The entire nation is actively celebrating the ‘ten day visit’ of Shri Ganesh to their homes, and how can Mumbai stay behind? Famous as the birthplace of the much publicized Ganpati festivals, the entire city is going gung ho on the occasion of Ganesh Chaturthi.
Joining into the festivities, scores of Bollywood celebrities brought the statue of Ganpati to their homes, including acclaimed actor Shahrukh Khan, who posted the following:
In this post, not only do we observe the famous actor celebrating the much touted festival with an open heart, it also reveals the cute innocence of Abram, as he affectionately addresses the Ganpati as his ‘pappa’.
This is no surprise, since Shahrukh Khan belongs to a lineage, starting from INA braveheart Major General Shah Nawaz Khan, who were equally secular and open minded when it came to celebrating festivals other than that of their own religion, respecting the essence of India. However, neither of them were prepared for the barrage of abuses that would follow this post:
https://twitter.com/squintneon/status/1041359123391176707
Many people I know shared that feel-good ad by Brooke Bond about a Muslim Murtikar who says, making Murtis is a form of ‘Ibadat’. Well, that was fiction. Here is what happens when a Muslim actor tries Ibadat of Shri Ganesh in his home in REAL life!! #Intolerance, anyone? pic.twitter.com/WwEOd6RQvt
— Shefali Vaidya. 🇮🇳 (@ShefVaidya) September 17, 2018
This shouldn’t come as a surprise, since celebrities like Mohammad Shami, Mohammad Kaif, Soha Ali Khan and Sara Ali Khan have already faced flak for either visiting Hindu temples or posting pictures celebrating Hindu festivals. These people were mercilessly trolled by a particular ‘community’ and the media refused to acknowledge the fact that they were being trolled just because they had expressed their personal faith. Fortunately, these people stood their ground and brazened out the personal, vicious attacks by the particular ‘community’. However, what came across as atrocious and certainly unacceptable was the volley of abuses the hardened Islamists directed at poor little Abram.
Curiously, no left leaning liberal or Bollywood celebrity came to either the rescue of Shahrukh Khan or even young Abram. The likes of Swara Bhasker and Shruti Seth Aslam, who would take ‘trolls’ to the cleaners for attacking ‘the secular fabric of the nation’, had conveniently duct taped themselves, refusing to either tweet or speak on this issue.
Even the ‘I am ashamed’ placard brigade of Bollywood celebrities were mysteriously silent on such a famous actor being heckled for merely celebrating the Ganpati festival. Double standards, much? For the left leaning media, the less said, the better.
To be honest, the amount of bigotry meted out on Shahrukh Khan just because he happened to celebrate a Hindu festival shows the inherent contempt the bigots have for the Indian customs. What is more annoying is the deafening silence of the intellectuals, who would’ve otherwise ripped the accused apart, had they been practicing Hindus or some fake godman. We hope that Shahrukh Khan doesn’t buckle and continues to celebrate Hindu festivals like the current one, for India cannot be held ransom to the whims and fancies of hardened bigots. The essence of Indic culture lies in acceptance and celebrating difference, something a particular ‘community’ is still not comfortable with.