Packing Materials................................................................................................... ...........................2
(Spot Photographs) Deities on Discarded Packing Materials............................................ ..............3
(Spot Photographs) Deities on Gunny Bags............................................................ ........................4
Advertising Materials : Carry Bags......................................................................... ........................5
Posters................................................................................................................................ ..............5
(Spot Photographs) Deities on Signboards.................................................................. ....................6
(Spot Photographs) Deities on Banners.......................................................................... .................7
Lottery Tickets, Bus & Ferry Tickets......................................................................... .....................8
Marriage Invitation Cards, Gift Envelopes, Diwali & New Year Greeting Cards, Visiting Cards. 8
(Spot Photographs) Deities on Discarded Marriage Invitation Cards................. ............................8
(Spot Photographs) Deities on Discarded Calendars......................................................... ..............9
Indian Newspaper.................................................................................................... ........................9
News with Pictures of the Deities....................................................................................... ...........10
Articles with Pictures of the Deities...................................................................... ........................11
Advertisements & Greetings with Pictures of the Deities........................................ .....................11
Ganeshotsava......................................................................................................... ........................13
(Political) Posters............................................................................................................. ..............13
Modern Paintings............................................................................................................. ..............14
(Spot Photographs) Deities Posted at the Turns of Staircases...................................... .................15
Small Temples (at road side)................................................................................. ........................15
Temples, Gates & Buildings............................................................................................ ..............16
Begging Plates.................................................................................................... ...........................16
T-shirts, Fashionable T-shirts................................................................................ ........................16
Hindu Deities Insulted in the West............................................................................... .................17
Newspaper Clippings....................................................................................................... ..............17
Hindu Deities Dishonoured by Western Models in India................................................... ...........22
Newspaper Clippings....................................................................................................... ..............22
Observations on the Issue...................................................................................... ........................23
Remedial Measures to Restore the Honour and Dignity of Hindu Deities............................ ........24
Suggestions for Newspapers of India................................................................. ...........................26
Conclusion............................................................................................................. ........................28
(PHOTOGRAPHS)
Samples from Collection of Discarded Materials bearing
Pictures of Hindu Gods & Goddesses Preserved................................................................ ...........30
**********************
HINDU GODS AND GODDESSES DISHONOUREDHinduism or the 'Sanatan Dharma' is the oldest religion among all major religions of
the world. India is the home of Hinduism. The characteristic of Hinduism is that it is not
founded by any prophet. As the name 'Sanatan Dharma' signifies, it is an eternal religion. It
has neither a beginning nor an end. The followers of Hinduism or the Hindus believe in God.
The powers or qualities of the Almighty, who is invisible, are visualized through different
idols, to which the Hindus worship. As such the Hindus worship many Gods & Goddesses.
The appearances of the deities are based on the mentions in the ancient Hindu religious texts.
The deities are also depicted in paintings. However, the traditional art forms, which are
treated with the idols and paintings of the deities, exist along with the realistic art forms of
today.
In the olden days the idols were prepared mainly in stone, brass, bronze and wood
whereas nowadays the idols are prepared in cement, plaster, plastic, fibre, ceramic, ivory,
glass and alloys of different metals along with the traditional materials. The idols are
generally worshipped inside temples whereas relatively smaller idols and pictures of the
deities are worshipped at homes by millions of Hindus. However, during specific occasions
idols of different deities, made up of clay, are worshipped by the people at decorated pandals
which are later on immersed in flowing water.
The Hindus worship different Gods & Goddesses on specific days in a year and
observe many religious ceremonies and festivals based on the Hindu calendar. As such the
Hindus have the reputation of being very religious people. But it is a matter of great regret
that the most revered Gods and Goddesses of Hinduism are being dishonoured at every
moment in India, the country where majority of Hindus live. Of course, at times we come to
know about some incidents of Hindu deities being deliberately treated in insulting manners in
the West. All these unfortunate and undesirable incidents must stop. Unless the dignity and
honour of the Hindu Gods & Goddesses are protected, Hinduism may not survive. The Hindu
deities are dishonoured in various ways in India. Mostly the deities are dishonoured when
printed pictures of the deities are discarded or left neglected and when the deities are treated
as mere playthings. This article is an attempt to throw light on these sorrowful incidents.
Printed Pictures of the Deities Discarded or Neglected
Recently there has been remarkable advancement in the fields of photography and
printing technology. People are benefitted in many ways. But thoughtless use and misuse of the
technology have brought untold misery to the Hindu deities. Although fifty years back the
pictures of the deities were mostly used for worshipping and a few were used in other areas, at
present quite a large number of pictures of the deities are lavishly used in many areas.
Given below are the areas where pictures of Hindu Gods & Goddesses are used today: -
1. Packing materials - labels, wrappers, cardboard packets, plastic pouches, cardboard
boxes, bottles, jars, tins and gunny bags etc.
2. Advertising materials - carry bags, pamphlets, posters, signboards, banners and
hoardings etc.
3. Reading, Writing & Printing materials - receipts, cash memos, vouchers, tickets
1
(lottery and transport), envelopes, marriage invitation cards, new year greeting cards,
visiting cards, notebooks, registers, books, magazines and newspapers etc.
4. Decoration materials - ornaments, flags, headbands, stickers, posters (pictures),
calendars, glazed tiles and wall/roof/door hangings etc.
5. Others - ladies' hand bags, gents' side bags, T-shirts, trucks and buses, etc.
As such we shall discuss about the areas where the deities are neglected and
dishonoured. Today the pictures of the most revered Hindu deities such as Krishna, Ganesh,
Shiva, Durga, Laxmi, Hanuman, Kali, Rama, Vishnu, Saraswati, Kartikeya, Venkateshwara,
Jagannath, Tara, Brahma and the incarnations of different deities are printed on the packing
materials of a variety of consumer products as mentioned below:
1. Puja articles - Incense sticks, Vermilion, Sandal wood power, Camphor, Holy water
of Ganga, Cotton wicks, Oil & Ghee for lamps, Coloured powder for Rangoli and
Hawan items etc.
2. Food items - Rice, Wheat/Rice/Gram flour, Pulses, Mixed grains flour, Oil, Ghee,
Cumin, Turmeric powder, Cardamom, Milk, Butter milk, Paneer, Candy, Sweets,
Snacks, Papad, Vermicelli, Chowmin, Dates, Tamarind, Dried Amla, Betel nuts,
Betel masala and Ayurvedic medicine etc.
3. Intoxicants - Zarda, Khaini, Gudakhu, Gundi, Bidis and Bhang (in the guise of
Ayurvedic medicine) etc.
4. Cloth - Dhoti, Gamchha, Towel, Lungi and Blouse etc.
5. Other Products - Bangles, Candles, Rakhis, Fireworks, Silver leaves for sweets,
Naphthalene, Lime, Red oxide, Terpene, Digital Toner, Chalk, Pencil, Pen, Lock,
CD, Signal Light, Plastic Ropes, Necklace for children, Steel utensils and Brooms etc.
In fact, there may be more items which can be added to the above list and each item is
being produced by quite a lot of companies. However, people purchase these products, utilize
them and throw away their empty packets, bearing sacred pictures of the deities, just as they
do with other empty packets. As a result pictures of the deities are found lying here and there
on the road, in the garbage and in the open drains. People walk on them and vehicles run over
them on the road, while the passersby spit and urinate on them at the garbage, though
unknowingly. Dirty water flows over the beautiful faces of the deities in the drains. The
empty bottles, tins and gunny bags, bearing the sacred pictures, are used in various ways
unsuitable to the dignity of the deities. This is how Hindu deities, decorating the packing
materials, are dishonoured. It was indeed shocking to find the label, pasted on the liquor
bottle, contained the picture of Lord Jagannath, as telecasted in an Odia TV channel. It may
be mentioned here that some Indian products, packed and sold abroad, also contain pictures
of Hindu deities on their packets and bags.
2
DEITIES ON DISCARDED PACKING MATERIALS
3
DEITIES ON GUNNY BAGS
4
The pictures of Hindu deities are very often used by business establishments, socio-
religious organizations and Governmental agencies on advertising materials. During festive
occasions or even on normal days some shopkeepers use to handover plastic carry bags to
customers, keeping the purchased articles inside them, on which the names and addresses of
the shops along with pictures of deities are printed. After removing the purchased articles from
the carry bags at home the customers either throw away these carry bags or reuse them till
they are torn and then they are discarded. Some people even collect waste materials in them
and throw them at the garbage or in the drains.
During different times of the year, one may come across torn and faded pictures of
Hindu deities, placed on variety of posters, pasted on the walls of the towns. Some of these
posters are advertisements, promoting commercial products while the others are
advertisements, giving information about activities like spiritual discourses, devotional song
programmes, yajnas, kirtan, vigraha pratishtha, exhibitions and fairs etc. After these posters
are being pasted on the walls, the deities depicted on the posters are left to the mercy of their
fate. The posters in general are exposed to weather while some are torn by street urchins. It is
found that without giving any consideration to the pictures of the deities, many of the above
mentioned posters are ruthlessly torn to pieces in order to give place to the new posters or
new posters are pasted carelessly overlapping the pictures of the deities on old posters. It is
indeed shocking to find at times dismembered figures of the deities on torn posters shivering
in the wind and clinging desperately to the walls, being on the verge of falling down in the
open drains just below the walls.
DEITIES ON POSTERS
5
It is a common sight to find unclean and faded pictures of different Hindu deities on
the signboards of number of shops at the roadside. These deities are not so lucky like those
deities who are staying inside temples and homes, where proper care is taken of them and they
are worshipped time to time. The deities placed on the signboards are indeed a neglected lot
who are left exposed to dust, smoke, sun, wind, rain and cold round the year. Hence they wear
a pathetic look. Same is the condition of those deities placed on the flex banners and
hoardings, hung at strategic places of the roadside and left uncared. They face the wrath of
the nature and sometimes they are torn to pieces.
DEITIES ON SIGNBOARDS
6
DEITIES ON BANNERS
DEITIES ON HOARDINGS
During festive occasions some business establishments distribute pamphlets, bearing
pictures of the deities, announcing 'Lucky draws' and attractive rebate on purchases, to the
passersby. It appears as if the deities placed on the pamphlets are approving the offers of the
shopkeepers. However the people after going through the pamphlets mostly throw them away
as a result of which one can see a lot of discarded pamphlets lying scattered on the road and
people walking on them. Similarly, during +2 examinations one may find pamphlets with
pictures of deities like Ganesh and Saraswati lying scattered on the road near the school gates,
which are distributed by different Coaching Centers, persuading students to join their tutorial
classes to become successful in the Medical and Engineering Entrance Tests etc. Of course
pamphlets of some religious, cultural and social institutions, distributed to people, also possess
pictures of the deities. These pamphlets are also discarded after a few days, if not
immediately.
7
Some documents are also found bearing pictures of the deities. The cash memos and
vouchers of some business establishments bear pictures of the deities on them. So also money
receipts of some socio-religious organizations, collecting donations, bear pictures of the
deities. Generally people preserve such documents for a few days but later on they consider
them as unwanted and discard them or tear and throw them ignoring the pictures of the deities
on them.
The Durga Puja Committees in many places conduct Lotteries in order to raise their
fund for gorgeous celebrations of Durga Puja. They sell lottery tickets, bearing beautiful
pictures of the deities and promising fabulous prizes for the winners. On the day of the draw
of the lottery, majority of losers use to tear their lottery tickets out of frustration, ignoring the
pictures of the deities on them. As a result, one can see torn pieces of lottery tickets lying
scattered on the spot where the result was announced. There are other lotteries, announcing
big money in return of a small amount, which bear pictures of deities on them. Except the few
winning tickets the rest are generally torn to pieces. Some bus and ferry tickets also contain
pictures of the deities. These are torn and thrown at the end of the journey.
Another very serious matter is that most of the people throw away the Marriage
Invitation Cards, prominently decorated with pictures of Lord Ganesh and other deities,
once the ceremonies are over. As a result the pictures of the deities can be found lying here
and there and the deities are dishonoured in the same way as those placed on packing materials.
Indeed it is very unfortunate to see people discarding the same deity, Ganesh, whom they
invoke before commencement of any auspicious event in order to ward off all the obstacles
on the way. Incidentally the Gift Envelopes, bearing pictures of the deities, presented to the
newlyweds, are also discarded carelessly after the cash gift is removed carefully from the
envelopes. Sometimes one comes across discarded Invitation Cards for other auspicious
occasions, Diwali & New Year Greeting Cards and Visiting Cards, bearing pictures of the
deities, lying in the garbage or on the road.
DEITIES ON DISCARDED MARRIAGE INVITATION CARDS
8
It is not a surprise to find discarded old Calendars, having soiled or shabby pictures
of the Hindu deities, in the garbage or on the road. Perhaps this is the simplest way chosen by
some people to get rid of old calendars, which are of no use at the end of a year.
DEITIES ON DISCARDED CALENDARS
One may not believe, but this is true that the area where maximum number of pictures
of Hindu Gods & Goddesses are printed and later on discarded is the Indian Newspaper.
The Daily Newspapers, published in various languages of India including English, print
uncountable number of pictures of the deities while performing the following activities:-
a) Covering day-to-day incidents and giving extensive photographic coverage to
religious ceremonies taking place round the year in the news reports
b) Publishing literary and informative articles on Spiritualism, Tourism and Art &
Culture
c) Publishing commercial advertisements for promotion of consumer products and
greetings of business establishments & political personalities
The gravity of the situation can be realized if we go into details of the above activities.
As such each of the above mentioned activities is analyzed below separately.
News with Pictures of the Deities
The pictures of the deities, published along with the news, are either deliberate or
accidental in nature. Given below are some circumstances under which pictures of the deities
are placed on the pages of the newspapers:-
1. Placing pictures of the famous deities of different areas/districts on the strips, placed
at the top of Local News pages of the newspapers as regular features
2. Placing pictures of the deities, worshipped on the day of publication of the
newspapers, at the top of the front page beside/along with the name of the newspapers
3. Placing pictures of the deities on the strips, placed at the top of special pages during
festive occasions
9
4. Placing pictures of the d