect or invite Taliban? Why are talented individuals from world of cinema falling into the trap of having to check on this? It's a tran and a Abdul Shahid @AbdulSh70309325 1h 2,094 Likes 5 ... Replying to @khanumarfa Islam is that simply follow Quran and follow sunnah of our Nabi that's it nobody asking add and deficit of Islam Islam allready fully complete since 1400 year back. Alhamdulillah 22 1 6 Farah Khan @Tree70546108 1h Replying to @khanumarfa As a Muslim only way to survive in India is, ... :

On August 12th, 2022, Twitter[10] user @zoo_bear posted a tweet about Hindu raita/trad infighting as well, gathering over 10,000 likes in over five months (seen below).

Search Interest

External References

[1] OpIndia – Trad Vs. Raita

[2] The Print – Trad Vs. Raita

[3] Twitter – Niteshkhola

[4]  Twitter – kaushkrahul

[5] Twitter – ShefVaidya

[6] Twitter – v169u

[7] Twitter – Slytherintraits

[8] Twitter – narpungav1

[9] Twitter – rahulroushan

[10] Twitter – zoo_bear

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