Chandra Arya, the Canadian MP who went viral after he spoke in Kannada in the Canadian parliament weighed in on the poster row related to the documentary filmed by Madurai-born filmmaker Leena Manimekalai on Tuesday.
He said these were concerted efforts by ‘anti-India, anti-Hindu’ forces to attack Hinduism. He said over the past years Canada saw the rise of such anti-Hindu forces.
The poster for the documentary Kaali which was part of the ‘Under the Tent’ exhibition in Canada’s Aga Khan Museum drew flak after a section of social media users said the depiction of Goddess Kali in the poster – where she smokes a cigarette and holds the LGBTQIA+ flag – hurt their religious sentiments.
The Indian High Commission reached out to the organizers urging them to withdraw the poster and the documentary’s screening to which they said they regret the offense caused inadvertently due to the documentary and the accompanying poster.
“Painful to see the Kaali poster by filmmaker Leena Manimekalai. Past few years, traditional anti-Hindu and anti-India groups in Canada have joined forces resulting in Hinduphobic articles in the media and attacks on our Hindu temples. Apology from the Aga Khan Museum is welcome and appreciated,” the MP from Nepean said in a tweet.
“The Museum deeply regrets that one of the 18 short videos from ‘Under the Tent’ and its accompanying social media post have inadvertently caused offense to members of the Hindu and other faith communities,” the museum said in a statement on Tuesday.
“We regret that certain content in our Under the Tent presentation on Saturday, July 2nd has caused offense and we are taking steps to address this. We are committed to equity, diversity and inclusion while at the same time respecting the diversity of beliefs and points of view in our society. We acknowledge the need to explore and examine complex topics sensitively,” it further added.
The furore erupted after Leena Manimekalai shared it on social media as part of a presentation of Toronto Metropolitan University. The filmmaker faces multiple FIRs in New Delhi and Uttar Pradesh and reports of FIRs being filed against her for hurting religious sentiments are also coming from several other states.
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