Expressionist

Quite a bunch of Rajputs are irked with Ashutosh Gowarikar's Jodhaa- Akbar. They have raised objections on Jodhaa Bai's origin, as Gowarikar believes. According to Rajputs, Jodhaa Bai was the daughter-in-law of Akbar, and not his wife, as shown in the film. There has been some violence. Says CNN-IBN: "Opposing Ashutosh Gowarikar's movie, hundreds of youths belonging to the Rajput community staged a protest demonstration and shouted slogans against the film producer. They also burnt promotional...

The Tamil Nadu House is seeing some heated discussions—not over water, but actress Shriya Saran's wardrobe. The Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK), for instance, thinks she reveals too much. From the New Indian Express: [ Link] It all started with PMK whip T Velmurugan calling for censorship on the small screen arguing that Namitha turned up in revealing attires as the judge of a dance show telecast on a private satellite television channel. Likewise, Shreya, the heroine of the runaway hit Sivaji - The...

The Indian Express has a list of some recent incidents: [ Link] May 6, 2007: Twenty-seven activists of the little known ‘Karnataka Yuva Vedike’ attacked Athena Pub at Leela Palace Hotel on Airport Road in Bangalore. The activists had asked all the customers at the pub to vacate, and had gone on rampage. August 10, 2008: The activists of ‘Karnataka Rakshana Vedike’ attacked a group of 35 people, who were holding a Rave party at Manchanabele Dam in Maradi Taluk. The police had later arrested all...

Richard Gere has approached the Supreme Court seeking a stay on an arrest warrant issued against him by a Jaipur court in a complaint over his and actress Shilpa Shetty's cheek-kiss during a charity show last year. Says the Times of India: [ Link] Gere also sought a stay on the order of a Mundawar court in Rajasthan which directed him not to leave the country in a similar case. The matter was mentioned by Gere's counsel before a bench headed by the Chief Justice K G Balakrishnan for an early...

Husain saab has earned some temporary reprieve—on one count, at least. The Delhi High Court has stayed the criminal proceedings against MF Hussain, summoned by a Delhi magistrate, on a complaint related to his alleged indecent depiction of Bharat Mata and Hindu Gods. The Daily News & analysis has some details: [ Link] Setting aside ACMM A K Kuhar's order seeking the 92-year-old Hussain's personal appearance in the case, Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul issued notice to the Haridwar-based complainant...

The NDTV office in Ahmedabad has been ransacked by Hindu rightwingers for running a poll on whether MF Husain should be awarded the Bahart Ratna. Activists of the virtually unknown Hindu Samrajya Sena group on January 19 barged into NDTV's office, broke furniture, destroyed studio equipment and even smashed the air-conditioners and other electrical fittings. The channel's website reported: [ Link] One of the staff member, who was in the office at the time, was attacked and beaten up with hockey...

The Baroda art controversy is back in the news — but for a different reason this time. The committee set up by the Gujarat Governor to probe the controversy over the display of the “obscene” painting at MS University in Vadodara has recommended that the student who sketched the work be readmitted, and it accused university officials of dereliction of duty. And not only that. The committee wants the suspension of Shivaji Panikkar, Dean, Faculty of Fine Arts at the university, be revoked and...

Assam's moral police found a novel way of saying Happy New Year—Asom Sena activists decided to turn party pooper by keeping a "watch" on parties. [ Link] Asom Sena Chief Organiser, Lakshman Das, had this to say to CNN-IBN: "We want to ensure that no damage is caused to our culture and tradition. In the New Year celebrations this year we will make sure that parties are held without any violation of decency and that revelry stays within the moral norms."

The Supreme Court has upheld the Guruvayoor temple’s decision to allow entry of women wearing churidar, the Hindu has reported. A bench comprising Chief Justice KG Balakrishnan and Justices RV Raveendran and JM Panchal Monday dismissed a special leave petition challenging the August 23 Kerala High Court order, which upheld the temple’s decision. [ Link] Manoj V. George, counsel for a devotee K. Mohandas, argued that the change in the 5,000-year-old practice of allowing only women wearing the...

These days MF Husain doesn't have to be around for Hindu rightwingers to be muscling havoc. An exhibition of his almost ran into rough weather in the national capital on December 22 after organisers received a threat from the Bajrang Dal. The India International Centre, where Hussain's 'India in the Era of Mughals' painting series was on display, suspended the exhibition for a day. IIC, the Times of India says, received the threats from Dal activists who threatened it with "serious consequences"...