This study begins with the acknowledgement and realization that the assassination of qawwal Amjad Sabri, in Karachi, and the near-fatal beatings of baul folk artists in Bangladesh in 2016 is part of a post-9/11 phenomenon targeting syncretic trends in Islam and Hinduism in South Asia; and of muzzling democratic voice. Close to the heels of these targeting incidents are anti-Muslim measures and policies by the Indian government trying to establish the supremacy of Hindutva or Hindu nationalism(s). By studying South Asian creative folk and community-based traditions, revered and recognized worldwide, I give new direction to Critical/Cultural Media studies. Given its rich cultural diversity and traditions of religious syncretism, India is poised to be a moral leader if it chooses to take on the mantle.