Caption This

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The following image was sent to me by email; it comes from the Times of India; I don’t know the artist or the original context in which it was printed:

okrishna radhillary.jpg

Please provide a caption or title. avoiding the use of the word “kala.”

I should acknowledge that at least one conservative Hindu website has declared that they find the above image offensive. Do readers agree?

(As I understand it, images of deities in the Hindu tradition are widely appropriated and reinterpreted in the culture. They don’t have the same “forbidden” status that they do in, say, Islam. While I can definitely see how a nude image of a Hindu deity not normally represented as nude might be offensive, I think a comic or satirical gloss on a revered story from the tradition, as in the image above, isn’t that uncommon. I am, as always, open to hearing other points of view…)

151 thoughts on “Caption This”

  2. Amardeep:

    Ironically enough, the one context in which the word “kala” is used lovingly in Hindu devotional narrative is when referring to Krishna. Since Obama is Krishna incarnate here, should you be banning the word?

  3. Ruchira, you’re right. I was worried about the racial connotations of “kala,” but maybe that’s too paranoid. I’ll modify the post slightly to unban “kala”…

  6. Wow, thats an interesting post Amandeep. First off, lets look at the bigger picture. This artist is really trying just to rev up some controversy so he can get his name out there. Looking past that, I think its pretty offensive. I think to myself, what if Obama’s or McCain’s face was plastered up on a guru nanak dev ji tasveer? I would be pretty offended. I think there are aspects of religion that, even for shock value, one shouldnt reach. We have to remember, krishna and radha for some people, are much beyond two religious figures, they are one of the many forms of a formless god. So, to satirically plaster a photo like that is really doing a dis-service to the believers, and most of all, the credibility of the artist themselves.

    But hey, in this day in age, anything goes. There was that artist in Paris that put a picture of Krishna’s face on a shoe. Then the artist in spain that took a phot of guru gobind singh ji and used it in a comical sense.

    WHAT I WOULD REALLY LIKE TO SEE IS THE UPROAR IN THE CATHOLIC CHURCH OR AMONGST THE AMERICAN PEOPLE, IF SOMETHING LIKE THIS HAPPENED TO THEM. THAT WOULD BE A SHOW TO WATCH!!

  10. Hinduism has a long tradition of taking itself lightly; often gods are made fun of. So there is no gut reaction in most Hindus against images like this one.

    That said, anything that uses Hindu icons or uses affects Hinduism’s image. The image of Hinduism affects the atmosphere, in which Hindus live – an atmosphere where Hinduism is held in low regard creates doubts and misgivings and a feeling of incompleteness among its followers.

    To put it bluntly this atmosphere makes Piyushes become Bobbies and makes neighbors and colleagues feel that since you follow a weird religion that there’s something a bit off with you.

    America pays a lot of attention to political correctness, but it expects the norm for political correctness to be imposed by protests and activism. India is heading the same way.

    So when I see something like this illustration I ask myself WWJD, WWCD, WWMD – what would Jewish / Christian / Muslim activists do.

    So based on the Chocolate Jesus controversy, I would say I find this image offensive.

  11. WHAT I WOULD REALLY LIKE TO SEE IS THE UPROAR IN THE CATHOLIC CHURCH OR AMONGST THE AMERICAN PEOPLE, IF SOMETHING LIKE THIS HAPPENED TO THEM. THAT WOULD BE A SHOW TO WATCH!!

    Dude! It happens all the time. Are you not familiar with the crucifix in urine or the elephant dung portrait of the Virgin Mary?

    As far as Barack as Krishna goes, I can see the parallels. Krishna had a hypnotic effect on the Gopis although Hillary as a gopi is pretty far out there.

  13. literal meaning of krishna in sanskrit – black, he is literally the black god.

    Both Rama and Krishna are black in the ancient indian imagination. Because of more and more northern peoples invading/visiting/settling in india, they have become lighter skinned over the last 1000 years..

  14. You know, I am not offended in the least. I just think, along with Raja @6, that it’s an artist’s attempt to make a splash. Sadly, this piece doesn’t affect me in any direction. No rage, no reflection. Just sorta a self-evident gimmick.

    Hence, I can’t think of any caption, but I hope someone comes up with something good that might help the artist make some point…

  15. Yes, I was also gonna add Piss Christ as answer to Raja’s comment, although, there are other more prominent recent examples of artists, religion and taking offense.

    Such as, the Danish Mohammed cartoons> Beware free-thinking artists and peoples: everything is offensive to someone nowadays, so don’t say or write or draw what you really think or feel or want to express. Remember, free speech doesn’t include the right to offend! This, my darlings, is progress.

  16. I’m about to scream incoherently, please to excuse, but DID NOBODY READ THE TOI CAPTION?

    U.S. prez race hots up! The neck-and-neck race between senators Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama gears up as Osama wins another state. (TOI photo/Neelam) 13 Mar, 2008

    As seen at 11.50 AM EDT on March 28, 2008. I’ve taken a screenshot, which I will upload to Flickr later today.

    What was that about offense again?

  19. Screenshot uploaded to Picasaweb, image, caption and all.

    Rather sneaky of TOI: if CNN were to do the old Obama/Osama switcheroo, they wouldn’t be so creative as to distract you with an image like that.

  20. I think this would make more sense if they had depicted youtube “obama-girl” as representative of americans wooed by Obama instead of Hillary. An appropriate role for Hillary would be “Putana”, in light of her recent actions and considering that she is trying to offer vice-presidentship to Obama.

    More info on Putana: http://www.britannica.com/eb/topic-484346/Putana

  21. 6 · Raja said

    WHAT I WOULD REALLY LIKE TO SEE IS THE UPROAR IN THE CATHOLIC CHURCH OR AMONGST THE AMERICAN PEOPLE, IF SOMETHING LIKE THIS HAPPENED TO THEM. THAT WOULD BE A SHOW TO WATCH!!

    This happens to Christianity all the time. I’m disappointed that

    a) you didn’t realize or are amazingly unaware of that

    b) you got all hyphy with the tit-for-tat bs.

    All caps? You needed to shout that bit?

  24. 23 · Kam said

    mrrrmmmmm i don’t think Obama is dark enough to be Krishna

    It’s amusing that you said that, because I just saw him on the news an hour ago, trying to explain away more Wright-wrongs, and all I could think of was, “He looks tan!”. Oh…didn’t he go on vacation recently? That would explain it. 🙂

  27. 26 · AR said

    Anna, I’ve only been in the bay for a few years, but that’s the first time I’ve ever heard “hyphy” and “tit-for-tat” in the same sentence.

    I may rep DC with all the love I can muster from my dead, black heart, but my roots are in the yay. 😉

  28. Barack: I think you should get out of the race now Hillary: I will after I collect some more cash to pay off my campaign debts

  30. Do not flame other commenters just because you disagree with them; read the commenting policy.

    Please do state your views without resorting to accusations of cocaine-use or crack-smoking. There are civil ways to ask someone to clarify their comments.

  36. Dizzydesi, reg your comment (#10), “So when I see something like this illustration I ask myself WWJD, WWCD, WWMD – what would Jewish / Christian / Muslim activists do.”

    It does not matter what the Jewish/Christian/Muslim do….what does this mean to you, as a Hindu?

    I disagree with some of the responses by Muslims when they are angry about a depiction/portrayal – issuing of fatwa, for instance, so I really don’t think we Hindus should base our response on how the other, non-Hindus respond to a similar issue.

    (Personally, this portrayal is utterly meaningless and in bad taste; I’d just ignore it).

  38. Would anyone prefer Obama as Ganesha watching standing guard while his nude mother (Clinton) bathinged?

  40. Advani dolled himself up as Rama so I am not sure what the fuss is. Maybe something along the lines of how some people reacted negatively to the international cast of Peter Brooks’ Mahabharata.

  42. I am assuming many of the people who seem to have taken offense to the picture are not from Mumbai. People in Mumbai, at-least the few hundreds or more I knew for 22 years odd, derided the plethora of Gods for pure entertainment. No one was spared, in fact we had categories, bappa-jokes (the elephant God jokes) et etc, Landya (muslim) jokes, paav-jokes (Catholics in Mumbai were often referred as “paavs;” which stands for a special kind of bread the Portuguese convert the Indians in Goa), Sardar-jokes duh! So get off your mighty horses people, traditionally we have been pretty crude. All i can think of caption-wise is: Once you go “Krishna” you never go back!

  44. If this was a certain other religion there would be riots all over the world and people would be making death threats and some young person might even blow himself up to show there anger.

    But what I’ve seen of hindu’s. They don’t act that way over there religion to that level.

  45. It is offensive. And sad.

    To many Hindus, Radha-Krishna is divine and sublime. It carries the hope that everyone may find a suitable partner and enjoy love the way it was meant to be enjoyed. This picture is the equivalent of Osama as Guru Gobind Singh carrying an AK-47 and riding a horse. That the artist picked these two characters is offensive.

    Why would someone do something as stupid as this? If they were after shock value then there’s a bazillion other ways to get that. I’m sure the average Photoshop monkey can find an equally effective way to get these two together with tubgirl.com. This pic probably gets him the shock value, but gets a host of angry Hindus lobbying for its removal, too. There are other ways to kill the saap and preserve the lathi.

    Finally, it’s sad that this was done by a desi. I’m sure we’re smarter (more creative) than this.

    -$T

  46. Baraas Hillarileela. Even as a Hindu, I find it amusing that the relationship between Barack and HillBill is likened to the courtship of Radha and Krishna – the two-step, the hurt and the Democrats’ “friendly” war games. It’s all maya, illusion, the motions of modern life, in the end signifying nothing more than play.

  47. Minkey Chief, very clever!

    If anything, Hillary already graciously asked Obama to be her Veep. So, shouldn’t the seduction be the other way around? And wouldn’t the Obama faction prefer Balarama to describe Hillary as Putana? Of course, followed quickly by disowning Balarama and dispatching him to Mathura, far far away from Hastinapura or Indraprastha.

  50. I should acknowledge that at least one conservative Hindu website has declared that they find the above image offensive.

    I LOVE this website. Below their stern condemnation (emphatically! emphasised! by! exclamations!), they’ve cataloged other perceived slights as a monument to their own thin skin. Hilarious stuff!