Sunday, March 15, 2009

New Media policy: One bad news a day will keep communal away

Move over Gujarat, Karanataka is now favorite punching bag for secular media. It has now become almost a religious routine for secular media to publish one bad news about karnataka every day. I guess the rule is "One bad news a day will keep communal away"

Latest isssue is about installation of a Charlie Chaplin statute in Udupi. You would be forgiven for being "unsecularly" confused on what Charlie Chaplin has to do with Udupi.

Yesterday, media worked itself to a frenzy on how "saffron brigade didnot allow a Charlie Chaplin statue to be installed in Udupi".

Time of India which led the secular pack said

Hindutva brigands attacking a statue of Charlie Chaplin on the grounds that he was a Christian and having his statue close to a temple was offensive to Hindu sentiments may appear too bizzare to be taken seriously. It is indeed ludicrous. But unless such groups are dealt with summarily and the nuisance nipped in the bud, what seems farcical today could become tragically real tomorrow. The state government must show that it will not allow such lumpen activity to go unpunished. It must crack down hard to deter potential imitators of such trends.

Now look at some facts -

1. Well you may ask why he want a 67 feet statue?

Hemant Hegde the filmmaker was looking for Guinness Book of Records for the statue for the biggest ever statue of the comedian!!!

2. Was it a permanent structure?

yes it was a permanent structure

3. Where was it located?

It was located 300 yards away from Lord Someshwar temple near the coastline at a place where pilgrims park vehicles and from where they walk down towards the sanctum sanctorum.

4. Did they have permission to build it?

They didnot have the required permission!!! This is what Hegde says

The deputy commissioner told me to get a no-objection certificate from the police and the forest department, but every official wants me to wait. They tell me to go ahead but won’t give me that official letter of sanction. Can a man wait for years for permission

So now we have a situation in which a film director wants to build a humongous 67 feet Charlie Chaplin  Statue for Guinness book record in the land which is used for temple purposes and they want the devotees to accept it without a protest!!!

Now Pièce de résistance. Lets see how the same Times reported a similar incident few weeks back. Only difference is in this case Hindus were trying to install a Hanuman Statue. Following is the TOI report

Caught in a communal row, a massive 24-foot Hanuman statue installed at Sunset Point in Kanyakumari has triggered tension between Hindu groups and fishermen in the town, a predominantly Christian pocket.

On Sunday, an attempt by district authorities to remove the statue invited stiff opposition as members of Hindu groups, including local BJP, Hindu Munani and Shiv Sena, formed a human cordon around it. Several policemen have been posted in the area to prevent violence.

Kanyakumari district collector Jyothi Nirmala told TOI, "The trust which installed the statue had only obtained the permission of the panchayat and this was insufficient. The trust should have actually obtained the permission of the government through the district administration."

TOI report about Charlie Chaplin Statue

Source

Source

TOI report about Hanuman Statute

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

The issue smells like Christianity.

"Your god is a jealous god."

"Thou shalt not erect a statue of anyone but your god."

Panchajanya said...

I am not sure if I caught the gist of your comment. Hindu are not complaining because the statue because its competing with their GOD. Its plain distasteful...

67 Feet permenant statue of "god knows who" on a property used by devotees is inviting trouble.