Can we leave faith alone?
Harbhajan Singh has made it a status symbol for being in the news for all the wrong reasons and what he did for that on a reality show, the other week, truly takes the cake.
To some it would be hilarious to see Sita and Ravana doing a close body jig on janeja you're my love, you're my love... but for those who take their faith seriously (and there are many who do so) it was not just outrageous but also in extremely bad taste, reeking of insensitivity and a total lack of respect to religious sentiment.
Such acts often prop up on the world firmament, that too in the name of artistic licence. Maqbool Fida Hussain has been disrobing Hindu goddesses in the name of art. A Danish cartoonist was on a death run for lampooning Prophet Mohammad.
Then there was the California-based website cafepress.com which was brazenly selling undergarments with images of Hindu Goddesses. Not to mention a yet again American company which put Lord Shiva, Ganesha and Goddess Gayatri on the top and sides of their exclusive platform shoe line. Of course, there was this hara-kiri with our father of the nation Mahatma Gandhi who briefly appeared on a condom before a huge hue and cry made the company dump the entire range.
In all these cases, there was no need for the artists or the commercial entities to indulge in this licentious form of expression, though there has been a worldwide debate on why an individual cannot put paint to personal expression in this free age. But coming back to the case of Harbhajan Singh. Hindus may not feel offended per se at Ravana doing a jig or any other act of omission or commission and Ravana, thankfully, has few followers for Bhajji to get a fatwa and subsequently run for cover. But Sita, a k a Mona Singh, besides looking fat and ugly which in itself was an insult to Sita, did the ultimate by making her a boobs-thrusting, pallu-falling, butt-jutting female of a crazy modern world.
Certainly, Sita does not deserve this what with this pativrata nari having cried down the centuries about her abduction and more so for being one who went under the earth to prove her innocence! Certainly, Mona and whoever was part of this idea, should have known it would create a storm.
Hinduism being a benign religion and a tolerant non-expansionist faith is often seen as soft on such misdemeanours. Perhaps, that's the reason why you did not see Bhajji dancing as Prophet Mohammad; and no one has really ever asked why Hussain has not dared to think of disrobing Islamist religious entities.
Never asked because the answer is pretty obvious.
The Danish cartoonist will tell you why and Salman Rushdie will tell you why.
Followers of Islam do not entertain the syndrome of laughing about their faith and no other religion, howsoever non-reactionary, should be put through this. The world has many other things to laugh at so why make Sita an object of mockery?
Hinduism, of course, has often kindled the kink of the West and not just because it is considered as that exotic nirvana faith which embraces the most number of insults without a reaction. Here are some examples: 'Om' and Shiva on briefer than brief thongs; Robin Foley of Portland made a topless Durga doll and put it up for sale; Radha-Krishna on dog apparel; Hanuman tearing his chest apart and the open space saying: chalolanka only in Rs 20000 for a travel portal; natraja on keds; Orkut mocking at Rama with a goggled Ram saying Sri Ram ke fundae; Shiva with all the wrong symbols -- heart on his head and female chromosome symbol as his earing, numerous nude Lakshmi Ganesh sitting on the bed with a bemused expression on their face and last but not least, MTNL putting up Lord Ganesha's side face as a telephone receiver.
Need anything more be said here?
To some it would be hilarious to see Sita and Ravana doing a close body jig on janeja you're my love, you're my love... but for those who take their faith seriously (and there are many who do so) it was not just outrageous but also in extremely bad taste, reeking of insensitivity and a total lack of respect to religious sentiment.
Such acts often prop up on the world firmament, that too in the name of artistic licence. Maqbool Fida Hussain has been disrobing Hindu goddesses in the name of art. A Danish cartoonist was on a death run for lampooning Prophet Mohammad.
Then there was the California-based website cafepress.com which was brazenly selling undergarments with images of Hindu Goddesses. Not to mention a yet again American company which put Lord Shiva, Ganesha and Goddess Gayatri on the top and sides of their exclusive platform shoe line. Of course, there was this hara-kiri with our father of the nation Mahatma Gandhi who briefly appeared on a condom before a huge hue and cry made the company dump the entire range.
In all these cases, there was no need for the artists or the commercial entities to indulge in this licentious form of expression, though there has been a worldwide debate on why an individual cannot put paint to personal expression in this free age. But coming back to the case of Harbhajan Singh. Hindus may not feel offended per se at Ravana doing a jig or any other act of omission or commission and Ravana, thankfully, has few followers for Bhajji to get a fatwa and subsequently run for cover. But Sita, a k a Mona Singh, besides looking fat and ugly which in itself was an insult to Sita, did the ultimate by making her a boobs-thrusting, pallu-falling, butt-jutting female of a crazy modern world.
Certainly, Sita does not deserve this what with this pativrata nari having cried down the centuries about her abduction and more so for being one who went under the earth to prove her innocence! Certainly, Mona and whoever was part of this idea, should have known it would create a storm.
Hinduism being a benign religion and a tolerant non-expansionist faith is often seen as soft on such misdemeanours. Perhaps, that's the reason why you did not see Bhajji dancing as Prophet Mohammad; and no one has really ever asked why Hussain has not dared to think of disrobing Islamist religious entities.
Never asked because the answer is pretty obvious.
The Danish cartoonist will tell you why and Salman Rushdie will tell you why.
Followers of Islam do not entertain the syndrome of laughing about their faith and no other religion, howsoever non-reactionary, should be put through this. The world has many other things to laugh at so why make Sita an object of mockery?
Hinduism, of course, has often kindled the kink of the West and not just because it is considered as that exotic nirvana faith which embraces the most number of insults without a reaction. Here are some examples: 'Om' and Shiva on briefer than brief thongs; Robin Foley of Portland made a topless Durga doll and put it up for sale; Radha-Krishna on dog apparel; Hanuman tearing his chest apart and the open space saying: chalolanka only in Rs 20000 for a travel portal; natraja on keds; Orkut mocking at Rama with a goggled Ram saying Sri Ram ke fundae; Shiva with all the wrong symbols -- heart on his head and female chromosome symbol as his earing, numerous nude Lakshmi Ganesh sitting on the bed with a bemused expression on their face and last but not least, MTNL putting up Lord Ganesha's side face as a telephone receiver.
Need anything more be said here?
Published in The Sunday Pioneer on Sunday, October 12, 2008,http://www.dailypioneer.com/127124/Can-we-leave-faith-alone.html
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