News Analysis India

Tag: Ramayana

  • VHP objects to portrayal of Lord Ram, Ravana in ‘Adipurush’, says Hindu values ‘ridiculed’ 

    By PTI

    SAMBHAL: The Vishva Hindu Parishad on Wednesday raised objections to the portrayal of Lord Ram, Lakshman and Ravana in the teaser of ‘Adipurush’, claiming that it “ridiculed Hindu society”.

    The organisation also warned that the film would not be allowed to be screened in theatres.

    Ajay Sharma, Prachar Pramukh of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad’s (VHP) Sambhal unit, told reporters here that the way in which Lord Ram, Ravana and Lakshman had been portrayed in ‘Adipurush’ was a mockery of Hinduism.

    “The values of Hindu society have been ridiculed. Hindu society will not tolerate this,” he said.

    ‘Adipurush’, a big budget adaptation of the Ramayana, is fronted by ‘Baahubali’ star Prabhas, who features as Lord Ram. It is scheduled to release next year.

    Sharma said the way Ravana had been depicted was not in line with the Ramayana and related religious scriptures.

    ALSO READ | MP Home Minister warns Adipurush makers of legal action over ‘wrong’ depiction of Hindu deities 

    “The VHP will not allow this film to be screened in theatres,” he added.

    Expressing his displeasure at the Central Board of Film Certification, the VHP leader said the board was working in an arbitrary and irresponsible manner.

    “If the board is not able to perform its duties, then the government should dissolve it,” he said.

    A 1.46-minute teaser of the film, directed by Om Raut, was launched on Sunday in Ayodhya. And the blowback was immediate with hashtags like #BoycottAdipurush and #BanAdipurush gaining speed.

    The multilingual period saga sees Saif Ali Khan play the role of a 10-headed demon king called Lankesh.

    With a beard, fierce eyes and a buzz cut, this Lankesh seems barbarism personified and many called out the filmmakers for the apparent Islamisation of Ravana.

    The portrayal of Hanuman, with a beard, without a moustache and dressed in leather, also attracted criticism.

    Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak said the film attacked the sentiments of Hindus, while Madhya Pradesh Home Minister Narottam Mishra warned that legal action would be taken if scenes showing Hindu religious figures in the “wrong” way were not removed.

    SAMBHAL: The Vishva Hindu Parishad on Wednesday raised objections to the portrayal of Lord Ram, Lakshman and Ravana in the teaser of ‘Adipurush’, claiming that it “ridiculed Hindu society”.

    The organisation also warned that the film would not be allowed to be screened in theatres.

    Ajay Sharma, Prachar Pramukh of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad’s (VHP) Sambhal unit, told reporters here that the way in which Lord Ram, Ravana and Lakshman had been portrayed in ‘Adipurush’ was a mockery of Hinduism.

    “The values of Hindu society have been ridiculed. Hindu society will not tolerate this,” he said.

    ‘Adipurush’, a big budget adaptation of the Ramayana, is fronted by ‘Baahubali’ star Prabhas, who features as Lord Ram. It is scheduled to release next year.

    Sharma said the way Ravana had been depicted was not in line with the Ramayana and related religious scriptures.

    ALSO READ | MP Home Minister warns Adipurush makers of legal action over ‘wrong’ depiction of Hindu deities 

    “The VHP will not allow this film to be screened in theatres,” he added.

    Expressing his displeasure at the Central Board of Film Certification, the VHP leader said the board was working in an arbitrary and irresponsible manner.

    “If the board is not able to perform its duties, then the government should dissolve it,” he said.

    A 1.46-minute teaser of the film, directed by Om Raut, was launched on Sunday in Ayodhya. And the blowback was immediate with hashtags like #BoycottAdipurush and #BanAdipurush gaining speed.

    The multilingual period saga sees Saif Ali Khan play the role of a 10-headed demon king called Lankesh.

    With a beard, fierce eyes and a buzz cut, this Lankesh seems barbarism personified and many called out the filmmakers for the apparent Islamisation of Ravana.

    The portrayal of Hanuman, with a beard, without a moustache and dressed in leather, also attracted criticism.

    Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak said the film attacked the sentiments of Hindus, while Madhya Pradesh Home Minister Narottam Mishra warned that legal action would be taken if scenes showing Hindu religious figures in the “wrong” way were not removed.

  • Ayodhya Deepotsav 2021: 500 drones to draw Ramayana scenes, 7.5 lakh diyas to illuminate city 

    By Express News Service

    LUCKNOW: For the first time, 500 drones will draw the Ramayan era scenes on Ayodhya’s skyline during the Deepotsav celebrations on Diwali eve in the temple town of Ayodhya in November.

    The Deepotsav lightening 7.5 lakh diyas (earthen lamps) on the Diwali eve on November 3 will be the centerpiece of the six-day celebrations starting on November 1 in Ayodhya.

    Apart from the drones, the other attractions will be a 3-D holographic show, 3-D projection mapping, and laser show at the majestic Ram Ki Paidi on the banks of the Saryu River.

    Senior state government officials including principal secretary, Tourism, Mukesh Meshram, was in Ayodhya on Thursday to review preparations for Deepotsav.

    The Ayodhya administration has set a target of lighting a minimum of 7.5 lakh diyas (earthen lamps) across Ayodhya registering another Gunniess record, this year. Most of them will be lit at Ram Ki Paidi, the venue of the main event.

    ALSO READ | Idol in Ayodhya Ram temple to be illuminated by sun rays like Odisha’s Konark shrine

    However, the Ayodhya administration is prepared to light around nine lakh diyas taking a margin of error into account. “So that under any circumstances, 7.5 diyas are illuminated,” said an official of the Ayodhya administration. This will be the third Guinness record in a row if the set target is achieved.

    A team from the Guinness Book of World Records will be in Ayodhya to judge the event. Around 12,000 volunteers, mostly students of Ram Manohar Lohia Awadh University, Ayodhya, have been engaged in making the lighting of the diyas successful.

    In 2020, the Ayodhya had created a new world record by lighting 6,06,569 diyas at Ram Ki Paidi ghat and other ghats of the Saryu. In 2019, the Ayodhya administration had lit 4,10,000 diyas, a record at the time.

    The Yogi Adityanath government has initiated the celebration called Deepotsav in Ayodhya every year on the eve of Diwali since 2017. This Deepotsav will be the last one before the Uttar Pradesh assembly elections due early next year.

  • ‘Imaginary’: Former Bihar CM Jitan Ram Manjhi’s remarks on Ramayana court controversy

    Express News Service

    PATNA: Amid demands by BJP for the inclusion of some chapters on Ramayana in government-run schools and colleges in Bihar, former CM Jitan Ram Manjhi courted controversy by stating that he doesn’t believe the fable to be ‘true’.

    Speaking to a local news channel, Manjhi said: “I don’t believe the story of the Ramayana to be true. Ram was not a living and legendry man”.

    Manjhi’s party-the Hindustan Awami Morcha (HAM) is one of the constituents of the National Democratic Alliance.

    Manjhi sparked uproar in the saffron party when he further termed the existence of Lord Ram “imaginary”.

    BJP leaders like Mangal Pandey, Neeraj Singh Babloo, and Prem Ranjan Patel said that the Ramayana has been a guide for humans for centuries.

    “If we read history, then we should also read Ramayana.  People should read every subject that seeks to give out a positive message,” Pandey said.

    Reacting to the Manjhi’s remarks, BJP leader and spokesperson Premranjan Patel said that no one can erase the Ramayana from the human psyche of India.  

    “Earlier the UPA government had questioned the existence.  Whereas when the archaeological department conducted an excavation in Ayodhya, the evidence of the existence of the temple of Lord Rama was found.  After which the Supreme Court gave approval for the construction of Ram temple,” he said.

    Patel said that whoever doubts the existence of Ram and the Ramayana, must read the Ramayana before making such a statement.

    “If one reads the Ramayana, he will never make such a statement.  It is a question of the faith of crores of people.  No one has the right to raise questions on the faith of people,” he said. 

  • MP: FIR against poet Munawwar Rana for comparing Maharshi Valmiki to Taliban

    By PTI

    GUNA: Madhya Pradesh police have registered an FIR against Urdu poet Munawwar Rana for allegedly hurting religious sentiments by comparing Maharshi Valmiki, who wrote the Ramayana, with the Taliban, an official said.

    The case was registered against Rana in Guna on Monday following a complaint filed by Sunil Malviya, state secretary of the BJP’s Scheduled Caste cell, and other members of the Valmiki community.

    Talking to a channel, Rana had said, “Valmiki became a God after he wrote the Ramayana, before that he was a dacoit. A person’s character can change. Similarly, the Taliban, for now, are terrorists, but people and characters change.”

    Malviya alleged that Rana disrespected Maharshi Valmiki with his comments and hurt the feelings of the Valmiki community and Hindus.

    “He compared Maharshi Valmiki with the Taliban and hurt the religious feelings of Hindus. So, we have filed a complaint against him,” he told reporters.

    Guna Superintendent of Police Rajiv Mishra on Monday said, “A case was registered against Rana at the Kotwali police station. The case will be forwarded to the district concerned (Lucknow in Uttar Pradesh).”

    The case was registered against Rana under IPC Section 505 (2) (statements conducing to public mischief) and was being forwarded to Hazratganj police station at Lucknow in UP, police said.

  • #MeToo: Shameful that crime against women happening in land of Mahabharata, Ramayana, says court

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: It is shameful that incidents of crime and violence against women are happening in a country where epics such as ‘Mahabarata’ and ‘Ramayana’ were written around the theme of respect for women, a Delhi court said on Wednesday.

    Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Ravindra Kumar Pandey made the observation while throwing out a criminal defamation case filed by former Union minister M J Akbar against journalist Priya Ramani for accusing him of sexual misconduct decades ago.

    “It is shameful that the incidents of crime and violence against women are happening in the country where mega epics such as ‘Mahabarata’ and ‘Ramayana’ were written around the theme of respect for women,” the court said.

    ALSO READ | #MeToo movement: Feel vindicated on behalf of women who spoke against sexual harassment, says Priya Ramani

    Referring to religious scriptures, the court further said that in “Valmiki Ramayan, the reference of great respect is found, when Prince Laxman was asked to describe about Princess Sita, he answered that he remembers only her feet as he had never looked beyond that.”

    It also said that in the ‘Aranaya Kand of Ramcharitmanas’, a reference of noble tradition of “protecting, respecting and promoting the dignity of women is found, and it refers about noble ‘Jatayu’ (a mithical bird) when witnessed the crime of abduction of princess ‘Sita’, he came swiftly to protect princess Sita and consequently his wings were cut down by Ravan, the abductor of the Sita.

    “The noble bird ‘Jatayu’ though was wounded and was dying, he lived long enough to pass the information of abduction of princesses Sita to the Prince Ram and Prince Laxman,” the court noted.

    It added that “similarly, in ‘Sabha Parv of Mahabharta’, the reference is found about the appeal of queen Draupadi for justice to the Kuru Raj Sabha and she questioned the legality of her treatment of being dragged by Dushasana into the dice hall.”

  • ‘Jai Shri Ram’ row: MP Vidhan Sabha Pro Tem Speaker sends copy of Ramayana to Mamata Banerjee

    By Express News Service
    BHOPAL: Madhya Pradesh Vidhan Sabha Pro Tem Speaker Rameshwar Sharma on Sunday sent a copy of the Ramayana to West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee, through courier, a day after she refused to speak at Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose’s 125th birth anniversary program in Kolkata, following chants of ‘Jai Sri Ram’ in presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

    “I’m couriering the Ramayana to Mamata Didi to ensure that she soon starts proudly chanting Jai Sri Ram instead of considering the chants as undignified and insulting. This country belongs to Lord Ram and everyone who has neglected the cause of Lord Ram has suffered a lot. I hope the West Bengal CM too realizes her mistake and starts reading Ramayana that I have sent,” Sharma said in Bhopal on Sunday.

    The MP Vidhan Sabha Pro Tem Speaker also alleged that the West Bengal CM objected to chants of Jai Sri Ram at the 125th birth anniversary of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose event in Kolkata on Saturday, just to woo the Bangladeshi Muslim vote bank.

    “Even, Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar, the founding father of the Constitution of India, has mentioned about Lord Ram in the Constitution and Mahatma Gandhi too envisioned Ram Rajya in the country, but it’s both painful and surprising that the West Bengal CM is objecting to chants of Jai Sri Ram, just to woo Bangladeshi Muslim voters,” said Sharma, the two-time BJP MLA from Hujur seat of Bhopal district.

    On Saturday, the West Bengal CM had declined to speak at an event to celebrate Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose’s birth anniversary, where Jai Sri Ram slogans were raised in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

    She had not started her speech when the slogan was raised by a section of the crowd at the Victoria Memorial event to celebrate the 125th birth anniversary of the legendary freedom fighter. She had said that such “insult” was unacceptable.

    “This is a government program and not a political event. There has to be dignity, it doesn’t behove anybody to invite people and insult. I won’t speak. Jai Bangla and Jai Hind,” Banerjee had said, while wrapping up.