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Edinburgh International Festival protests over anti-Hindu play

It seems that the Edinburgh International Theatre Festival has made all the wrong headlines this year. Recently, a play has been published that has enraged Hindus overseas. The play ‘Hindu Times’ attracted a lot of attention for all the wrong reasons. This play denigrates Hindu deities by using abusive words, showing them in obscene positions, and more. The play, written by Scottish-Indian writer Jaimini Jethwa and directed by Caitlin Skinner, will premiere at the Royal Lyceum Theatre in Edinburgh between August 20 and 21.

So, what’s so wrong with that? Aside from mocking religious beliefs, the play portrays Hindu deities like Bhagwan Brahma, Bhagwan Vishnu, and Goddess Lakshmi in a bad light. In Hinduism, the God, and goddesses of the Hindu religion are meant to be worshipped in temples as well as in-home shrines, according to Shri Rajan Zed, the president of the Universal Society of Hinduism. In a statement, he emphasized that they should not be depicted as breaking into closed shops and trying to find alcohol in Dundee. Zed criticized the Edinburgh International Festival for sacrilege, ridiculing the Hindu community, and belittling other religious traditions. Edinburgh International Festival should apologize for selecting an inappropriate play.

As part of his plea, Rajan asked the Edinburgh International Theater Festival to train its executives for ‘cultural sensitivity and to re-evaluate the selection process so that plays such as Hindu Times will not be selected. He has urged Partners and Sponsors of the Edinburgh Theatre Festival, such as the British Council, the Scottish Government, and the UK Government, to rethink their involvement.

Due to its deliberate mishandling and portrayal of the Hindu faith, the play has now drawn the ire of 1.2 billion Hindus. According to reports, Goddess Lakshmi and Bhagwan Brahma also used the F-word in one of the scenes. Overseas Friends of BJP UK, Kuldeep Shekhawat, expressed anger with the Edinburgh Theatre Festival for choosing a play that portrays Hinduism in a negative light. ‘If this play contains derogatory remarks, we urge EIF to withdraw it,’ he said.

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Today, it is almost an accepted practice to denigrate and shame Hindus, whether they are Indian or not. However, the good news is that Hindus have stopped taking such nonsense lightly. When someone creates offensive content, he or she is also paid back in the same coin. The anger and criticism directed at anti-Hindu web series and movies in India recently indicate this.

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