The Ganesh Puja which was performed at Belur bazar, Howrah, near Kolkata has created big stir around the political and religious aspect as the Prime minister Narendra Modi with Lord Ganesha.
A puja display was done showing Modi and Lord Ganesha, who both had tea cups. The whole scene depicts the “Chai Pe Charcha” concept and the words “Hindu Rashtra” are written in the background. There is also a map of India and a Hindu flag next to the installation.
This theme has caught the fancy of the social media crowd, leading to discussions related to the use of ‘political’ and religious symbols in feasts.
The Ganesh Puja organiser, Khokan Kanra who is a promoter by profession, has been organising this puja for the past several years, with different themes each year. According to him, it was the concept of the year and is a personal initiative which had positive response from the visitors.
Kanra also clarified the theme did not have any connection with her supposed BJP association. I do not think that we are in any way intending to offend any religion and we are just representing here the nation and religion,” he said.
Kanra says that it was an idea he had—both political and religious, depicting Prime Minister Narendra Modi as the sign of the nation and Lord Ganesha as the sign of religion. He denied any such accusation that the theme had been prepared to grift upon the party swill after his recent joining of BJP.
The issue is coming as a matter of discussion just before Durga Puja, as, there is already a controversy over theme based Puja in the West Bengal. The Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) had been in the news recently for its reportings on views regarding theme pujas.
The VHP responded to those reports with a statement on its stance.
The Howrah installation has taken on another dimension to the broader issue about officially employing politicians, religious symbols and modern-day grist for the mill to celebrate festivals. The organiser has stated that it is an expression of personal creativity, but its political and religious meaning has sparked a lot of debate about the internet.