Using Hindu gods and goddesses as a device of publicity is not a new trend in India.
DR T N VASUDEVA MURTHY
Religions play a major part in moulding the reason and the passion of individuals. The problem erupts when a religion neglects the interests of individuals and starts manipulating the society or community. Such kind of endeavour will cause the depreciation of religious values and such religion becomes belligerent.
The newly released poster of a documentary named ‘Kali’ has created a storm as the mother kali in the poster is holding a cigarette and an LGBT flag in her both hands.
It cannot be denied that the producers of the documentary have deliberately have used this mischievous poster as a tool for publicity. Controversies can also turn into profitable and beneficial in this era of information technology. The cunning producers of the documentary might have thought that a spark of controversy is enough to save crores of money on publicity. It’s really worrying that the religious fundamentalists are behaving like puppets in the hands of the sly producers and fuelling the controversy.
Using Hindu gods and goddesses as a device of publicity is not a new trend in India. During the colonial era, the British companies did not find a way to enter inside the huge market of India, as every necessary household items were available locally, besides, local Indians were not acquainted with the foreign products and its benefits and usages. The colonial mind thought of using the mythological images of Hindu gods and goddesses as a tool to reach them.
For example, they used the image of infant Krishna to promote Gripe Water, which was quite unfamiliar to Indian mothers. Today the old advertisement pictures of infant Krishna, holding the gripe water bottle in one hand and the tail of the serpent in the other hand and dancing on the hood of the Kalinga Sarpa (king kobra) can be seen on pixel, pinterest and other Internet archives. This kind of depictions attracted and appealed the Indian mothers. A message that “Just as Sri Krishna fought with the Kaling Sarpa and won the battle, the child that drinks the gripe water, which is in the hands of Sri Krishna, can also overcome from the infantile ailments” was communicated to the Indian minds successfully.
The foreign entrepreneurs and capitalists began the trend of using the pictures of Hindu gods and goddesses in their advertisement calendars. The local people retained such calendars on their walls for years and thus helped them indirectly for the promotion of their products. During the British era many commodities viz., soaps, textiles, match boxes, cigarette packets and many more carried the mythological and sacred images of India without any controversies. In the beginning of 20th century ‘Kali brand’ cigarettes were one of the most popular swadeshi commodities.
But today the situation is not the same. Soon after the release of Kali poster, TMC MP Mahua Moitra reacted to the controversy and stated “we have a tradition to offer liquor and meat to the mother goddess. Hence liquor loving Maa Kali is my deity”. This statement is not at all a controversy; however it is made as a controversy.
The statement of Mahua Moitra is not untrue. Ancient scripture ‘Svatantra Tantra’ depicts Kali as ‘Madyapana Pramattikanga’ (inebriated in liquor). In another important script, Sri Lalita Sahasranama, she is described as “Madhvee Panalasa mattaa maatruka varna rupini” (she is exhausted due to over liquor). In the mythologies she kills Mahishasura. Durga Saptashati narrates the incident thus: “she was very angry, drank the liquor again and again her eyes became red and she was laughing loudly before killing the demon” (3.34). Many such examples can be quoted from the scriptures.
Of course, there are no references in the mythologies and scriptures about Kali smoking. However her devotees (e.g.: Shakta and Siddha traditions) consume weed as a part of ritual. In many temples inside and outside Bengal liquor is offered to Kali as a part of worship. TMC, though quite aware of this tradition, has maintained distance from Mahua’s statement and has said that it is her personal opinion. Politicians don’t hesitate to compromise with the cultural sanctity and uniqueness of their own land for the sake of votes. It is said that since two years the TMC has started Sri Rama Navami and Hanuman Jayanti festivals, which are alien to Bengali culture, to appease the Hindus.
Today each and every cast and community have their own gods, goddesses and leaders; then why the LGBTQ community should be deprived from this privilege? Why to prevent LGBTQs, if they decide to start worshipping Kali. Can such prevention be called religiousness?
Living religions always transform themselves, such religions have auto correction mechanism in themselves. Religions that are born in India have never concluded anything based only on scriptures. Scholars say that Hinduism gave up meat eating and started practicing vegetarianism under the influence of Buddhism. In Yashodhara Charite, a kannada poetry of 11th century “Chanda Mari, a demi-goddess listens to the sermon of two Jain monks (Abhayaruchi & Abhayamathi) orders her devotees not to offer meat in future”.
But today the situation is not the same. Some communities are trying to bring ‘change’ through force and aggression. Particularly, Hindus have started arguing that when the other communities have privilege to revolt when their religious feelings are hurt, why we should keep quiet?” A religion that gives in to become exemplary and begins to imitate other religions can never attain the ‘Vishwa Guru’ position.
The so-called progressive people also have to behave with common sense. If at all they want to criticize a religion they should focus on the basic problems of that religion (for example, caste system, untouchability, etc., of Hinduism. The directors of new generation in Tamil and Malayalam are experimenting on those lines). The efforts of a creative person should be constructive, his efforts should not go in vain in ridiculing the faith of innocent people.
If one faction of Hindus feel hurt if kali is offered liquor. That faction should express that with the other faction, who offer liquor and resolve the problem. There is no use in attacking the people who merely inform public of such practices. Today if the people in power start insisting that nobody should offer meat and liquor to Kali, or, the devotees who worship meat and wine consuming Kali may come to power in future and order to follow their tradition in all Kali temples, across India. Such situation will definitely cripple the distinctiveness of Indian culture. Only Mahakali has to reincarnate and protect us from such condition.
∎
