NATASHA CHAKU
MELBOURNE
Australian play depicting God Ganesha being tortured and interrogated by infamous Nazi Secret Service has raised the shackles of a Hindu community activist who has objected saying the deity should not be made a “laughing stock on stage“.
The play `The Ganesha versus the Third Reich', by Australiabased Back to Back Theatre, is having a world premiere at Melbourne Festival in Australia on September 29.
US-based Hindu activist Rajan Zed said the play is creating irrele Zed said the play is creating irrelevant imaginary imagery, like depicting Ganesha being tortured and interrogated by Adolf Hitler's Nazi Secret Service.
“The Lord Ganesha was meant to be worshipped in temples and home shrines and not to be made a laughing stock on theatre stages,“ he said. “Creating irrelevant imaginary imagery, like reportedly depicting him being tortured and interrogated by Nazi SS, hurt the devotees,“ he said.
However, the theatre group's executive producer Alice Nash said the play went into difficult territory but was not offensive to Hindus.
“There's certainly no intent to present something that's disrespectful, far from it,“ she said.
“We've thought very carefully about how he's being represented on stage and what's being said,“ she said.
Recently, depiction of Hindu Goddess Lakshmi on a swim-wear at a fashion event held in Sydney resulted in worldwide protests.
The Australian swim-wear company, later apologised after the protests. PTI
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