5th June, DC: Hindus picketed outside the Indian Embassy in Washington DC today. This public protest is yet another in the ongoing protest campaign by Hindus worldwide against internationally renowned Indian painter, M. F. Husain. In general, there is outrage among the Hindu community worldwide over the denigration Husain has repeatedly committed against their symbols of faith.
This time, the protests were specifically against the inaction of the Indian govt. towards M. F. Husain, in contrast to its customary sensitivity exercised concerning sentiments of other religious groups, such as Muslims (for example: bans on ‘Satanic Verses’, Danish cartoons) and Christians (for example: bans on ‘The Da Vinci Code’ movie release in 3 Indian states).
In mid-April, Mrs. Aruna Sharma, a Hindu lady living in Maryland and undergoing chemotherapy, was deeply offended by M. F. Husain’s denigrating paintings of Hindu deities, and decided to protest against the paintings, despite being low on energy, owing to her health. So along with her husband, Mr. Jagdish Sharma, their friends, and 9-10 Hindu families in the Maryland area, they decided to hold protest demonstrations outside the Indian embassy on 2-Jun-06. They were promptly supported by organizations like the Sanatan Sanstha, Hindu Janajagruti Samiti (HJS), Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), ISKCON and various temples around the Greater Washington DC area, to publicize the matter and to invite Hindus in the Greater Washington DC area to join in.
Despite it being a work day, 35-40 members of the community, joined in. The protestors held placards, deploring the denigration by M. F. Husain and the Indian govt’s lack of sensitivity and action in the MF Husain issue. Passers by were educated about the issue via flyers.
From 12:25 through 1:00 pm, some of the protestors, Mrs. Sonia Chopra (ISKCON), Mrs. Vasanti Vittal and Mrs. Asha Chand (Vishwa Hindu Parishad of America), Member of Sanatan Sanstha, Dr. Satish Misra and a priest from Durga Temple addressed the gathering, voicing their displeasure at not only M. F. Husain, but also the Indian government. They highlighted the deliberate, callous nature of Husain’s denigration, and questioned the Indian government’s selective sensitivity to sentiments of religious groups other than the Hindu majority of India. Sanatan Sanstha’s member, emphasized the importance of Hindu unity and pride for Dharma, and the need for Dharma education among Hindus, to lastingly counter such denigration and reinstate Dharma in society.
At 1:00 pm, the Community Affairs Minister from the Indian Embassy, Mr. A. K. Gupta, came out to understand the concerns of the group. The protestors gave him the petition memorandum (copy of: http://www.sanatan.org/hussaincampaign/sign.php), signed by over 600 Hindus in the Greater Washington DC area. They asked him about the Indian government’s stand on and lack of action in this issue. Mr. Gupta assured the protestors that their message will be communicated to the honorable Prime Minister of India, Dr. Manmohan Singh, but was often rendered speechless at the protestor’s pointed questions that continued through 1:30 pm.
This protest demonstration, initiated not by some big Hindu organization, but by a few Hindu families in the greater Washington DC area, was a reminder of how the Husain protest campaign has been instrumental in awakening Hindus around the world.
Yours,
Ramesh Shinde
Spokesperson,
Hindu Janajagruti Samiti
