Falgun Shuddha Ashtami
Press Release
USA: Hindus have applauded internationally renowned Seattle Art Museum (SAM) for launching an interactive website featuring “Stories of Krishna: The Adventures of a Hindu God”.
Acclaimed Hindu statesman Rajan Zed, in a statement in Nevada (USA) today, praising SAM for its promotion of Hindu faith traditions, culture and art, urged all major museums of the world to organize exhibitions of Hindu art, sculptures, and architecture to make aware the present and future generations about their richness.
Rajan Zed, who is president of Universal Society of Hinduism, welcomed the recently increasing interest of US and world museums in Hindu artworks but he urged the museum officials to display statues of Hindu gods and goddesses with due reverence. He said that community was glad over museums acquiring Hindu sculptures and other artifacts but just wanted the museum officials to be more careful while arranging their display as Hindus worshipped them.
The nine paintings in SAM’s interactive website “Stories of Krishna: The Adventures of a Hindu God” tell the story of Krishna; starting with his birth and including destruction of demoness Putana and bull demon Arishta, Raslila, etc.; while music of India plays in the background.
SAM, opened in 1933, has a permanent collection of about 25, 000 objects, including ninth century bronze Ganesa, eighth century granite Visnu, and a 13th century seated Ganesa from Cambodia. Stanley Savage and Christine Nicolov are Chairman and President respectively of the Board of Trustees, while Mimi Gardner Gates is the director. With three different venues, "SAM provides a welcoming place for people to connect with art and to consider its relationship to their lives." Currently it is showing till April 26 “The Royal Paintings of Jodhpur” (17th—19th century), which includes images of Rama and Krishna, metaphysical concepts and yoga narratives. SAM’s Art Start program talks about basics of Hinduism, Hindu gods and Hindu art.
Hinduism, oldest and third largest religion of the world, has about one billion adherents and moksha (liberation) is its ultimate goal.
