Hindus ask for a disclaimer with Cameron’s film Avatar

Kartik Krushna Trutiya, Kaliyug Varsha 5111

USA: Concerned Hindus have asked James Cameron to attach a disclaimer in the beginning and end of his forthcoming film “Avatar”, saying that it has nothing to do with Hinduism or its concepts.

Hindu statesman Rajan Zed, in a statement in Nevada (USA) on Thursday, November 5, said that the term “avatar” was one of the central themes of Hinduism and insensitive handling of faith traditions, sometimes resulted in pillaging serious spiritual doctrines and revered symbols, thereby hurting the devotees.
 
Zed, who is the president of the Universal Society of Hinduism, explains that “Avatar”, a sanskrit term, means descent or incarnation. Hinduism is shaped by its traditional belief in the incarnation of Vishnu (the preserver in Hindu trinity) into ten forms to establish dharma (divine law), which include Matsya, Kurma, Varaha, Narasimha, Vamana, Parasurama, Rama, Krishna, Buddha and Kalki,which is believed to come at the end of the present Kalyuga. Hindus believe that without such intervention, the entire created universe would have been destroyed.
 
In chapter four of the ancient Hindu scripture Bhagavad Gita, Lord Krishna explains the reasons for God’s descent: “Whenever dharma declines and the purpose of life is forgotten, I manifest myself on earth”. Hinduism is the oldest and third largest religion of the world with about one billion adherents and a rich philosophical thought and it should not be taken lightly, Zed felt.
 
Supporting the concern of Hindus, Rabbi Jonathan B Freirich, a Jewish leader in Nevada, has also said that Avatar’s director James Cameron should respect the feelings of worried Hindus. Nevada Clergy Association has also urged Cameron to put a disclaimer in the beginning of the film, explaining that it has no relationship with Hinduism or its concepts/terminology. In a 2007 interview with Time, James Cameron himself defined “avatar” as “an incarnation of one of the Hindu gods taking a flesh form”.
 
Budgeted at around $230 million, futuristic “Avatar”, an upcoming digital 3-D science fiction feature film, is directed and written by Canada born, three Oscars winner, James Cameron, 55, of highest-grossing and 11 Oscars carrying “Titanic” fame. In it, a band of humans, two centuries in the future, are pitted in a heroic battle against a distant planet’s indigenous population. It is due to be released in France, Egypt and Belgium on December 16 and USA on December 18. It is claimed to be biggest ever Hollywood release in India where, besides English, it will reportedly be released in Hindi, Tamil, and Telugu also.
 
The film stars Sam Worthington, Oscar nominated Sigourney Weaver, Michelle Rodriguez, Zoe Saldana, Giovanni Ribisi and Stephen Lang. Shot in Hawaii, California, and New Zealand, the film is produced by Cameron and Jon Landau and would be released by 20th Century Fox.
 
It is Cameron’s first work as a director since Titanic (1997) and is claimed to offer a ground breaking mix of live-action dramatic performances and computer-generated effects. Cameron reportedly described it as “adventure with an environmental conscience”.

Source: www.merinews.com

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