Hyderabad: A poster displayed at the Hyderabad Literature Festival being held at the Hyderabad Public School, has become controversial because it shows a Hindu goddess along with some models. The poster advertised Mahaswetha Devi’s play Choli ke peeche kya hai, which was to be performed on the first day, and which exposes the hypocrisy of the Indian society that ill-treats women and yet revers them as goddesses.
Hindu groups have held the organisers of the festival responsible and told the media that they will lodge a complaint. Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) spokesperson Krishna Saagar Rao said that it was an insult to the Hindu goddess as well as the sentiments of Hindus. “The fest is related to so-called literature and prominent writers, and for insulting Hindu gods they scheduled the play. Our legal cell is lodging a complaint with police on the matter.
“Besides BJP, other wings like VHP are also planning to lodge complaints followed by protests,” he said. One of the organisers, director Ajay Gandhi, said that there was no obscenity in the play against Hindu gods and the play was not related to any religion. “The play emphasises the hypocrisy of Indian society about women. It shows how women are represented as goddess and actresses. The organisers of the festival did not display the poster. The organisers of the play displayed it,” he said. At the time of going to press, the Begumpet police had not received any complaint.
