Write Comment     |     E-Mail To a Friend     |     Facebook     |     Twitter     |     Print

Prestigious Metropolitan Museum of Art (MET) of New York (USA) is organizing “Master Painters of India, 1100–1900” exhibition from September 28 to January eight next.

Besides Shiva and Parvati playing the game of chaupar while relaxing on a tiger skin, a Basholi Jammu painting dated 1694-95; this exhibition also includes Krishna dancing with gopis, etc.—about 220 works by forty of greatest Indian painters; “some of whom are identified for the first time”, Museum claims.

Applauding MET for exhibiting Hinduism focused art, Hindu statesman Rajan Zed, in a statement in Nevada (USA) today, said that art had a long and rich tradition in Hinduism and ancient Sanskrit literature talked about religious paintings of deities on wood or cloth.

Rajan Zed, who is President of Universal Society of Hinduism, urged other major art museums of the world, including Musee du Louvre and Musee d’Orsay of Paris, Los Angeles Getty Center, Uffizi Gallery of Florence (Italy), Art Institute of Chicago, Tate Modern of London, Prado Museum of Madrid, National Gallery of Art in Washington DC, etc., to frequently organize Hindu art focused exhibitions, thus sharing the rich Hindu art heritage with the rest of the world.

Founded in 1870, MET is one of the world’s largest and finest art museums. Its collections include over two million works of art spanning 5,000 years of world culture, from prehistory to the present and from every part of the globe. Nearly five million people visit the Museum each year. Thomas P. Campbell is the Director.

Hindus ask City of Melbourne to withdraw support from Ganesh vs. Hitler play

Hindus, concerned at the play “Ganesh Versus the Third Reich” premiering at Melbourne Festival in Australia on September 29, have asked Australia Council for the Arts, Arts Victoria, and City of Melbourne to severe partnership from it.

Hindu statesman Rajan Zed, in a statement in Nevada (USA) today, argued that taxpayer funded organizations like Australia Council for the Arts, Arts Victoria, and City of Melbourne; which supported this play; should not be involved in projects resulting in upsetting a community group.

Zed, who is President of Universal Society of Hinduism, pointed out that taxpayer funded organizations like City of Melbourne, Arts Victoria, and Australia Council for the Arts, should be more vigilant in their selections as Hindus were also taxpayers in Melbourne, Victoria and Australia.

Rajan Zed stressed that Lord Ganesh was meant to be worshipped in temples and home shrines and not to be made a laughing stock on theater stages supported by the taxes paid by the public, including Hindus.

Zed urged City of Melbourne Lord Mayor Robert Doyle, Arts Victoria Director Penny Hutchinson and Australia Council for the Arts Chief Executive Officer Kathy Keele to urgently convene a meeting and withdraw support from this play.

Rajan Zed has earlier stated that Lord Ganesh was divine and theater/film/art were welcome to create projects about/around him showing his true depiction as mentioned in the scriptures. Creating irrelevant imaginary imagery, like reportedly depicting him being tortured and interrogated by Nazi SS, hurt the devotees.

Jews have also supported the Hindus on their concerns about “Ganesh Versus the Third Reich”. Rabbi ElizaBeth W. Beyer, prominent Jewish leader in Nevada (USA), in a statement, said: “Such trivialization of Lord Ganesh, whom Hindus worshipped, would naturally hurt the faithful, and must be avoided”.

Recently, depiction of Hindu Goddess Lakshmi on swimwear at a fashion event held in Sydney (Australia) resulted in worldwide protests. Popular radio host Kyle Sandilands recently made derogatory remarks, ridiculing Hindus’ holy river Ganga, on Sydney’s hit music station. Australian swimwear company, Sandilands and his radio station later apologized after the protests.