Guru Gobind Singh - trapped in the clergy’s rut.

Wednesday, June 27, 2007

Sonia Gandhi as Goddess Durga, Ram Rahim Singh as Guru Govind Singh, Da Vinci character as Jesus Christ and a cartoon as Mohammad. Do these enactions infringe on the sacred space of communities? Or should we take these as depictions of the sacred to convey a contemporary message, even if political? Just as metaphor is the sustenance of language, expressions are the dynamism of life. No idea or expression should be inamenable to further expressions of whatever nature. Sonia Gandhi as Durga need not agitate the Hindus (and, admirably, they are largely not agitated) because for the Hindus expressions of the divine are endless and multitudinous and Sonia Gandhi, or Vasundhara Raje, however much we may detest their politics, have divinity in them as anyone else and there is no harm if someone express this fact even if in a not-so-original way. However, it is unfortunate that many are unable to see the matter in this light. They feel that divinity is interpretable only as authorized by its official clergy. They don’t believe in freedom of expression. The fallout we might see sooner than later as the Sikhs refuse to pardon Ram Rahim Singh for his ‘indiscretion’ in imitating Guru Gobind Singh (never mind that imitation is the best form of flattery). All that may be left to express (officially or unofficially) might be the consequent dance of death.
4:10:32 PM
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Comments
Surya Wednesday, June 27, 2007 5:40:16 PM
Isn't it ironical that people tolerate artistes portraying deities and legends in films and serials but object vociferously when people in public service are portrayed as such by their fans and followers?