Chennai’s Loyola College is facing backlash after it allowed the exhibition of blatantHinduphobic artwork put in its premises as part of its cultural event Veedi Viruthu Vizha. The college tendered its apology for conducting such an event and hurting the sentiments of the people after the BJP state unit forewarned them of registering a complaint against them.
The exhibits put on display bore derogatory drawings of Hindu religion, PM Narendra Modi, Bharat Mata and Hindu organisations. Many people on social media had condemned the display of controversial artworks that mocked and showed Hindu ideologies and symbols in a derogatory manner.
From #Kathua to #Sabarimala and now this #LoyolaCollege shame, Xians and Muslims are openly abusing Hinduism. Hindus on other hand have been lulled into ignoring the systematic abuse for fear of being branded communal.Some Dhimmis will even come out and say cowardice is Hinduism pic.twitter.com/3hnSikany3
— VikasSaraswat (@VikasSaraswat) January 21, 2019
Shocking! Loyola college Anti Govt Images Exhibition part 2 (they displayed 60 anti Hindu anti BJP anti Modi images in an exhibition on front lawn for Pongal time carnival! Shame ! pic.twitter.com/wC87c7w4ng
— BUSHINDIA (@BUSHINDIA) January 20, 2019
The college in its issued apology letter claims that it was saddened by the derogatory nature of the exhibits put on display and have immediately removed them when it was brought to their notice. However, people on Social Media have stated that the apology is just a smokescreen and it is incredulous to believe that the management was unaware of it.
This is the bullshit apology from Loyola College Chennai about exhibiting blatantly Hindu-hating, hate-filled, vicious garbage on its premises. How is it possible that the management was ‘unaware’ of the filth till it was ‘pointed out’? The legal action should continue. pic.twitter.com/GCjVuQLDUj
— Shefali Vaidya ஷெஃபாலி வைத்யா शेफाली वैद्य (@ShefVaidya) January 21, 2019
News7 TV channel says Loyola College has apologised for the filthy paintings on Hindu Gods and Bharatmata being exhibited in their college. But the college must do more. Remove the pictures and take action against those who permitted it. Otherwise apology has no meaning. https://t.co/dNHI1oTtKs
— S Gurumurthy (@sgurumurthy) January 21, 2019
BJP Tamil Nadu unit chief H Raja has claimed that communists and Naxalites are behind this exhibition. He has asked all Hindu nationalists to file a complaint against the college.
However, one of the professors of the college appeared to brazen it out, claiming that on the issue of #MeToo, the paintings have tried to depict what the children of Bharat Mata had to endure and there’s nothing wrong in it. Even the college management has tried to downplay the controversy by claiming that ‘art should be viewed as art’.
In November 2018, a similar controversy had marred the Department of Tamil at St Joseph’s College, Tiruchi, leading to the indefinite adjournment of a seminar titled ‘Harassment of women as registered in Tamil Literature’, after the Minister for Tamil Culture ‘Ma Foi’ Pandiarajan expressed strong reservations against the organisation of a ‘derogatory and slanderous’ event. The college had invited research works on topics such as ‘Male domination in Ramayana’ and ‘The plight of Surpanakha in Ramayana’ which led to the outrage.
