US popular Magazine shows Ganesha holding an alcoholic
while Hanuman sex poses with a woman- upset NRI Hindus

Did Stuff magazine cross the line or are they just plain obtuse?
Is Stuff Magazine Insult on Hindus?
Is this offensive?

New York, June 8 2007
Sohan Sahota

A popular US Stuff Magazine in a June issue, the below artwork was displayed and allegedly depicts Hindu God Ganesha holding an alcoholic beverage in each hand and deity Hanuman in an obscene pose has drawn the ire of many Hindus in the country. The Stuff Magazine may have crossed a line in its continual quest to whet the prurient appetites of its readership. Alongside a quiz entitled “Yoga Pose, Drink or Sex Position?”

 

NRI Ashok mehta from New York wrote a letter to editor-in-chief: However, whenever one insults another culture, be it through malice or—even worse—through ignorance, they should be held accountable for their decision. That's how dialogue works in an open democracy, and that's all we're asking

NRI Rakesh Patel from Detroit said, Would the artist have drawn, and the editors allowed, an image of the Pope getting busy with a busty bimbo? I think not. So why don’t Hindu icons deserve the same respect?

NRI Mahesh Gupta from LA said, I don't think its such a big deal. Loads of hindus drink alcohol. Also since when did sex - or reproduction become a vice? At the end of the day it is free speech and remains only as ink on paper. The image of christ has been portrayed throughout the internet in many different ways and forms, some deemed offensive and some deemed not so. At the end of the day, if you don't want to see it, you simply have to close the book, or turn off the computer. It's not like anyone is forcing anyone to see these images.

NRI Dr. Dundeep Agarwal from Sacramento said, "You are right about free speech but there is such a thing as respect here. How would you or Christians feel about a picture of Christ with an bottle of alcohol in his hand promoting a liquor company. Or Christ with a woman all over him in a sexual manner? Do you think that would be respecting Christians much?"

NRI Hindus in the United States have already protested but the magazine is already in circulation and it seems nothing can be done.

The media are also bound by ethics that surpass their constitutional rights. And viewers and readers, in turn, bear the responsibility to inform the media when they misinform. If we simply turned away every time the media wrongfully portrayed a situation, bad things happen.

Our press reporter called Stuff magazine but no respons.