Mural is by artist Chitra Ganesh.
By The American Bazaar Staff
NEW YORK: A 60-foot wall mural featuring an image of the deity Kali by local artist Chitra Ganesh at the Brooklyn Museum has drawn the ire of Hindu leader Rajan Zed of Nevada.
The goddess of destruction and rebirth, who has six arms, three legs and three breasts, is meant to be worshiped in temples or home shrines — not “thrown around loosely in reimagined versions for dramatic effects on museum walls,” Zed said, reported the New York Daily News.
“Such absurd depiction of goddess Kali with no scriptural backing was hurtful to the devotees,” Zed, the director of interfaith relations at a Hindu temple in Nevada added.
Ganesh, 39, made the mural “of iterations of feminine power” with an amalgamation of random objects, according to a video accompanying the mural, and on the website of the museum.
Ganesh says her work “explores themes of femininity and multiplicity using inspiration from the collection of objects of the Brooklyn Museum.”
There are more than 150 prayer flags displayed above the mural designed to invoke institutions or temples, Ganesh said, the News reported.
The flags each have a silkscreen image affixed on them and are made from her mother’s old saris and other materials from India.
Zed is well known to take umbrage at the depiction of Hindu gods and goddesses in popular culture. He has often gone after American retailers who have depicted figures which may hurt Hindu religious sentiments. Last year he had Urban Outfitters to pull socks with the image of Hindu deity Lord Ganesha.
10 Comments
I am a Hindu, and I believe that people like Rajan Zed are disgusting, in fact I’d argue he’s a traitor to Hinduism. Reasons: 1) Hinduism is about exchange of ideas, intellectualism, spiritualism, and aestheticism, and has always been an ally of freedom of speech. It is NOT about censoring and acting like the Taliban. 2) Hinduism is literally in shambles today (hundreds of millions of Hindus languishing in extreme poverty, Hindus victimized from Bangladesh to the Middle East, Hinduism itself being completely mispracticed and dumbed down into some sort ritualistic idol god-man worshiping joke), yet people like Rajan Zed dedicate all their time and effort on things like this? How shameful.
If you don’t like it, don’t look at it, and don’t go to the museum and pay the museum admission fee. Problem solved.
You are STUPID and that is not the way to depict a DEITY which is worshipped by someone else no matter what the DAMN excuse is. You are just PERVERT to say this. If some one else come up like you say TEAR IT UP, I do not like it! WE the US do not know who you are, it sure indicates the PSYCH of perverts like started killing innocent cops who are doing their JOB OF PROTECTING by mob incitement by some poorly thought Political leadership!
Thank you for this very well thought out, logical, clear and eloquent statement.
You have no RIGHT who ever you are and knowing fully well it HURTS someone else or a group AMOUNTS to INCITING VIOLENCE in otherwise a peaceful place. See how many innocents are killed as come one chose to JOKE about a person being respected and followed. This is just nothing but PERVERT ACTION by few perverts.If you do not like or have no regards,OK just keep quite which will be better.
I think the solution for you is obvious as we’ve seen in Paris. Just get one of your friends and go and kill everyone in the museum! Heaven forbid anybody should think differently from you, in a free country, right?!
What a STUPID PERVERT REACTION. Respect for OTHERS is not what is happened. You yourself proved that you are ignorant and unable to analyse the cause of France trouble. It is because of INTOLERANCE of one religion towards few who in a casual way produce cartoon. This Kali statue is not a CARTOON. LEARN to distinguish between CARTOON and the actual IDOL. That one is idol and there is significant religious value is attached. That is not a preacher, they believe it is one of the INCARNATION of ALMIGHTY GOD assumed that form because of compulsion that she has to be that form in order END IT.
My goodness, this is such brilliant logic, eloquently expressed!
Fortunately we live in a free country where we are able to express ourselves artistically without fear of being shut down by the government or other people.
For example, I’m offended when people try to burn the American flag, but I would support their right to do so. Name another country where it’s okay to burn the flag of that country.
Sometimes certain things can be offensive. Again, if you don’t like it, don’t patronise the establishment. Problem solved.
What a STUPID PERVERT REACTION. Respect for OTHERS is not what is happened. You yourself proved that you are ignorant and unable to analyse the cause of France trouble. It is because of INTOLERANCE of one religion towards few who in a casual way produce cartoon. This Kali statue is not a CARTOON. LEARN to distinguish between CARTOON and the actual IDOL. That one is idol and there is significant religious value is attached. That is not a preacher, they believe it is one of the INCARNATION of ALMIGHTY GOD assumed that form because of compulsion that she has to be that form in order END IT.
unless someone protests in the american way, many a times these are taken as “freedom of expression”… A scandalous and sex starved women sees sex i neverythign and her interpretations of hindu gods and scriptiures are considerd sacred by the “intelelctuals” of this country….what so say of Hindu’s temselves ready to string her shoe laces for a litte fee or sponsorship…or a title called “indic scholar” from an American university funded by Baptists and other mission funds..