Hollywood defined as “producer of non-Vishnu related cinema”, upset Hindus ask apology

An article “America: Hell yeah!” in July four edition of Winnipeg Sun newspaper of Canada has upset Hindus and they are asking for immediate apology by its publisher and president of its parent Quebecor.

Objecting to the sentence “Although Bollywood makes more movies, Hollywood is still the No.1 producer of non-Vishnu related cinema”, acclaimed Hindu statesman Rajan Zed, in a statement in Nevada (USA) today, said that Vishnu was highly revered deity and Hindus worship him. Use of word ‘Vishnu’ in this case was completely unwarranted. Careless use of this highly sacred term hurt the Hindu sentiments.

Rajan Zed, who is president of Universal Society of Hinduism, further said that Hindus were for free speech as much as anybody else if not more. Hindu tradition encouraged peaceful debates, won on their intellectual merit. But faith was something sacred and attempts at belittling it hurt the devotees.

Bhavna Shinde of Forum for Hindu Awakening said that it was clearly a case of irresponsible journalism, which was totally uncalled for and can be construed as a deliberate attempt to offend Hindu feelings.

Other organizations/leaders that joined Zed in this protest include Hindu Alliance of India; Shri Ramayan Pracharini Sabha; India Heritage Panel; and Dharam Loonaa, Executive Director of Universal Society of Hinduism.

Vishnu, regarded as Preserver, forms the triad of major gods of Hindu pantheon with Brahma and Shiva. Called muktidata (savior god), he is Narayana, the ever-present and all pervading. His avatars (incarnations) include Rama, Krishna, Buddha, etc. Hinduism, oldest and third largest religion of the world, has about one billion adherents and moksha (liberation) is its ultimate goal.

The Winnipeg Sun, published from Manitoba since 1980 with Kevin Klein as Publisher, is a division of the Sun Media Corporation, a Quebecor company. Canada’s largest newspaper publisher Sun Media Corporation’s over 243 publications, including The Toronto Sun, reach over 10.5 million readers weekly. Quebecor, with Pierre Karl Péladeau as President and Jean Neveu as Board Chairman, is one of Canada's largest media companies.

Last updated on Jul 6^th, 2009 at 11:40 am IST--Sampurn Media